Encouraging feral peacock to stay

[leahsaurus]

Hi everyone! I’m an experienced chicken owner but totally new to anything peafowl.



I recently moved to a rural area outside of Seattle, Washington. I live on a few cleared acres with woods and a mix of houses and farms (zoned R5). A “feral” (I assume!) peacock has been flying in every evening and sleeping in a tall pine tree on my property. He is gorgeous! It was over a month after moving in before we spotted him. He flies in in the evening and is only visible if he is moving or vocalizing.



I have read lots of stories about how peacocks can be nuisance birds, but we think he’s beautiful and aren’t bothered by loud bird calls or yard poop. Tons of roosters in our area anyway that call all day long! Is there anything we can do to get him to spend more time on our property? We are considering getting a peahen to see if he’ll visit more instead of just roosting on our property. Is this a completely crazy idea?

 

[leahsaurus]

Here’s a photo of him! I had no idea peacocks could roost 100 feet off the ground!

 

[KsKingBee]

He might not be feral, he could be someone's free-range bird. I would start with asking all of your neighbors if they know anything about the bird and if they do not then you could put out some feed for him. If he likes what you are putting out he will stay around.

 

[MeanCheek]

You could get him some peahens? Otherwise probably just food.

 

[KsKingBee]

You could get him some peahens? Otherwise probably just food.

She would have to pen the hen for a couple of months so they would not elope together.

 

[Dany12]

The food ! ... bread and it will stay!

 

[raingarden]

If it only comes to roost and does not hang around and forage then it probably has a home where it goes to eat.

 

[leahsaurus]

Thanks everyone! I have asked around with my neighbors and some of them had seen him around, but he didn’t belong to any of them. Still a mystery if he’s feral or belongs to someone else farther away. I may leave some food out for him to encourage him to visit more beyond just roosting.

 

[Moon888]

Hi everyone! I’m an experienced chicken owner but totally new to anything peafowl.



I recently moved to a rural area outside of Seattle, Washington. I live on a few cleared acres with woods and a mix of houses and farms (zoned R5). A “feral” (I assume!) peacock has been flying in every evening and sleeping in a tall pine tree on my property. He is gorgeous! It was over a month after moving in before we spotted him. He flies in in the evening and is only visible if he is moving or vocalizing.



I have read lots of stories about how peacocks can be nuisance birds, but we think he’s beautiful and aren’t bothered by loud bird calls or yard poop. Tons of roosters in our area anyway that call all day long! Is there anything we can do to get him to spend more time on our property? We are considering getting a peahen to see if he’ll visit more instead of just roosting on our property. Is this a completely crazy idea?

I've had peafowl for 18 months now and still learning ... observations tell me that they are "social animals" and "trainable". I would be slowly coaxing him with treats (mine love blue berries and peas). All the best ... we are so fortunate to have "the most beautiful birds on the Planet" : )

 

[leahsaurus]

A minor update. He’s been coming around more often! He does a lap of the yard every morning. I definitely think he is feral at this point. Love seeing him in the yard, he is such a gorgeous bird. Thanks to everyone for the advice!