Curious About Peafowl

[zazouse]

Where abouts are you located in Texas if I may ask i
Welcome to The Pea section where pea brains rule

 

[MinxFox]

If I raise the peacock from just an egg or day old chick then that should increase the odds of him 'imprinting' on me and thus being more friendly right?

I have not tried it with a day old chick, but basically the idea of imprinting is the first thing that peachick should see when it hatches is you. Then it will think you are the mom and it will follow you around, call for you when you are not in the room, etc. I think the best thing to do is if you can, get an egg and hatch it. I have hatched several peachicks together and they were more interested in each other then me, but I could still handle them a little. They just wouldn't follow me or let me pet them.

I have all the time in the world. I'm looking for a companion animal in this peacock and as such I plan on devoting hours each day to its needs and otherwise spoiling it rotten any way that I can.

Just be careful about handling the bird too much. I didn't hold Peep too much when he got older because I didn't want to make him uncomfortable. Normally they would rather be perched on your shoulder, arm, or hand then to be held like a baby...There was one lady who would hold hers like a baby with the bird on its back and everything. When it got older she said it would attack her, but I don't know what she meant by attack. Attack could mean try to mate with her since for some that might look like an attack but it is not. When Peep got bigger I only picked him up to move him back into his pen. When you pick them up let them perch on one arm and with the other hold them close to your body because they don't like doors, so when you open the door to the pen they might want to flap a bit. As a little peachick though, you definitely want to handle them a lot because they really really want attention when they are little. To spoil the peachick take it outside to eat grass and other plants but don't take it out too late because it might feel compelled to fly up in a tree for the night if you take it out kinda late. (they have wonderful instincts and know what they can and can not eat when they are little, but still watch them because when peachicks are little they go through a phase of wanting to eat your hair, which is what Taco is going through right now. They grow out of this phase.) When Peep got too big for his playpen we moved him to a wire pen in the backyard that we could see from the kitchen window. At night we would leave on the heat lamp out there, and it would attract a bunch of bugs so Peep would be running around the pen eating all of the bugs that came to the light. It looked like a bunch of fun for him and I am sure it also helped give him some extra nutrients. You can feed them all kinds of stuff from fruit slices, lettuce, cabbage, unsalted unshelled peanuts... Here is a whole list of things:
http://www.bamboopeacock.com/Treats_for_Peafowl.html

Can living space make a difference in behavior? Would a large pen make a difference or potentially several pens with divisions where the birds could see and hear each other but not actually get together? I will have land to 'free range' them on but the truth is that Texas is FILLED with all sorts of critters that could potentially kill a peacock. Not to mention those invasive ants which I am sure could ruin any peahen eggs. I know those red ants are predators of Prairie Chicken eggs to the point where the Houston Zoo has put into place an action to get rid of them on hundreds of acres of prairie land. I need to look into ways I can take precautions about that.

Sometimes lots of ants like to come make their ant hills in the peafowl pen. In the past my dad has sprinkled ant killer around the outside of the pen when my peahens were nesting. I have not had any ant problems with eggs or peachicks yet and hopefully that won't become a problem! Some people get a good outside dog to defend their flock of birds. I know Zazouse has some wonderful outside dogs! I have had raccoon problems with my peafowl. Two or so years ago two large boar raccoons broke into the pen and killed my pied peacock Dragon. He was such a beautiful bird and I was so upset. Days later they killed one of my sweet peahens. We never could catch them in a trap, but we saw some dead coons on the road and thought they got ran over. Well this year a raccoon broke into the pen and killed a daughter of that pied peacock, and she was a very pretty peahen. We set up traps all around the pen and caught a big raccoon. I keep my birds at my Grandma's who is two miles away so I don't get to be there for my birds all the time so it makes it harder to watch out for them. I think almost all bird owners have to deal with predators at some point, and it is never fun. I keep 10 peafowl in about a 40x50 ft aviary that is 15ft. tall and slopes down to a six foot fence. I need to make more pens since 10 birds in one aviary make it hard to keep grass so there is no more grass, so I hope I can find the right space and number of birds to keep grass. I think the more space, the easier it is for birds to get out of each other's space. I have a mature four year old peacock and 2 two year old peacocks (they will be fully mature at three years old). The mature peacock has to assert his dominance to the younger boys so he chases them around and jumps on them to show them that he is the boss of the pen. I know if the pen was smaller this would be a lot more scarier or dangerous because there would be a bigger chance of the males being cornered or flying into the fence, but with all the space they can run and hide from the mature male. He only had to show them both once or twice that he was the boss, so normally these chases don't happen. What you could do is have a large pen and then some smaller pens attached to it and during the breeding season separate the males into their own pen, and then when it is not the spring or summer time you could put them all in one pen together. I think several people have large pens that they put all or most of their birds in when it is not breeding time. For pens I think people go by a rule of thumb that you should have 100 square feet per peacock.

 

[Bluebonnet]

Aren't peacock nails/borderline talons, rather sharp though? Would I need to invest in an arm guard like some eagle owners use if I were going to attempt to get the peacock used to perching on my arm? I have rather long hair and I appreciate that bit of advice because I do not want the bird eating my hair.

I worry about ants because the kind in Texas are very hard to kill even if you do spray them and I want to avoid using chemicals on my land if at all possible. I am sorry to hear that you have had a hard time with the ants where you are at. I too used to live in Florida once upon a time but I did not fear the ants half as much as the mosquitoes! Do peacocks eat mosquitoes?

I would like to try and manage at least an acre or two of my land as natural prairie habitat, which implies grasses almost as tall as I am, possibly snakes making it their home, ants and all sorts of critters wanting to call it home. With that in mind, I want to be sure that I take special precautions for my peacocks and because I will have the space, time and purchasing power, I would like to get my peacock the fanciest, largest pen possible. Do they fly up into just any tree? Maybe I can find a nice dwarf species tree to keep in the pen or something like that. I think it would be nice if I could recreate him and any other birds I might also purchase a really nice replica habitat. I want my birds to be super cozy and I also want to be sure that they have plenty of shade and water because it does get hot in Texas.

 

[Bluebonnet]

Where abouts are you located in Texas if I may ask i
Welcome to The Pea section where pea brains rule

I currently reside in Utah but I am moving back home to Texas. I was born in Amarillo as were my Mother and Grandmother and generations on back were born in Vernon and other parts of Texas.

I plan on moving back to Texas where I can find some nice land and to invest my time, money and effort into making it a piece of land worth passing onto any children I may have some day.

While this is not common for people of my generation, being a mere 23 years old myself, I was basically raised by my Grandmother and Great Grandmother, born in 1920 and 1940 respectively and went through the Great Depression. As such, their habits greatly influenced me to want to go back home and have a farm like my family used to have at one point in time and just live at peace until the right gentleman comes along.

Thank you for the warm reception.

 

[MinxFox]

Ooh you are 23? I am 19

This photo may look scary, but to me it isn't. I have never been hurt by the spurs, only the nails, but it really isn't that bad. Here is how I have been scratched: Trying to catch them. They get to kicking and if you are not wearing long sleeves or long pants you can get scratched. The scratches have never been deep. It is like being scratched by a briar. I don't really think you would need something like what they use for birds of prey. Their claws are fairly blunt so when I hold Peep it doesn't really hurt or leave a mark. Especially when they are peachicks their nails are not bad. You can still get scratches from chick nails if they are flailing or something.


I don't know if the peafowl eat mosquitoes or not...I have had peachicks get bumps on their faces because they got mosquito bitten. Up until today the mosquitos were not here but all this rain has them out now and I was being eaten up today when I was feeding the birds, but it is just something you just have to get used to.

The high grasses sound good. In the wild peafowl will hang out in tall grass and such. Peafowl love to pick the biggest, tallest tree to roost in. When I free-ranged some they preferred a big oak tree to roost in at night. They would fly/jump from branch to branch until they got to the very top of the tree then they would sleep there for the night. All 10 of my peafowl are in a 40x50ft aviary that is 15ft tall at the highest point. I plant it with tropical and native plants like oak trees, bamboo, fatsia, gold dust plant, some kind of evergreen tree, wild pear, crepe myrtle, maidenhair grass, lantana, etc.

 

[Bluebonnet]

You and your gorgeous pictures! It is a tease I tell you! A tease!

What a great set up you have! That is exactly the kind of idea I have about my peafowl pen too. Spacious and well supplied.

Are those just tree stumps for perching? What an excellent idea, very natural like they would have in the wild.

Just look at the feather span on your male! Goodness! He sure is a beautiful thing!

 

[new 2 pfowl]

Katherine,
Wondering why you changed your mind and decided on Texas instead of Florida for your farm?
Judging only from MinxFox's experience, Florida looks like a excellent spot for peas!

 

[MinxFox]

Texas probably has cheeper land and also more land.

If you really want to see amazing aviaries check out these:
Here is a place in Texas:
http://texaspeafowl.com/pens_ideas_equip.html

This place has aviaries that are as good or better than most zoo aviaries.
http://www.pinola.net/Gallery.aspx

Those stumps were from some pine trees we had to cut down. I rolled them into the pen with some help from my peacock Peep. Peep jumped on the log while I was rolling it and he walked on it while I rolled. I put food on top of the stumps for them.

The big peacock is Alto. He is a four year old India blue.

 

[Bluebonnet]

I decided on Texas instead of Florida for several reasons.

1. I am from Texas. It would be an honor to raise a family there someday. My children would be 6th generation Texans and that is something I can take great pride in. It is a good place to live.

2. The land and climate are more suitable for the species I want to grow for my own comfort. The humid weather of Florida combined with the freezing temperatures on occasion along with hurricanes are not suitable for me. Texas has tornados but they are much easier to deal with than hurricanes. I lived through Charley, Francis, Ivan and Jeanne in Florida among others and it was just awful. The people are a totally different breed there and there is lots of looters and crazies. Texas has them too but nowhere near as bad as Florida. There, the worst comes out in people. When I was a little girl, I survived a tornado in Texas. Blew out the windows of my house and I remember the water and glass in my living room and kitchen. We survived and so did our neighbors and it wasn't because we were going to the gas station at the corner and looting and then charging the unfortunates $15 for a bottle of water along the side of the road afterward. The climate of the people is also a huge difference for choosing Texas over Florida.

3. Species native to Texas and Florida. Bluebonnets are my favorite flower and Prairie Chickens are my favorite animal next to the presumed extinct Eskimo Curlew. Texas pests are also easier to avoid. While there are still mosquitoes, they are not as bad. Ants are much worse here though but they are avoidable with preparation. Also, when you see a huge panther or lion, people will believe you and take appropriate action themselves. In Florida, I SAW a Florida Panther in the backyard, the biggest, scariest, fastest creature I have ever seen. Not a soul believed me and the neighbors just let their children wander off with an obviously hungry (Why else would it willingly go into a human neighborhood when there was a lake just across the railroad tracks?) Panther unseen somewhere in the neighborhood. Not to mention the Gators. I won't miss those either.

4. The ability of people to mind their own business. In Florida, it is ridiculous. Especially those home owners associations. In Texas, while there are some odd rules, at least people try and help each other most of the time or send you to where you can get help. In Florida, you really are on your own and there are these punk gangs and destructive teens in Florida that are a breed apart from Texans. While Texas has its problems but at least it acknowledges them. Florida is really corrupt because it is a Meth capitol of the U.S.. There is a lot of politics and money going on there and the people are in on it which makes it hard for the good folks. In Texas, if the worst happens, I trust Texans to be responsible and to be able to survive.

5. Water regulations. Texas has them but Florida is so much worse. See how many years in a row that fireworks have been banned in Florida on the 4th of July for example. In Texas, at least you can celebrate if appropriate measures are taken.

6. Cost and quality of land. Florida is locked and expensive. There are also ridiculous rules like not being able to plant valencia oranges because of the orange growers already in Florida where they export all the good stuff and give the locals the culls. Same goes for strawberries. If you are a fruit bat like me, avoid Florida if you value good produce and the ability and legality to grow it yourself.

That is why I changed from wanting to move back to Florida to moving home to Texas.

I am just more suited to my place of birth than anywhere else.

 

[Bluebonnet]

Texas probably has cheeper land and also more land.

If you really want to see amazing aviaries check out these:
Here is a place in Texas:
http://texaspeafowl.com/pens_ideas_equip.html

This place has aviaries that are as good or better than most zoo aviaries.
http://www.pinola.net/Gallery.aspx

Those stumps were from some pine trees we had to cut down. I rolled them into the pen with some help from my peacock Peep. Peep jumped on the log while I was rolling it and he walked on it while I rolled. I put food on top of the stumps for them.

The big peacock is Alto. He is a four year old India blue.

Those are some really great aviaries. I like that special type of mesh that is forgiving to the birds and filters some of the light. Much better than metal and I am assuming that it does not rust? Hopefully it would be strong enough to keep out potential predators like hawks and such out while keeping my peacock(s) in. It would also stand up better against wind, rain and bad weather.

I wonder if I could build up the side walls of the pen with some rammed earth and blend it into the surrounding landscape? I think that might give the birds a bit more protection against predators, while being natural and fitting in with the landscape. Not to mention providing protection against heavy winds. I would worry about that because Texas does have tornadoes and other non-good events and they can hit suddenly.