peafowl vs. chickens

[farmgirl1995]

I'd really love to own a few peafowl. But in comparison to chickens how hard are they to keep?

 

[6littlechickies]

Peafowl are about as easy or easier once you got the set up. You need a pen with a tall fence and top netting unless you let them free range. Just like chickens, you will need an adequate shelter, but peafowl are very hardy in most all weather. Peafowl eat less than chickens, don't scatter food as much, but are a little noisy during breeding season. Peafowl should be on a worming program, but again this is not costly and easy. Make sure you have the room for them though as this is critical.

 

[PeacockMan]

You can not keep peafowl and have close neighbors. Peafowl just make too much noise for 6 months of the year. It goes on all day and night. Close neighbors should never be subjected to it. Peacock that get out of the pen will visit your neighbors, tear out their flower beds and gardens and jump on and scratch up their cars.

 

[MinxFox]

Well, it depends on the situation PeacockMan...

I can keep peafowl at my Grandmas and she has a neighbor right next door. We went to them before getting peafowl and told them that they do make noise during the breeding season and they thought it was a cool idea. I free-ranged a pair for a short time and the pair sometimes went next door and the neighbors loved it because one day when they had guests over the guests pulled up in their car and my peacock was out there displaying to the peahen. The neighbors actually wished my peafowl would visit them more. Not all peafowl will scratch up cars but some might.

Also it depends on how many peacocks you have that determines how much noise there is. The males will call during the breeding season, but I wouldn't say they do it all day and night. They will call maybe just a few times a day and the neighbors said they have only heard the peafowl call maybe once at night and that wasn't even the breeding call I think it was a danger call because that was around the time we had raccoon problems. Now if you had like 10 peacocks I could see it being noisy sometimes because when one male starts calling the others join in. I got one of my peahens from a small breeder that had neighbors all around very close to them. Peacocks might call in the night to other peafowl far off that they can hear like if someone a few miles away has peafowl your peacocks might try to call to them. I personally like their noise a bunch and find peafowl easy to take care of. I have never had any kind of bird before except for peafowl and they made me love birds even more. I am really obsessed with peafowl now.

Some peacocks might call more then others so it probably depends on the birds, but from visiting other breeders with peafowl and other kinds of birds I have found the guineas to be much more talkative then the peacocks. When it isn't breeding season they are really silent and I really start to miss their calls.

This is just my opinion but if you have neighbors it would be a good idea to ask them they would be fine with you keeping peafowl. Give them the pros and cons of peafowl.

 

[PeacockMan]

Believe me. All the neighbors enchantment will be gone when the peafowl start jumping up on on a new car leaving dozens of scratches and piles of crap. When you are providing your pros and cons to the neighbors do not forget to mention what they will do to a paint job on a car.

 

[6littlechickies]

Believe me. All the neighbors enchantment will be gone when the peafowl start jumping up on on a new car leaving dozens of scratches and piles of crap. When you are providing your pros and cons to the neighbors do not forget to mention what they will do to a paint job on a car.

Perhaps they keep their car in the garage?

Seriously though, the birds do have one heck of a set of talons

 

[critters]

One of my peacocks just loved sitting atop my trailblazer...loved it! but if I did'nt park in the yard but in the driveway
he would NOT get on the car. I have a new car now and even if I park in the yard, having dropped off groceries or
whatever, he doesn't get on the car.....he or any of the other 7 peafowl don't get on any other vehicles either....
he only liked that trailblazer! go figure?!

 

[Blue234]

Well, it depends on the situation PeacockMan...

I can keep peafowl at my Grandmas and she has a neighbor right next door. We went to them before getting peafowl and told them that they do make noise during the breeding season and they thought it was a cool idea. I free-ranged a pair for a short time and the pair sometimes went next door and the neighbors loved it because one day when they had guests over the guests pulled up in their car and my peacock was out there displaying to the peahen. The neighbors actually wished my peafowl would visit them more. Not all peafowl will scratch up cars but some might.

Also it depends on how many peacocks you have that determines how much noise there is. The males will call during the breeding season, but I wouldn't say they do it all day and night. They will call maybe just a few times a day and the neighbors said they have only heard the peafowl call maybe once at night and that wasn't even the breeding call I think it was a danger call because that was around the time we had raccoon problems. Now if you had like 10 peacocks I could see it being noisy sometimes because when one male starts calling the others join in. I got one of my peahens from a small breeder that had neighbors all around very close to them. Peacocks might call in the night to other peafowl far off that they can hear like if someone a few miles away has peafowl your peacocks might try to call to them. I personally like their noise a bunch and find peafowl easy to take care of. I have never had any kind of bird before except for peafowl and they made me love birds even more. I am really obsessed with peafowl now.

Some peacocks might call more then others so it probably depends on the birds, but from visiting other breeders with peafowl and other kinds of birds I have found the guineas to be much more talkative then the peacocks. When it isn't breeding season they are really silent and I really start to miss their calls.

This is just my opinion but if you have neighbors it would be a good idea to ask them they would be fine with you keeping peafowl. Give them the pros and cons of peafowl.

Hi! I eventually want to get peacocks and since you have a lot of experience I have a few questions. What do you use for a shelter?, How big is it?, How much was it?, How many peacocks and peahens is a good amount so they don't fight? Is it better to buy them from chicks or adults? Because I know chicks are less expensive and they will become more friendly, but they take like 5 years to grow there tail feathers out fully. But still the biggest hold back is how expensive the housing/shelter is and run.

 

[KsKingBee]

Hi! I eventually want to get peacocks and since you have a lot of experience I have a few questions. What do you use for a shelter?, How big is it?, How much was it?, How many peacocks and peahens is a good amount so they don't fight? Is it better to buy them from chicks or adults? Because I know chicks are less expensive and they will become more friendly, but they take like 5 years to grow there tail feathers out fully. But still the biggest hold back is how expensive the housing/shelter is and run.

MinxFox has not been on BYC for around ten years but you can find all of your basic questions answered in the Sticky Files listed at the top of the Peafowl page. There are threads for Housing, Basic care, medications, and Genetics. Happy reading.

 

[Midnightman14]

I would not say they are harder so much as they are not forgiving if you don't raise them right. They kind of get the reputation for being hard because people get them and get stubborn and ODD about giving proper care because they have had chickens and think that they know what they're doing. The birds end up either dying or wandering off.