How often...

[IloveBuffy]

How often do you have to get new peahens so the cock doesn't breed with their relations and have sick peachicks? My peacock Francis will be mating with his babies now...

 

[AugeredIn]

Line breeding like that is done frequently but it would be better if you could get some genetic diversity. What happened to the mom of the chicks?

 

[IloveBuffy]

She's still here.

 

[zazouse]

 

[AugeredIn]

I assume you cannot separate the chicks from the breeding pair?

 

[IloveBuffy]

I can't, they don't trust us or know their home enough to separate them (mama peahen freaks when I try)

 

[new 2 pfowl]

Well, it isn't breeding season yet.
In my experience, when breeding season approaches the mama will give her kids the brush-off, and they'll become independent.
You should be able to move them into another pen then, if you are concerned about inbreeding.

And,

, or at least the Corner we call the Wonderful World O' Peas!!

 

[MinxFox]

How old are the peachicks? Normally my yearling peafowl will not breed and if they end up breeding, you can just take the eggs and eat them. They taste like a chicken egg except a bit bigger. I have eaten only one peafowl egg. It seemed weird eating one of their eggs since I am used to hatching them or having the peahen hatch her eggs, but if you really can't separate them or sell the peachicks then you can always eat the eggs or cook them and feed them back to the birds which is good for them. You could put a temporary divider in their pen so that the mom can see her chicks, or you could move the mom and the chicks to one pen and keep the peacock in the current pen.

 

[Trefoil]

You might try trading your young hens to someone, thus giving you both outcross females, or you could trade one for a male and as long as you have the pens to divide the "flocks" . Or just buy another cock. Do you have any pics? I love to see everybody's birds.

 

[IloveBuffy]

Yes, I do have a pic. This is Francis.