PEAFOWL AGES?

[KsKingBee]

This is Rhini, the either very young lady or mature lady?

A profile pic would make it easier to see if she is mature. Remember a hen is the one that decides if there will be mating and it will not happen until she is ready. Here is the profile of a mature hen.

 

[Moon888]

It is at the top of the Peafowl forum page with the list of topics. Press the word 'Peafowl' on this page to get to it,

Okay I see it now xx

 

[Moon888]

A profile pic would make it easier to see if she is mature. Remember a hen is the one that decides if there will be mating and it will not happen until she is ready. Here is the profile of a mature hen.View attachment 3315676

yes, I see it must be hard to tell the ages : (

 

[KsKingBee]

yes, I see it must be hard to tell the ages : (

All of the birds we hatch and sell have a wing tag in both wings stating our name, serial number, and year.

 

[KsKingBee]

A better pic of the wing tag.

 

[Moon888]

A profile pic would make it easier to see if she is mature. Remember a hen is the one that decides if there will be mating and it will not happen until she is ready. Here is the profile of a mature hen.View attachment 3315676

Here are some profile pictures ... hope you can tell the age?

 

[Moon888]

In the northern hemisphere, the mating season is March through August. Although it is not impossible for a yearling to lay they normally don't and if this is a mature hen moving her from her home will shut down egg laying. Your cock is at least three years of age, maybe older by the fullness of his train.

Here are some pictures of the Indian Blue? Peahen that I am trying to find the age of; hope you can help : )

 

[Waterfaery]

I don't think I can help. I have two mature peahens (7-8 years old) who hatched peachicks last year and now I can barely tell the mothers apart from the yearling hens.

I see your hen has spurs and someone else mentioned spurs growing on older hens. However, out of my 7 peahens in total, I have two who have spurs and only one of them is a mature hen. The other is one of the yearlings. So I thought the spurs might just be a hereditary trait rather than a sign of age but I am no expert on the matter.

I do have a question for you. I see from your posts and photographs that you live in a beautiful spot surrounded by forest and that your peafowl are out and about at least some of the time. How do you know the peahen isn't laying eggs in the forest or somewhere else secretly? And likewise for them mating. Maybe you're missing it? It is very quick and is over in seconds when it happens.

You say your peacock doesn't even try it on with the hen but does he not display at all? In my experience, the peacocks spend the entire day during the breeding season either displaying or preening, with an occasional short rest and lookout on a roost. The actual mating is a rare sight, although I hear it more than I see it now that I know what it sounds like. The peacock will make a distinctive sound. Maybe you can find it on youtube or something so that you can know what to listen out for.

 

[Moon888]

I don't think I can help. I have two mature peahens (7-8 years old) who hatched peachicks last year and now I can barely tell the mothers apart from the yearling hens.

I see your hen has spurs and someone else mentioned spurs growing on older hens. However, out of my 7 peahens in total, I have two who have spurs and only one of them is a mature hen. The other is one of the yearlings. So I thought the spurs might just be a hereditary trait rather than a sign of age but I am no expert on the matter.

I do have a question for you. I see from your posts and photographs that you live in a beautiful spot surrounded by forest and that your peafowl are out and about at least some of the time. How do you know the peahen isn't laying eggs in the forest or somewhere else secretly? And likewise for them mating. Maybe you're missing it? It is very quick and is over in seconds when it happens.

You say your peacock doesn't even try it on with the hen but does he not display at all? In my experience, the peacocks spend the entire day during the breeding season either displaying or preening, with an occasional short rest and lookout on a roost. The actual mating is a rare sight, although I hear it more than I see it now that I know what it sounds like. The peacock will make a distinctive sound. Maybe you can find it on youtube or something so that you can know what to listen out for.

THANK YOU for your kind and helpful response : ) When the peahen laid an egg within the first month of bringing them here, they were locked up whilst we made them a more "critter proof" peafowl house. The one and only egg was moved from the hollow, and two days later disappeared (no shell seen anywhere). Then when we moved them over to their new home, and kept them locked in for a good 3 - 4 months, and no eggs were laid there. Then I started letting them out by day ... now they have mastered the trap door, where they let themselves out early in the day and back in by night. I will find a youtube video to hear what their mating sounds like. The peacock does display a lot, and lately has been screeching so much. Rhini seems to stay on one side of the garden by day (avoiding him?), and Rajah stays on the other (screeching all the while). Occasionally she will join up with him and it is possible that we have never seen them mate, and only assume that it is not happening?

 

[Moon888]

I don't think I can help. I have two mature peahens (7-8 years old) who hatched peachicks last year and now I can barely tell the mothers apart from the yearling hens.

I see your hen has spurs and someone else mentioned spurs growing on older hens. However, out of my 7 peahens in total, I have two who have spurs and only one of them is a mature hen. The other is one of the yearlings. So I thought the spurs might just be a hereditary trait rather than a sign of age but I am no expert on the matter.

I do have a question for you. I see from your posts and photographs that you live in a beautiful spot surrounded by forest and that your peafowl are out and about at least some of the time. How do you know the peahen isn't laying eggs in the forest or somewhere else secretly? And likewise for them mating. Maybe you're missing it? It is very quick and is over in seconds when it happens.

You say your peacock doesn't even try it on with the hen but does he not display at all? In my experience, the peacocks spend the entire day during the breeding season either displaying or preening, with an occasional short rest and lookout on a roost. The actual mating is a rare sight, although I hear it more than I see it now that I know what it sounds like. The peacock will make a distinctive sound. Maybe you can find it on youtube or something so that you can know what to listen out for.

SORRY, what are "spurs"?