Keeping them home!

[DylansMom]

Can anyone please help!!!! We have one peacock and two peahens. All of the animals on our farm are free range. We brought them home kept them penned for a few weeks then allowed one female to go out. After a week or so we let the other hen out. They did wonderful! Then after some time we allowed the male out. They stayed around the farm for a couple of days then off they went. Three weeks later they were caught miles and miles from our farm. We have them home again and penned in a large pen we have built for them. My question is will we ever be able to allow them to be free range and them not leave. We were very lucky this time to get them back. I love them but I hate to see them in a pen their entire lives. Can anyone help?????

Thank you

Cynthia

I wouldn't give up on the idea of free ranging entirely. We live on 5 acres as well and although we do not let our birds free range all the time many do get to go out and walk around during the day. I generally advise penning for the first 2-3 months, a couple of weeks just isn't quite enough time for them to really consider the new place their home territory yet. I would also consider taking turns to start, hens seem less inclined to wander but it does happen, let the male out one day while the hens stay in, and then switch it around. Just observe them and I would wait until the male drops his tail to try again, less hormones swirling around in his head telling him to go find more hens. In my experience they are much less likely to leave if they must leave a companion behind, so I just wouldn't have all 3 out at the same time for a long while. I also feel they get much more mellow and calm as they age, I have several that are over 10 years old and I can't hardly imagine them going anywhere. They get to go out during the day and we herd them back in at dusk, one goes straight to my back porch and stays there all day. It may take some time and patience though.