Should I let my peacocks roam free?

[Evonava]

Sorry my email is incorrect. Please email [email protected] regarding peacocks

 

[deerman]

yes all three are males......and that purple spading will be one grand looking bird, good odds you will lose him if you try to free range him. Myself i would just try one of the blues. built a pen for that purple..


One thing to remember about free ranging birds or animal .If they cause a car wreak they can get you for damage. In the case someone gets kill , they can charge you with manslaughter....seen it happen when a horse got out. SOMETHING ALOT OF PEOPLE DON'T THINK ABOUT. Reason for fence laws.

 

[FoulFowl]

Build your peacocks their own house. It doesn't have to be very big. Just enough so they can get excercise and have a place to perch. They need someplace to get in out of the weather. Put a small fenced and covered pen outside the house. Keep them in this house enclosure for at least two months. Go inside, visit and play with them all the time. After their indoctrination period is over you can open it up and they will stay home and go back to their house at night. They may wander some but they will have become a family and they will keep watch over each other hollerring for anybody who might have strayed too far so they can find theri way home..

 

[dracoe19]

Thank you all very much for all of your advise. I think I will still try to free range them. I know there are risks of them being killed by a predator or wandering but if the dumb ones die so goes life. Same thing goes on with my guineas the dumb ones die (the ones who perch 3 feet off the ground) and the smart ones who know how to survive. I will band them and probably start with the inda blues. The purple is my favorite and my dads and is also the friendliest out of the 3 so I'll try him last if the others stay. I don't plan on breeding them so I don't see the point in keeping them locked up for their whole life. I am also happy I got all boys so I don't have to worry about breeding (that was one of my main concerns about letting them go). I know I am them only person for at least a 15 mile radius that owns peacocks (Not many people around me have exotic animals). I am confident they will be alright roaming around. I know 2 other people who live a few towns over who owned peacocks and didn't even know what an aviary was. Their smart ones thrived and the dumb ones got eaten. I agree with the concern of them wondering to the road. I have never had an animal get to the road before but I know it is possible even with the best care is taken. I have a few houses and land to buffer but of course I will be aware and if they cause problems for me or others I will catch them promptly and probably sell them. I have already discussed with my neighbors about the potential of them wandering to their land and have made sure everyone is fine with it. Since I bought them as 1 week old chicks they won't have the drive to "go back home" since they have lived with me their whole life. My plan is to let 1 or both of the blues out later in the day so there is limited sun light and time to wander the whole while watching from a comfortable distance. If he doesn't fly into one of our many tall trees I will catch him and put him back with his buddies and repeat the process. I know it's a 50/50 chance of them staying but I know that it can be done if you take the time to show them and have lots of patience. If I loose one or more to predators so goes life. It's sad but at least they were able to roam free and let nature decide their fate. Thank you all again for all the help.

I do have a question though. How can you tell they are all males? Everything I have tired to find about sexing says you can't tell until they are over a year and a half old. I saw somethings about wing color/ length and leg length but I honestly couldn't figure out how you sex an animal with those subtle differences... Is it their heads? tails? ...?

 

[DAS]

The males have the barring on their wings, while the hens do not. The coloring on the hens neck will be stay mainly green, while the males will turn to blue or purple depending on the color of the bird. The males spurs are larger than the females.

 

[FoulFowl]

You really can't tell until they are mature and the tails come out. We have two that will be three years old in July. One of them is definitely female because she 'assumes the position' even when I just hold my hand out flat with the palm down above her. The sibling/buddy does not do that and is even angry with her because of the way she is acting. He(?) may be male but there is no long tail action or he(?) may simply still be enough of a juvenile that her actions just don't seem right. She should be chasing the chickens instead of acting wimpy and submissive (I am typing in peacock terms).

What is strange is that she is the first female I have ever seen do anything like that. Our females have always been aloof about the whole thing and pretty much dominant in the flock..

 

[DreamBird]

I do have a question though. How can you tell they are all males? Everything I have tired to find about sexing says you can't tell until they are over a year and a half old. I saw somethings about wing color/ length and leg length but I honestly couldn't figure out how you sex an animal with those subtle differences... Is it their heads? tails? ...?    

What DAS said is right. An immature peacock will look like those two you posted, the blue ones, well, other than that, the barrings on the wings are proper to a male, the peahens do not have this, and so you can tell whether the immature bird is female or male, at that age, that is. Of course, at that age the male is getting the blue as well, in case of India Blue, etc.

There is a comparative pic I found on the net :


Link to site : http://californiadreamsphotography.blogspot.com/2010/07/baby-peacocks-in-my-yard.html

P.S : Yes I think it's a dwarf in the background.

 

[TV]

You really can't tell until they are mature and the tails come out. We have two that will be three years old in July. One of them is definitely female because she 'assumes the position' even when I just hold my hand out flat with the palm down above her. The sibling/buddy does not do that and is even angry with her because of the way she is acting. He(?) may be male but there is no long tail action or he(?) may simply still be enough of a juvenile that her actions just don't seem right. She should be chasing the chickens instead of acting wimpy and submissive (I am typing in peacock terms).

What is strange is that she is the first female I have ever seen do anything like that. Our females have always been aloof about the whole thing and pretty much dominant in the flock..

For India Blue varieties (most) you should be able to tell much earlier than this. By the time they are a few months old the wing stripes should be disappearing on the females. The cocks will develop some eye feathers and color by the second summer or when they are 1yr. old. When the cocks are 2yr. olds they will have a small train (varies with individuals) and along with the the hens will probably be able to mate. They will all be able to call quite well by the second summer (1yr. old)

 

[FoulFowl]

Never happened with mine and I have raised plenty. India Blue and Whites.. For some reason the whites never seem to develop much color LOL

 

[NateinFL]

You really can't tell until they are mature and the tails come out.

Yes you can. You can tell within months. With India Blue especially you can easily tell by a few months old.