Sexing White Peafowl

[Shepicca]

I have 3 white yearling peafowl. I bought 2 as a pair and the third from someone else as "a 4 year old female". I know it is not a 4 year old female and is only a yearling but now I am not even sure it is female. Is there any way, other than time or DNA, to decide if I really have a trio or not??
thanks

Irene

 

[Kev]

Year old males are taller/bigger with longer and thicker legs/toes. Female toes seem very skinny and short in comparison. Males also have a large blunt spur button/bump, while females either don't or if they have a spur, it's tiny and skinny.

The feathers on the male's lower backs also extend to and beyond the "real tail"(the big broad tail feathers) while on females it doesn't reach the tip.

If you have yearling blues or any other color you know for sure are male/female.. compare their shape and size with each other(blue boy being taller than blue hen, the legs/toes etc) and also with the whites.

If you're still not sure.. by this winter you will know for sure.. the males will grow feathers on lower back that are a good bit longer than they have right now, may have some eyes while the females will look exactly the same as they do now.

 

[Shepicca]

Thanks. I will print out your reply and go and study them by the pen this evening when I get home from work. I don't have any other yearlings to compare them to and this is my first year with peafowl so I don't have any experience to go on, yet

Irene

 

[deerman]

if you can .post pics , try to get a few leg shot too.

 

[Shepicca]

OK, I have pictures, now to work out how to post them. I think I can sex the ones that came as a pair it is the one that came as a 4 year old that is giving me problems. It is small, was sick and very thin so it's hard to judge it against the other pair. It is the one with the black zip tie on it's leg. The first picture is of it in quarentine in the garage

and the next photo is of all 3. None have spurs, so that didn't help much.

Thanks very much for all the help

Irene

 

[MarlaKaye]

The tall one in front is the male, CAn't see the details on the one on the left.. Watch how they act, the male often has his head up looking around, and the females are submissive coming to him when he calls or going where he goes. He will offer food to her. If he isn't displaying his young tail yet, it won't be long. I've not seen the females do it in the same manner at all. If the one that looks like a male is chunky and heavy, that is pretty much a cerainty.
Do you see how the one in front has a fluffier fuller tail.. sign of male, and female has squared off no nonesense tail.
Another clue is thier voices. Listen and try to guess without looking which one it was, then look. You will soon become aware of many things you hadn't thought of before.
Did the lady you got them from handle them alot as babes? All my best to you with your feathered freinds. The two white peachicks on my shoulder opened one eye to see your Picture. They send thier regards too. They are Lancelot and Amanda 4 days old.
MarlaKaye

 

[MarlaKaye]

looking at your pictures again and again.....and reading your post more carefully...... does the one in the picture of the threesome, on the left have a fluffy tail like the one in front?
If he has been ill, or is much younger, that could throw a person off., but I realized you had a close up of him while he was still in isolation.
I also got it through my fog that it came later and that the three are not an original group.
Look at it's behind, at the feathers and compare them to the pair. Since he is sickly and probably younger, we can't say if he is bigger or smaller without comparing him to his own siblings. Would you like to put a picture of bird #3 on, and take it when he is facing away from you. Throw some bread away from you if he won't turn around. Now, I'm thinking you have to cocks and a hen.
Marla Kaye

 

[deerman]

1st pic white hen

center bird in last pic. yep peacock.

 

[Shepicca]

Perfect! The one in the middle is a peacock even though he doesn't have a spur? Since I posted the pictures I was told that all yearling males have a small spur but none of my 3 have spurs yet. Was begining to think it was going the other way and I had a pen of all girls.

 

[Shepicca]

Marla, the pair I bought had been raised by their mother so they weren't handled at all but they were well cared for. The third one was in bad shape when we got it and it had hardly been fed let alone been handled. It is very stressy still, paces the pen almost constantly. The other 2 are much calmer than it is. I am hoping over time it will calm down and slowly end it's frantic pacing. I have not heard any of the 3 of them vocalise at all yet. The pair have only been here 2 weeks.
So the consensus is there are 2 girls and a boy, regardless of the lack of spurs?

Irene