Free Range Peacock

[LaylaB]

I have one peacock and three hens. He’s been free range on my property (10 acres) for 15 years. The hens have been with me since chicks and they are 4 years old. Here’s my problem. I have one hen that goes to my neighbor’s to nest. They also have 10 acres. She’s done this 3 times that I know of. She only goes there to nest. As soon as she hatches she brings her chicks home. My other hens nest on my property and I’ve had success with all the babies. Selling them to others who enjoy my purebred birds. I don’t want any more chicks to raise, nor do I plan to raise any chicks. My neighbor stated to me that he would cage my bird the next time she nests on his property. And now he has. I know she’s nesting because my other two hens are also. I can hear her when she comes off the nest because she honks. And it’s unmistakable. There are no other peacocks near me so I’m certain it’s her. I know I have no right to demand anything of my neighbor and I don’t intend to. I just am concerned because they have over 30 cats. I know this will not be a good mix. I don’t know what to do. My hen has never been caged. It worries me that she may hurt herself when the chicks hatch. Any suggestions?

 

[Midnightman14]

Never free range a bird that you're not prepared to lose.

 

[KsKingBee]

We pen all of our free range hens during the breeding season and then let them out with the chicks to free range until next spring. Understand that we do not have small dirt floor cages, we have large grassy environments for all of our birds.

 

[Angel07]

You mentioned you had a barn? If/when you get her back and she nests again next year lock her up for a couple of days. Let her lay a couple of eggs and hopefully she’ll continue to lay there. If she does go off again you’ll have to lock her up until she finishes laying. You could also feed her a bit in there when she nests or just heads in there. She might not like being locked up but it’d be better than losing her completely. We had a peahen who laid in our old rabbit cage that had a broken lid. We put a sheet of tin over it and she was a bit stressed being locked up for a couple of days but I provided food and water and at least he boys didn’t get to her and squash the eggs.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. I don't want to be harsh, but it is 100% your responsibility to keep your animals on your own property. He warned you that he wasn't going to tolerate her trespassing onto his land anymore and you didn't take action.

I don't know if your local laws about stray animals permit him to keep the peahen or not but he'd be entirely within his rights to turn her over to Animal Control.

I'm sure that the members of the Peafowl forum would be willing to help you come up with a suitable means of containing your birds on your own property.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/peafowl.51/

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Exactly. It is the price you pay for the enjoyment of seeing them live the type of life they deserve.

That's a very nice way of putting it.
I used to have a Peahen that showed up on our farm so after a few years I got her a mate. They got along very well. He went into distress with their yearling chicks when she sat on eggs and they couldn't find her. They all got plowed over on the highway by our neighbor.
Then she got her entire clutch of eggs killed as they were hatching, then she went out trying to find her mate and ended up hit on the road as well.
I didn't want Peafowl again unless I had a flight pen, so it just happened that my husband ended up making me one out of a 100 foot long 3 sided building that we had here on our property. I don't have any birds I'd feel fine losing and if I did I'd try to sell them first.
I loved having them in the yard, coming over to the kitchen window to see if I'd have any treats to toss them. It wasn't worth it though when I had to retrieve their lifeless dead bodies off of the highway in front of my house...

 

[KsKingBee]

That's a very nice way of putting it.
I used to have a Peahen that showed up on our farm so after a few years I got her a mate. They got along very well. He went into distress with their yearling chicks when she sat on eggs and they couldn't find her. They all got plowed over on the highway by our neighbor.
Then she got her entire clutch of eggs killed as they were hatching, then she went out trying to find her mate and ended up hit on the road as well.
I didn't want Peafowl again unless I had a flight pen, so it just happened that my husband ended up making me one out of a 100 foot long 3 sided building that we had here on our property. I don't have any birds I'd feel fine losing and if I did I'd try to sell them first.
I loved having them in the yard, coming over to the kitchen window to see if I'd have any treats to toss them. It wasn't worth it though when I had to retrieve their lifeless dead bodies off of the highway in front of my house...

That is sad. We all have different circumstances, we are blessed to live where we do and can free range as many as we want and have no fear of losing any of them unless it is to our LGD pup that hasn't learned they are not squeaky toys to lick the feathers off of and eat. As long as they have a momma they are safe from him and the cats.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

That is sad. We all have different circumstances, we are blessed to live where we do and can free range as many as we want and have no fear of losing any of them unless it is to our LGD pup that hasn't learned they are not squeaky toys to lick the feathers off of and eat. As long as they have a momma they are safe from him and the cats.

My Peafowl now seem to love their pen though, even if I leave the door open they don't even try to get out.
I just know that when I'm not looking they are swinging on their swing set and swimming in their kiddie pool.

 

[old biddy]

I had my peafowl free range for years. They were used to coming in and out of their pen for snacks or to get out of the rain and onto their covered roosts, but at night they slept in the trees (or on top of my cabin...ugh). When it became breeding season I closed them up in their pen and when the hen started laying I closed her up in late afternoon inside their peafowl house so she would lay the eggs inside where she and chicks would be safe from predators. It worked out very well.

Unfortunately, we started having serious predator problems that were wiping out my free range chickens during the day (pack of dogs, coyotes, fox, bobcat, etc.) and we ended up having to build 2 large aviaries, one for chickens and one for peafowl, fenced in and covered in 2" bird netting with an enclosed peafowl house...so they are not free range anymore. If I can get a handle on the predators (especially the dogs) I will go back to free ranging, but for now it has to be everyone inside their aviary and locked up tight at night.

 

[KsKingBee]

I was curious about if they would need a way to cool off during the hot summer months. My chickens were never interested in a kiddie pool but someone mentioned my peahen would. Any suggestions are appreciated

A lot of people will give them a kiddie pool but I don't because they will poo in it and then drink. Any shade will work with bonus points for a breeze. At one time I rigged up misters in a half dozen pens but they didn't get used as much as I had planned.