French Marans and Peachicks

[the simple life]

I have been considering them for a little while now, maybe a few months off and on.
I look on websites and try to get info, but I get nervous unless I can hear first hand about anything from a person with experience.
Would you owners kindly just give me a little advice about raising peafowl.
Are they loud or do they require any real special attention after you get them past the brooding phase.
I know deerman says heat in the winter.
How is their personality, temperment?
Are the boys aggressive or territorial like the roosters?
Do you feed them game bird feed or something else?
How big do they get?
I would greatly appreciate any information that I can get.
I have chickens but I would get seperate housing for the peafowl, but as far as free ranging, any issues with them being around chickens?
Thanks for any info.

 

[deerman]

No need for heat except the green peafowl.

All mine go thru the winter without heat. Yes a gamebird or turkey feed.

Peacocks(males) do get loud during the spring breeding season.
Some run them with chickens, only problem is some chicken can be carriers of diseases like blackhead. No harm to the chickens,but will kill peafowl and turkeys.

Size the peacock need lots of room, because of his train. Which he gets when he is 3 yr old.

About size of a hen turkey.

Yes they set a pecking order.

 

[the simple life]

Thanks so much for the information. I drive myself crazy before I commit to any type of animal. I want to make sure I know what I am getting myself into and to do right by the animal.
I have been wanting these for a while, I guess I will think on it a little longer.
The sites that I looked at it seemed you had to buy 8 at a time and I really didn't want that many.

 

[deerman]

The 8 at a time is so day old peachicks can stay warm during shipping. Can sometime ship other chicks with them,like pheasants, turkey or chicken.

Know one breeder sells fewer than 8, but ship with pheasant chicks.

Check these pics of greens male and female.

http://database.amyspeacockparadise.com/javagreenphotos.shtml

 

[ruth]

Here's a few new pics of my rapidly growing peachicks.

My male who decided to take a two day vacation and had me worried sick.

And some of the others enjoying the sunshine.

They really can fly and love to fly to top of hen house, garage, and duck house and roost there. My purple, named Purple Penelope Peacock, is very friendly and follows me everywhere and jumps on my lap to be be petted and preened. Of course she also bites the dickens out of my fingers any chance she gets too so I guess it's a love/hate relationship.

 

[ruth]

The large green male was in backyard fanning today and of course before I can get out there, he's stopped. But then the Opal started and I was able to get him/her on camera. They are turning into quite the characters - jumping up on rooftops and flying around yard - kind of like beautiful pteradactyls.

 

[deerman]

Nice pics. of the birds. The blackshoulder peacock is starting to get the darker colors. The opal still looks like a hen, even with the displaying. Will post a pic of a pr. of opal this years hatch.

 

[ruth]

Thanks Deerman.

Here's the BS Male with his big bad self. Loves to roost on top of coop, garage, duck house.

By the way, I haven't posted recent pics of the Marans. Here they are:

Jesse:

James:

The Marans and the Peacocks both hatched around the Fourth of July and all like to exercise their independence.

 

[deerman]

Here are pics of this years hatched opals. 1st pic of male. note barred wings, hard to see sometimes in pics.

 

[deerman]

Pic of a yearling opal and a blackshoulder males.
Note the barred wing show up more.