I wasn't too sure about my mom thinking that I could keep all my peafowl together without problems. Now I have all 10 in the same pen. It is going pretty well. The whites are the ones picked on the most. Ice likes to run them off of food. Food time is when she gets a bit hostile and likes to jump at and chase off the whites. Other then when they get their food after Ice gets some food she chills out and as long as the whites stay out of her way she is fine. Peep doesn't get picked on much. I think he knows how to stay out of trouble. I saw him pecking one of Ice's chicks. That was good because Ice's little peahens have been very bossy to the older peachicks and they need to be put in their place. Peep normally isn't one for pecking at others but he finally did. He likes to follow me around when I water the plants. I definitely think the three whites I got for free are spaldings. They are looking fairly tall, slim, yellow faced, and they have tight crests. I wasn't sure if I wanted spaldings, but any peafowl is fine with me, especially since they were free and they eat out of my hand now.
As for roosting, the first night I watched to see what would happen. Peep tried to roost near Damsel and she kicked him off the roost. The whites just stood there and it got darker and darker and none of them made an attempt to fly up. Finally when I got sooo bored I saw one white fly up near Damsel. She probably kicked it off but I just left. Sometimes Peafowl just take forever to get in the right spot to roost. My peafowl seem so particular about who roosts near them.
I let Peep out to free-range a little over the weekend. I decided to take him to the front of the big hedge that separates the pool in the back of the house from the peafowl pen. Peep looked over the edge of the pool and then freaked out and was honking. The peafowl back in the pen started calling to him so I led him back to the pen and he calmed down. The next day I let him out and took him further away from the pen to the side of the house where I was finishing up on digging a big hole for a kumquat tree. I kept my eye on Peep as I dug but he stayed within a few feet of me. Sometimes he would jump in the hole and peck at the sand and scratch. It was like he was helping me dig but I just think he was looking for something good to eat! Sometimes he would look up at the sky and I would look around for the hawk. We have several hawks that patrol the area and even though Peep is big now I still made sure when he was looking into the sky that I was standing next to him just in case. Then when he was looking up at the sky he fell right into the hole. I though that was funny because it kinda startled him. When my dad drove up and got out to get the paper Peep ran up to him and was following him around. I told my dad I would be afraid that if we free-ranged Peep he would follow us even when we drove away.
So that is what has been going on! I am really looking forward to this year's breeding season. I keep saying "Next year I will sell the peachicks I get" but this year I might keep some to free-range. I will have to sell some eventually since I will need new blood.
As for roosting, the first night I watched to see what would happen. Peep tried to roost near Damsel and she kicked him off the roost. The whites just stood there and it got darker and darker and none of them made an attempt to fly up. Finally when I got sooo bored I saw one white fly up near Damsel. She probably kicked it off but I just left. Sometimes Peafowl just take forever to get in the right spot to roost. My peafowl seem so particular about who roosts near them.
I let Peep out to free-range a little over the weekend. I decided to take him to the front of the big hedge that separates the pool in the back of the house from the peafowl pen. Peep looked over the edge of the pool and then freaked out and was honking. The peafowl back in the pen started calling to him so I led him back to the pen and he calmed down. The next day I let him out and took him further away from the pen to the side of the house where I was finishing up on digging a big hole for a kumquat tree. I kept my eye on Peep as I dug but he stayed within a few feet of me. Sometimes he would jump in the hole and peck at the sand and scratch. It was like he was helping me dig but I just think he was looking for something good to eat! Sometimes he would look up at the sky and I would look around for the hawk. We have several hawks that patrol the area and even though Peep is big now I still made sure when he was looking into the sky that I was standing next to him just in case. Then when he was looking up at the sky he fell right into the hole. I though that was funny because it kinda startled him. When my dad drove up and got out to get the paper Peep ran up to him and was following him around. I told my dad I would be afraid that if we free-ranged Peep he would follow us even when we drove away.
So that is what has been going on! I am really looking forward to this year's breeding season. I keep saying "Next year I will sell the peachicks I get" but this year I might keep some to free-range. I will have to sell some eventually since I will need new blood.
