Difference Between Peafowl & Chickens

[MinxFox]

As you all probably know already, I have never had chickens. I was just curious as to the differences between peafowl and chickens. I know they are different I just don't know from experience. This is aside from the obvious like color. I am more interested in the behavior differences.

Here are the differences that I can think of from what I have heard:
Peafowl _____
eat less.
roam further.
are better at flying.
are generally not as tame.

Chickens _____
the rooster calls in the morning all year long (right?)
lay all year round for the most part.
more tame and easier to pick up and hold.
eat more.
reach maturity faster but I think live shorter lives.

I am sure there are other really big major differences. I also noticed people who have chickens but not peafowl sometimes ask which peafowl breed has the best temperament. When I hear that I am like "Huh?" So I am guessing chickens can then be compared to domestic dogs and peafowl are more like domestic foxes? But on a side note I compare my group of peafowl to a pack of wolves.

 

[new 2 pfowl]

Are you thinking about getting chickens?

 

[DylansMom]

As you all probably know already, I have never had chickens. I was just curious as to the differences between peafowl and chickens. I know they are different I just don't know from experience. This is aside from the obvious like color. I am more interested in the behavior differences.

Here are the differences that I can think of from what I have heard:
Peafowl _____
eat less.
roam further.
are better at flying.
are generally not as tame.

Chickens _____
the rooster calls in the morning all year long (right?)
lay all year round for the most part.
more tame and easier to pick up and hold.
eat more.
reach maturity faster but I think live shorter lives.

I am sure there are other really big major differences. I also noticed people who have chickens but not peafowl sometimes ask which peafowl breed has the best temperament. When I hear that I am like "Huh?" So I am guessing chickens can then be compared to domestic dogs and peafowl are more like domestic foxes? But on a side note I compare my group of peafowl to a pack of wolves.

My dominant roo crows all day long, but not a peep after dark, unlike my male Peas who holler all night and all day during breeding season.
Roosters will guard the place, he will challenge all strangers he doesn't know. He is not a mean rooster, but he is very protective of the property and the hens. My Peas are not like that at all, it's more of a "every Pea for himself" attitude there.
I may upset the rest of the Pea people here but I have to say the chickens are a lot smarter than the Peas, but the guineas make them all look like geniuses.

 

[Peafowlssssssss]

Chickens _____
1- the rooster calls in the morning all year long (right?)
2- lay all year round for the most part.
3- more tame and easier to pick up and hold.
4- eat more.
5- reach maturity faster but I think live shorter lives.

4- True, I have some Brahma chickens and I can easily tell that one Brahma chicken will eat more than two peahens, and they don't lay many eggs

5- Depend on the breed, some will get mature at 6 months or earlier, while others don't get mature until 11 months or even a year. Most will live 7 or 8 years, i have a hen right now hatched in 2003 and still doing great. Also laying hens will not lay many eggs after they reach 4 or 5 years old.

If you are thinking of getting fancy chickens have a look at phoenix chickens, they are gorgeous birds! It has been said that they stole many people hearts from the first look! But they aren't good at laying eggs at all.

 

[MinxFox]

Are you thinking about getting chickens?

No I don't ever want chickens!

I am not a chicken person (I do like to eat chicken though) I don't care if they end up having more pros than cons I am too addicted to peafowl to have any other kind of bird. I was offered some red goldens recently for free and I didn't even want them. I just can't see owning any other bird. I want to focus on peafowl. I love all birds and chickens are fine (I have nothing much against them) but I have always loved peafowl. I will say though that my favorite chickens are the little bantam chickens with the lace pattern. I like the tiny chickens the most. I also like the ones with the feather puff on top of their head. I don't want to get any though because I want all my bird money going to peafowl. I have some money saved up for green peafowl right now. It is just the whole aviary deal that I am waiting on. I guess I see how chickens are convenient in that you don't need as much space, but what can I say I am a sucker. I blame those peafowl that I saw at the zoo when I was little. Ever since I saw that white peacock perched on the sunlit balcony of a building at the zoo fluffing out his train preening it in the sparkling light, I was done.

I will never get tired of their beauty. I always find myself staying too long out at their pen because I was staring at them.

My dominant roo crows all day long, but not a peep after dark, unlike my male Peas who holler all night and all day during breeding season.
Roosters will guard the place, he will challenge all strangers he doesn't know. He is not a mean rooster, but he is very protective of the property and the hens. My Peas are not like that at all, it's more of a "every Pea for himself" attitude there.
I may upset the rest of the Pea people here but I have to say the chickens are a lot smarter than the Peas, but the guineas make them all look like geniuses.

I was wondering about roosters being protective. One lady has told me that her peacocks will form their own gang to chase off a stray dog or a hawk, etc. Zaz talks about hers chasing animals that don't belong on the property. Maybe if you have a very huge bevy of peafowl they will scare things off? I guess it depends.

That is funny I thought chickens were dumber. Can you explain why you say that? It doesn't upset me or anything I am just curious.

So is a peacock call louder when compared to a rooster crow? I guess it also depends on the rooster...

 

[MinxFox]

4- True, I have some Brahma chickens and I can easily tell that one Brahma chicken will eat more than two peahens, and they don't lay many eggs

5- Depend on the breed, some will get mature at 6 months or earlier, while others don't get mature until 11 months or even a year. Most will live 7 or 8 years, i have a hen right now hatched in 2003 and still doing great. Also laying hens will not lay many eggs after they reach 4 or 5 years old.

If you are thinking of getting fancy chickens have a look at phoenix chickens, they are gorgeous birds! But they aren't good at laying eggs at all.

I had to look up Brahmas. They do look like they would eat more than a peafowl!

I do like the phoenix chickens but I am not thinking about getting chickens.

Who knows eventually once I have all the peafowl I want I might get into other birds too, but I think I am more interested in exotic pheasants like firebacks, tragopans, etc.

 

[DylansMom]

No I don't ever want chickens!

I am not a chicken person (I do like to eat chicken though) I don't care if they end up having more pros than cons I am too addicted to peafowl to have any other kind of bird. I was offered some red goldens recently for free and I didn't even want them. I just can't see owning any other bird. I want to focus on peafowl. I love all birds and chickens are fine (I have nothing much against them) but I have always loved peafowl. I will say though that my favorite chickens are the little bantam chickens with the lace pattern. I like the tiny chickens the most. I also like the ones with the feather puff on top of their head. I don't want to get any though because I want all my bird money going to peafowl. I have some money saved up for green peafowl right now. It is just the whole aviary deal that I am waiting on. I guess I see how chickens are convenient in that you don't need as much space, but what can I say I am a sucker. I blame those peafowl that I saw at the zoo when I was little. Ever since I saw that white peacock perched on the sunlit balcony of a building at the zoo fluffing out his train preening it in the sparkling light, I was done.

I will never get tired of their beauty. I always find myself staying too long out at their pen because I was staring at them.

I was wondering about roosters being protective. One lady has told me that her peacocks will form their own gang to chase off a stray dog or a hawk, etc. Zaz talks about hers chasing animals that don't belong on the property. Maybe if you have a very huge bevy of peafowl they will scare things off? I guess it depends.

That is funny I thought chickens were dumber. Can you explain why you say that? It doesn't upset me or anything I am just curious.

So is a peacock call louder when compared to a rooster crow? I guess it also depends on the rooster...

Perhaps if they had a whole gang to back them up the Peas might be braver and more protective. When I have a Pea or 2 out roaming and a visitor shows up, the Peas head for the barn to hide out. Bandit our Rooster heads straight at them, I usually get between him and them and let him know he needs to back off, he has never challenged me so if I get in between he will turn back.

As far as smarts go, I have taught a couple Peas to get up on their perch when I tap it. I taught them using treats and it took a couple weeks. I just taught my 20 week old Barnevelder chickens to do the same thing and it took 3 days. I can give some other examples if you want.

The Peacocks are louder than the rooster, for sheer volume they are rivaled only by the guineas.

 

[MinxFox]

Perhaps if they had a whole gang to back them up the Peas might be braver and more protective. When I have a Pea or 2 out roaming and a visitor shows up, the Peas head for the barn to hide out. Bandit our Rooster heads straight at them, I usually get between him and them and let him know he needs to back off, he has never challenged me so if I get in between he will turn back.

As far as smarts go, I have taught a couple Peas to get up on their perch when I tap it. I taught them using treats and it took a couple weeks. I just taught my 20 week old Barnevelder chickens to do the same thing and it took 3 days. I can give some other examples if you want.

The Peacocks are louder than the rooster, for sheer volume they are rivaled only by the guineas.

Oh yes guineas are very loud! Bird Man, a local peafowl breeder, has guineas and they are always the noisiest.

Peep gets on things when I tap them too but he does it for the reward of being pet.

Sometimes I read around on other parts of BYC. I read something once where someone was talking about how their chickens were so smart they were digging their way out of the pen and stuff.

 

[new 2 pfowl]

I think that there's a difference between peas being protective and them just chasing after animals that don't belong.
Our gang here, even if it's just one pea, will head straight towards any unusual creature, predator or otherwise, that shows up...deer, coyote, bobcat, whatever. It's scary!
But I don't think they are being protective at all, they are just so incredibly nosy that they have to get a close look at whatever it is!

(I hope that this isn't used as evidence about peas being not-so-smart...

)

 

[dheltzel]

I may upset the rest of the Pea people here but I have to say the chickens are a lot smarter than the Peas, but the guineas make them all look like geniuses.

We have them all, plus turkeys, but no ducks, geese, or pheasants (yet).
Peas - prettiest
Guineas - funniest to watch, most obnoxious noises
Chickens - smartest about staying alive and healthy, great mothers
Turkeys - tame and sweet (some hens at least). Mr and Mrs personality here.

I love them all, but my favorite bird to spend time with is Iris, one of the black mottled turkey hens. Some of the chickens will eat from our hands, but only Iris prefers to have her treats held while she takes them one piece at a time, all the while making little "chortling" noises as if we were her babies.

Being this is pea forum, I will end by saying "prettiest" is just a huge understatement. Ours are not even fully grown, yet when the males fan their tails, everyone forgets about the turkeys!