So worried...

[chicknmania]

Thank you, well I hope so.

Haven't been to look yet, it's been pouring cold rain all day and I have been gone all morning, supposed to continue to rain all day and then turn cold.

But I just wonder....how the heck would the eggs have been viable? If the peacocks began to lose their tails in early August, would they still be fertile in mid September?
And do peachicks make strange noises like that? I have heard older baby peafowl. making a call that sounds just like "mom, mom, mom!" when following their mother...but we don't have any experience at all with hatching peafowl ourselves.

 

[zazouse]

Thank you, well I hope so.

Haven't been to look yet, it's been pouring cold rain all day and I have been gone all morning, supposed to continue to rain all day and then turn cold.

But I just wonder....how the heck would the eggs have been viable? If the peacocks began to lose their tails in early August, would they still be fertile in mid September?
And do peachicks make strange noises like that? I have heard older baby peafowl. making a call that sounds just like "mom, mom, mom!" when following their mother...but we don't have any experience at all with hatching peafowl ourselves.

mabe these free range boys still got it with just a few train feathers.

 

[chicknmania]

Maybe. But I couldn't find her this afternoon.

I looked and looked. I hope it wasn't wishful thinking but realistically I could have heard a coyote or fox, that would account for the strange noise, and the peeping might have been tree frogs or wild birds. I guess we might still be surprised, because, after seeing those pics posted on here, she could be right under my nose, and I wouldn't see her!

 

[chicknmania]

She never came back. And now Sweetpea, our other adult peahen, has disappeared without a trace. We have had snow and cold weather for several weeks. Yesterday was a quiet day. My son said she came out when we opened the barn up to feed, and she flew to the tree tops. They do that sometimes. But she was not in the barn this morning and I'm sure he probably didn't notice if she was there last night, it was Thanksgiving and we had company, so he would only have dashed out there to feed and close up and come right back.

I am positive that this is a human, and not an animal, predator, as animal predators would leave some sign, I'm sure. We have a new peahen now, Snap, who is still in quarantine, we got her to replace Princess. the weird thing is that the peafowl normally do not wander at all, when it is cold and snowy out. Which it is certainly still quite cold. They go out into the yard around our barn, maybe venture up to our house, but that is it. I am just sick about this. And not sure just what to do either. WE are not really set up in a way where we could construct a large enclosure for our peafowl, at least not without considerable expense, and remodeling, and we just don't have the money or expertise to do that ourselves right now, at least. And I don't want to do that, anyway. The cocks are used to free range and I think they would be very unhappy if they were confined, and they, as I said, are normally very good at staying home, or not going too far. I think it is strange that it is always the peahens, and not the cocks, that turn up missing. This is not a time of year where she would go broody. Does anyone have any thoughts or similar experiences to share? I'm considering going to talk to our neighbor, but if he is shooting them I'm sure he would not tell me. It is deer season of course, but we do not allow hunting on our property, although of course people hunt all around us. Still, the peafowl normally do not go into the woods , except the woods close to our house and barn, and again, especially not in the cold and snow.

 

[chicknmania]

OMG WE FOUND SWEETPEA!!!! She is STUCK in the treetops and afraid to come down! She has been up there since Thanksgiving morning...I thought she was a squirrel nest...until today I saw the nest move.

We have tried shooting bird bombs in the vicinity of her tree, and scared her lower, but she will not come down!!!!!! The fire department is coming but they doubt they can do anything. Looking for a tree trimmer now who might come out on Sunday......