Dispelling Pea Myths

[ChickInDelight]

I just started with chickens and ducks. They are free-ranging lawn ornaments and pets. I live in a circa 1760 farmhouse that could SO use some peacocks strutting on the lawns.

My father-in-law says our local predators (fox, coon, hawks) do not go after peas
They are loud and obnoxious, right?
Do they get aggressive toward children, pets, my beloved chickens and ducks?
Are they easily trained to go into their nightime houses?
Are they at all people-social? I am not a coddler, but like my birds that like to hang near me.

I am thinking next Spring if I get some.

 

[Choctaw Valley Farm]

Quote:
They will just like they do chickens.

They are loud and obnoxious, right?

Breeding season they can get pretty loud.

Do they get aggressive toward children, pets, my beloved chickens and ducks?

Get them young (yearlings) this is best, some will get aggressive just like any other critter.

Are they easily trained to go into their nightime houses?

Some will some will not, I have a few that will go to the barn others roost in the tree tops.

Are they at all people-social? I am not a coddler, but like my birds that like to hang near me.

Some will some will not.

I am thinking next Spring if I get some.​

I know I didn't answer your questions right but it is hard to tell how one Peafowl will act to the next one. You will need hens as well to keep the males home.​

 

[ChickInDelight]

Thanks!

 

[MinxFox]

Yep, it really depends...To me, they aren't that loud. Maybe if you have several peacocks then I could see it getting loud during the breeding season which is when they call. I went to Big Cat Rescue one time and I was taking pictures of their free-range peacocks and a big cat keeper of all people warned me that peacocks are dangerous and could run up and jump on me! I would be more afraid of those big cats...Peafowl are gentle birds. Even when they eat out of your hand they do it gently so it isn't scary to feed them. I have never had a bird jump on me or try to hurt me. Most of the time they are too shy to do that. Several people are able to get their peafowl to go into a pen at night, an some people say their peafowl make sure all the other kinds of birds, like chickens, are in the pen for the night too so I guess they can be pretty good at watching out for other birds.

If you want more of a friendly bird I would go for a young one, maybe even hatch out some. Yearlings can be worked with to get sorta tame but I have one I hatched that is imprinted on me. His name is Peep. I keep him in a wire pen right now outside with three other peachicks. I open the door and Peep jumps out of the pen and flies around but keeps me in sight. If I walk too far away he runs to me. I can walk up to him and pet him and hand feed him, ect. I don't hold him a lot though. I let him do his own thing and only pick him up to put him back in the pen. All my adult peafowl, even the ones I bought as adults eat out of my hand, and they are not afraid to get close to me, but I can't touch them.
Here are some of my birds being social with me.
This is Peep, the peachick I hatched out. He likes it when I stroke his neck.

Here I am hand feeding my peahen Ice.

Here I am hand feeding Alto.

Peafowl have different personalities. Some are shy and don't really like to be near you, but some are curious and even when you don't have food they will walk up to you, like Alto. One day I was just sitting in their pen and he walked up and pecked at my jeans. I got him as a yearling and chose him instead of his brother because Alto was more hyper and interesting.

 

[ChickInDelight]

Great photos, Minxfox! Thanks for the info.

 

[jbourget]

yeah start off with young ones. i bought few week old chicks this season and they are by far way more friendly then my 3 year old pair of whites. good luck with them, they are sure a great addition to any farm.

 

[Tikkajazz94]

Start off young. I got a 6 month old and a 1 (close to two) year old. They are scared of me. I can catch them, but they normally run or jump over me (note that Im 5'8").

 

[ChickInDelight]

They don't have to be pets, but I want them to free-range during the day. I have to corner my ducks to catch them. I can pick up all four of my chickens when they roost, and the 2 that are laying anytime. They are usually at my feet.

They all like to be around me, but most do not want me to touch them. That is fine. I have dogs and cats begging for pets constantly.

thanks everyone for the info. My neighbor has peafowl (several hundred yards away), but I rarely hear them.

 

[MinxFox]

Well if your neighbor has peafowl don't be surprised if sometimes your free-range peafowl go to visit them. Sometimes that seems to happen to people with neighbors nearby that also have peafowl.

 

[ChickInDelight]

MinxFox, the neighbor seems to have a large selection.

One day my children were terrified, hearing screaming on our lawn. When I arrived home, they reported a peacock was strutting in front of the house.

Then, the screaming really began, "What??!!! A peacock was here for a photo op and not one of you thought to grab those cell phones I pay a fortune for you to have the privelege to own???!!!

I shall consider carefully before I decide. This is my first winter with feathered pets, so I may lose enchantment before Springtime.