I will let you all know how Peep is next year since he will be three and I guess that is the age that I will know for certain if he will be a good boy or a bad one and if he will mate. So far, Peep only sees me as a mate since I have never seen him make the matting call and run at anything except me and sometimes other people. Peep is going through a lot since he has been chased by Alto. He normally follows me all around the pen, but now he only stays in one area of the pen. My pen is split down one side by a metal pole running across some wooden posts (it used to be a garden fence but we cut away the fence and left the pole) and Peep now doesn't go past the pole. Instead, he turns back and goes inside the small black pen I have attached to the large aviary. Most of the time in the past few days he has been staying on top of a dog box in the small pen. He just stands there. I feel really sorry for him, but my dad said he saw Peep chasing several of the peafowl recently with Alto watching from a log perch. My dad said Alto then jumped down and chased Peep. I think Peep might be getting some discipline for messing with the others. I noticed when he came out of the small pen the male white, Frosty, and his sister, Shyanne (both of whom Peep was partially raised with) and Xena, Alto's favorite peahen, came to see Peep. Peep started lowering his head and circling Xena almost like what peacocks do in a fight. She kept moving away but he slowly followed. Peep seems like he doesn't totally fit in, but he probably does best with the whites he was semi raised with. Frosty likes to hang out around Peep even if Peep doesn't always seem like much of a friend especially when Peep doesn't let Frosty display. Peep is definitely dominant, but Alto is probably trying to control Peep's dominance by chasing him. Still it is not fun to see Peep backed into the corner of a perch with Alto right next to him pecking him. I hope Peep has learned his lesson.
In summary, I think the imprinted ones have to learn the ways of their species like what is acceptable and what is not. When Peep was first introduced to the adult peafowl, he did not know how to get out of their way and show respect so they would jump on him and chase him. Soon he learned to quickly move out of the way for an adult peahen or peacock. Now that he is older he is having to learn that he must also submit to the dominant male more than he used to because at 1 a young peacock can get away with far more than they can at 2.
Peep has always been an attention seeker from people. Anyone can walk by the pen and Peep will run up to the fence and pace it wanting them to come back. He asks to be pet. I know it sounds weird that he actually "asks" but what he does is I can be feeding him treats from my hand and he will be eating them, then the next thing you know instead of eating more treats he pecks at one of my fingers then lowers his head. That means he wants to be pet. So I scratch under his beak and the top of his head, and also behind his crest. Many times once I stop he pecks me again because he wants more! Being with other peafowl has not really changed his tameness. He can get them to preen him and he runs around acting silly with Frosty sometimes, but he is still tame. Taco on the other hand, I am not sure how Taco will be as he gets older. I think Taco is a male but I haven't seen Taco recently.
Here is Peep and me. This is when Peep was younger and still in the peachick pen in our backyard. I was holding him in my hand for the picture.
In summary, I think the imprinted ones have to learn the ways of their species like what is acceptable and what is not. When Peep was first introduced to the adult peafowl, he did not know how to get out of their way and show respect so they would jump on him and chase him. Soon he learned to quickly move out of the way for an adult peahen or peacock. Now that he is older he is having to learn that he must also submit to the dominant male more than he used to because at 1 a young peacock can get away with far more than they can at 2.
Peep has always been an attention seeker from people. Anyone can walk by the pen and Peep will run up to the fence and pace it wanting them to come back. He asks to be pet. I know it sounds weird that he actually "asks" but what he does is I can be feeding him treats from my hand and he will be eating them, then the next thing you know instead of eating more treats he pecks at one of my fingers then lowers his head. That means he wants to be pet. So I scratch under his beak and the top of his head, and also behind his crest. Many times once I stop he pecks me again because he wants more! Being with other peafowl has not really changed his tameness. He can get them to preen him and he runs around acting silly with Frosty sometimes, but he is still tame. Taco on the other hand, I am not sure how Taco will be as he gets older. I think Taco is a male but I haven't seen Taco recently.
Here is Peep and me. This is when Peep was younger and still in the peachick pen in our backyard. I was holding him in my hand for the picture.
fingers crossed that all goes well!
