Lost peacock?

[Chowda]

Hi. For the past 3 days, a peacock has been near my house. He was on my roof this morning and my husband said he's been in the yard all day. He's sleeping on my neighbor's roof right now. I live in NJ, so I know he must be a pet. How far would he travel from home? Should I try to feed him or offer him water? He is a large bird with a blue neck and a long train of feathers. I posted in the community FB page to try to find his home. Looking to help him. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[Garden Peas]

Hi. For the past 3 days, a peacock has been near my house. He was on my roof this morning and my husband said he's been in the yard all day. He's sleeping on my neighbor's roof right now. I live in NJ, so I know he must be a pet. How far would he travel from home? Should I try to feed him or offer him water? He is a large bird with a blue neck and a long train of feathers. I posted in the community FB page to try to find his home. Looking to help him. Thanks for any suggestions.

Thank goodness for kind-hearted souls like you

Yes, by all means, offer the lost boy some food and water. He will need to feel safe to come down and eat, so make sure there aren't any rowdy dogs in the yard, and perhaps stay a bit back to see how he takes it. I would put out a bowl of water (like a large dog bowl).

For food, he might recognize bread as a treat, or perhaps grapes, as many pea owners use those to treat their birds. If you have catfood (or even dog food), he may be willing to try that -- most peas love catfood as it is high in protein. If you have chicken or turkey pellets or crumbles -- any kind of prepared pellet or crumble poultry feed, really -- he will like that too. Don't overload him with bird seeds or chicken scratch though, as he may not have been eating those before and too much isn't good for them to start out with if they haven't been eating that stuff.

If you can quietly encourage him to stick around, you have a good chance to get your new friend reunited with his owner. Peas are quite engaging creatures, and you may find you will quickly become attached

Check with your local animal control, perhaps, as sometimes owners report birds lost there. Some newspapers (gosh, do they still exist?) run found animal ads for free. The facebook posting was smart. In my area, anyone with a lost (or found) pet tacks pictures up on telephone poles. If you have a local avian vet or feed store, you can check with them -- peas are common some places, and downright unusual in others, so perhaps they will have an idea.

He could have traveled quite the distance -- miles as the pea flies

They are very good fliers. Listen for pea calls (loud cries, some people think it sounds like a cat, sometimes it sounds like a woman screaming in distress) -- if his buddies are nearby, they may call for him, or he may call for them (or for a mate -- it's that time of year). If he can call back and forth to his friends at home, he will probably find his own way back.

Bless you for taking an interest in his well being!

GP

 

[laffy]

Hi. For the past 3 days, a peacock has been near my house. He was on my roof this morning and my husband said he's been in the yard all day. He's sleeping on my neighbor's roof right now. I live in NJ, so I know he must be a pet. How far would he travel from home? Should I try to feed him or offer him water? He is a large bird with a blue neck and a long train of feathers. I posted in the community FB page to try to find his home. Looking to help him. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[laffy]

Hi there. There is a peacock in Andover, NJ hanging around. I wonder if it's the same one.