peafowl picking at eachothers crowns/crest.

[country_girl011]

I have 6 peas. 1 cock and 5 hens. all were raised to gather except 1, the cameo.
they are 2 this year (cameo I believe is 3). and have lived in a pen to gather since they were 3 months old (cameo added at 6-7 months old)
we moved last year in November. so they have been in this pen for over a year and have been fine.
now suddenly my favorite peahen has no crest. know one of the others plucked it. but what I don't get is why?
NOTHING has changed.
I know it is not my male that did it. he is a sweetheart and is very attached to this hen they were raised to gather from 2 days old. so they are very bonded.
the 3 pieds were raised separately until they were all 3 months old. (purchased at 2 months old)
and I doubt it Is the cameo. she is a spaz, but not dominant.

 

[Kedreeva]

They're getting to breeding age. When mine hit that age, the hens start to pick at crowns when figuring out who is the boss of who. Osiris, my queen-of-the-pen hen, always has a full crown.

 

[country_girl011]

so this will stop when it is figured out?
none of the other hens are missing crowns or any other feather.

 

[Kedreeva]

Well I can't say it's ever 100%, but if no one is injured or otherwise being picked on, I'd say yeah.

 

[country_girl011]

i sure hope so. poor piper looks awful funny with no crown =(.

 

[msmolly]

Mine did the same thing, and I was told the females were "de-crowning" the competition to make themselves the more beautiful candidate for the male. If that is true then it doesn't bode well for ever getting sorted out. )-: Now, I'm down to just one female- so its not an issue any more.