Some questions from an accidental peafowl enthusiast.

[new 2 pfowl]

Hello all,
This forum is such a wonderful resource!
And I'm hoping for advice from some of you very experienced peafowlers.

I am an "accidental" enthusiast because I moved into a house where there is already a free range flock of 8 peafowl (2 hens).
They are fed and watched over by myself and several neighbors.
Going onto three years, I am a great fan! And have become very attached to them all.

2 questions:

1. I volunteer at the local wildlife rescue, and they asked me if I could take three rescued peafowl (2 young males, 1 female).
I'd like to say yes, but am worried that introducing this new group might cause trouble for "my" group (territorial disputes, "alpha" male conflicts, etc.). Anyone have similar experiences? My primary concern is the well-being of "my" group.

2. Although it is too long a story to tell here, my neighbor has a 6 month old peahen (that was hatched by a chicken) in her large chicken coop and I'm wondering what the best way is to get her out of the coop and into the peafowl flock.
She seems quite attached to her "chicken-mommy," and also seems to think she's a chicken!
Any thoughts about this kind of problem?

Thank you all so, so much in advance for your advice.

 

[Resolution]

I'd take the rescue birds and confine them with the neighbor orphan for a month. Then the orphan has joined a new social group and the unit will be able to join the larger flock without much if any issue. Peafowl are sociable especially to juvenile and sub-adult birds.

 

[MinxFox]

The best time to introduce new peafowl to a flock might be when it is not the breeding season that way there will be less of a chance of territorial males wanting to fight the young males. If the young males are yearlings then even adult peahens will pick on them. Yearling birds have a low status in a group of adult birds but the two young males might stick together and they might have their own little group separate from the already existing group of 8. I think putting the three birds you are thinking about rescuing with your neighbor's peahen might be a good idea. Since she thinks she is a chicken she is probably going to be a little scared at first of peafowl and not want to hang out with them at first. I hand raised a peachick and when I got some peachicks to put with him at first he didn't like being around them and would peck at them but now he gets along with them just fine. Rescuing those peafowl will help you bring in new blood to the flock to keep inbreeding from becoming a problem.

 

[new 2 pfowl]

Thank you both for your very thoughtful responses.

I didn't even think of putting the rescues in with the little peahen, and it's a great idea (although the chicken coop will be crowded!).
I'll have to ask my neighbor how she feels about this...

Thanks again!

 

[jbourget]

would create a space for them to get used to YOUR yard, away from the chickens, and then they will also keep the other group closeby. but still will visit the neighbors. The peahen chick will be a great mate to balance the 3 resues evenly, 2 male 2 female. when this group is used to your yard and pen, and like thier sleeping spot they might also draw in the other peafowl to the coop as well!

Good luck with them, and if you could please take some photos of them and post them! we would all love to see them. what kind are they all? india blues or all different?

 

[new 2 pfowl]

Hello jb,
Thank you for your thoughts, and for your hospitality!
I will try to take some pictures, but I must admit that I'm not much of a photographer...

Your ideas about my situation make a lot of sense.
However, (sorry, I didn't explain this in my original post), I live in a sort of unique situation in that there isn't really "my yard" and "their yard"; we live on a hill without fences, and our yards all run together! So I think that the peafowl that live here now don't have a sense that they "belong" in one spot. They all roost together in a very tall tree in my other neighbor's yard.
So I guess I would want the new group to feel "at home" everywhere.

I really appreciate your response!