help please , new peacock owner.

[Mel83]

Hi, I'm getting a pair of peacocks in a couple of days. I would love some advice on how to care for them. They are 7 months old. I'm hoping to keep them with my bantams for fox control, it is a very large pen. I'm also hoping to have them free range if possible. We have 50 acres. Would love your thoughts on this

 

[new 2 pfowl]

Hello Mel83 and...



Congratulations in advance on your new peas!
I'm wondering what you mean by "I'm hoping to keep them with my bantams for fox control"?

 

[Mel83]

Hi I have been told that they are great at letting you know when foxes are around. We have had lots of trouble recently. The foxes have been coming in the day to take my bantams. We let our dog roam around but he's a lover not a fighter. We have managed to get one of the foxes coming in but they just keep on coming.

 

[new 2 pfowl]

OK, gotcha! Well, in my experience, they do holler if they see a predator. They also tend to run straight towards predators - I've seen them rush over to try to get a closer look at a coyote and a bobcat. They're so nosy!! I'm not completely sure they will holler about a fox, someone else might be able to give you more info on that.

So you're right, they are likely to let you know if something is around. But just to make sure you know, they won't actually do anything about the predator, and in fact they are in danger from some predators. Most peapeople here seem to depend on dogs for predator protection. Sounds like your pooch is a rather relaxed fellow!

Based on my own experience, I'd recommend you get a trail camera to see exactly how those foxes are getting in and try to do some fox-proofing.
But, regardless of the fox situation, you will be so happy with your new pea friends!
As far as free ranging goes, this depends on what kind of neighbors you have, how close to busy roads you are, etc. They can really roam and they are very curious.

 

[Mel83]

Thanks you, I like to free range my bantams during the day, which I haven't been able to lately due to the foxes coming and taking them during the day. Yes our dog is a big softy and would help a burglar to our house. We are off the road so they should be safe from cars and our neighbours are a good distance away, so there shouldn't be any worries there hopefully. One of our neighbours is actually a animal park.