Doing some research before taking the plunge!

[nickschick]

Hi everybody!
I have been thinking about getting some peafowl to hang around the farm. I am interested in free ranging them and I have just a few questions. I'm not in any rush to get the birds, I'm just the obsessive planner type
1. What is the best way to keep my population at a manageable number? I don't want to be overrun with the birds, and I'm not interested in breeding to sell chicks. Is penning them during mating season the best way to do this?
2. When exactly is mating season for the peafowl? I have read that it's March through August, however I am in Minnesota and I was wondering if it is shorter because of colder weather lasting pretty long here.
3. Do peafowl and horses coexist well?
4. I read somewhere that if you raise peafowl from chicks with chickens they will kind of learn their boundaries and mostly stay close to home. Is there any truth to this?

If anybody has any tips for keeping peafowl in MN or a similar climate I'd love to hear them as well!

Thank you in advance!

 

[MinxFox]

If you don't really want to breed them, you could just try having peacocks...I don't know if they would leave to find a mate but I would think they would stay around especially if you raise them up from peachicks. Mating season is Spring-Summer. I am not sure how long it lasts in MN, for every place I do think it is different. At the end of the breeding season the peacocks shed their trains and start re-growing their train for the next breeding season. It is best to get young birds to free-range. They need to be penned for a month or more so that they know the area and get used to it and used to you. There probably is a truth to having your chickens raise them because your chickens will teach them how to free range if your chickens are allowed to free-range.

 

[nickschick]

So if I just get peacocks will they still display without hens around? Also will they try to get away to find a hen during mating season? They aren't cheap birds and I'd hate to lose one!

 

[nickschick]

Ha. Should have read closer.
Would they still display though?

 

[new 2 pfowl]

A peacock will display for:
You
A chicken
A squirrel
Anything that moves
Many things that don't move.
They just can't help themselves!

, in specific, the Land of Peas!

 

[nickschick]

That is great to hear!
Now I just need to know how they will do with horses and if they will search out a hen!
Then we get to start clearing out one of our out buildings to make the chicks a home base!

 

[MinxFox]

A peacock will display for:
You
A chicken
A squirrel
Anything that moves
Many things that don't move.
They just can't help themselves!

, in specific, the Land of Peas!

I agree so much with all of that! My first peacock liked to display for flies and other bugs of all things... My imprinted peacock likes to display for my feet. He displays more for my feet than for anything else. I have noticed that a lot of times when you let a peacock out of a pen, he will start displaying. I guess they are so happy they just start displaying! It is really cool. Durring the breeding season, peacocks, peahens or no peahens, will display a lot!

Well...I don't have horses...But in the wild they eat amidst groups of deer...I think they should be fine with horses but I don't really own anything except peafowl! Although Peadady, a new peafowl owner, also has some very beautiful horses....I would guess they would be fine, but I am not an expert with the interactions of horses and peafowl.

Now I have a question for you! Have you considered getting peacocks of different colors (varieties)? I have seen pictures from a few people who have done that and it is really pretty, and it will make it easier for you to tell your guys appart. You could have a white peacock, an India blue peacock, a pied peacock, a purple peacock, etc. Just an idea.

 

[nickschick]

I've been looking at the purples and bronzes. I definitely want to have more than one variety!

 

[Yoda]

Hi everybody!
I have been thinking about getting some peafowl to hang around the farm. I am interested in free ranging them and I have just a few questions. I'm not in any rush to get the birds, I'm just the obsessive planner type

1. What is the best way to keep my population at a manageable number? I don't want to be overrun with the birds, and I'm not interested in breeding to sell chicks. Is penning them during mating season the best way to do this?
2. When exactly is mating season for the peafowl? I have read that it's March through August, however I am in Minnesota and I was wondering if it is shorter because of colder weather lasting pretty long here.
3. Do peafowl and horses coexist well?
4. I read somewhere that if you raise peafowl from chicks with chickens they will kind of learn their boundaries and mostly stay close to home. Is there any truth to this?
If anybody has any tips for keeping peafowl in MN or a similar climate I'd love to hear them as well!
Thank you in advance!

1. If you are free ranging most of the chicks that do hatch will fall to predators

Peafowl are not that cheap, look at breeders websites and see if they list pricing, I know Legg's peafowl does. Pricing gives you an idea of what you can lose to predators or them just flying away. Free ranging is a great site to see but before you do that weigh your options. I have hawks, coyotes, raccoons, foxes and skunks roaming my area that want to make dinner out of the peas. I do not know what you have but you have something cause everyone does.
2. Summer time. I live in CT and mine start about end of June and last til end of August beginning of Sept sometimes. Had some eggs laid in Oct and they hatched LOL
3. Most likely will not be a problem. I have wild Turkeys roam my yard and then go into the horse field and they did not bother the turkeys.
4. My friend tried that and she lost a peachick a day. The peachicks can get through the fencing and fall to prey. Males will most likely leave when they are at breeding age to locate a female. Zoos keep the females in large cages, this keeps the males hanging around the zoos all the time. I would suggest that if you are going to purchase the more costly peafowl then I would not free range them. I would keep them penned and let the cheaper India Blues free range. You can let a couple males roam and keep the purple pairs and bronze pairs in a pen. That way the India Blue males will stick around for you cause you will have females in the pen.

 

[MinxFox]

Well that will be really fun then! I am really excited for you!