Smashed mirror, violent behavior

[Kali-Peep]

Hello, my peacock is two years old and lives with two hens, all the same age. For the past week, he has been attacking and chasing one of the hens relentlessly. Last night he attacked the decorative mirror I had placed in the run and smashed it to pieces. His legs are covered in blood. I know this must have something to do with mating season and becoming mature, but how long will he act like this? Will he be nasty all summer?

I just finished building them a beautiful run in the fall and was looking forward to them enjoying it this summer. Now I've got the pick-on hen shut up in the barn... Where's the peace and harmony

 

[TheChips]

Wow that sounds like a very dramatic peacock! Maybe he thought it was another male trying to take his territory?
Either way, I hope youre able to get some great advice. So there can be some harmony

 

[Kali-Peep]

Thanks. I think you are right about the mirror, except that it's been hung since September, so why attack it now? I'm worried that if he's like this as a youngster, he will get worse as he ages

 

[DylansMom]

Thanks. I think you are right about the mirror, except that it's been hung since September, so why attack it now? I'm worried that if he's like this as a youngster, he will get worse as he ages

The mirror may have been hung in Sept. but in Sept. his testosterone level was low. He probably had just finished his molting and that is when the mating season ends and testosterone levels go down, then in approx. April it starts to go up again. I currently have 1 male in time out for attacking hens and two others just had a bad brawl and left each other bruised and a little bloody. Your male no doubt thought his reflection was another male coming to challenge him and so he attacked it. I can't let any of my males loose at this time of year because they attack my French doors and sliders because they see their reflections. The hen will likely need to stay separated until after he molts then you can try reintroducing them, but I would move the other two in with her one at a time. If you put her back in they will likely view her as a stranger and pick on her. I have some males with testosterone rage issues and others who are absolutely fine it is an individual thing and there is no way to know if your boy will get better or worse.

 

[MinxFox]

I wouldn't put a mirror in a peafowl pen. I have read about free-range peafowl at a park that would go up to a sculpture that was like a mirror and would peck and kick at it until they got bloody. They think it is another peacock and want to fight it.

At age two peacocks like to assert their dominance over the peahens. Sometimes they harass the peahens a bit just so that they can show them that they are now older and they will no longer let the peahens pick on them because now they are becoming an adult male. Hopefully he will cool down but if not you might want to give your peahens a place to hide in the future so that they can get away from him when he is feeling mean. Sometimes I feel like the two year old males cause more trouble than an older male. At age one they are picked on by just about everyone, age two they become annoying and can't be picked on by the peahens at all or as much, and at age three and up they are normally very pleasant and regal. That is how I see it at least.

 

[DylansMom]

The male I have in Time out is the BS I mentioned in another thread. He is almost 10 years old now and he has acted like this for the last 3 years. At this time of year he is anything but pleasant and regal, but he is as nice as can be once that tail drops.

 

[MinxFox]

It is weird how some birds become aggressive later. I wonder what causes them to go from being a nice adult to a few years later being mean? Did you start putting him with different peahens or something? I hope none of my birds will get like that as they age but it seems like if you raise peafowl you are eventually going to encounter a bird like that.

 

[DylansMom]

It is weird how some birds become aggressive later. I wonder what causes them to go from being a nice adult to a few years later being mean? Did you start putting him with different peahens or something? I hope none of my birds will get like that as they age but it seems like if you raise peafowl you are eventually going to encounter a bird like that.

The first year he attacked hens he was in with a bs and a cameo bs, both were hens he had been paired with in the past. I don't know what started it, but he pecked my cameo bs so bad one side of her head is still bald 3 years later. If I let him free range right now all he will do is stalk the fences of the other pens and try to fight those males or come up on my back porch and attack his reflection in the glass doors. "TIME-OUT"!

 

[Kali-Peep]

I have another mirror inside their coop. I will remove it as well. I NEVER anticipated this, but I'm glad to know before he really hurts himself. I will try to reintroduce the other hen in a few days. Maybe he will cool down a little. If not, I guess she will spend the summer in the barn

 

[Kali-Peep]

Or maybe I should put him in the barn since he is the one causing all the trouble!