Stray peacock assistance required

[Portuguese peafowl]

I have copied this post from the newcomer welcome thread

Hello to everyone

A stray peacock has arrived on his own and has stayed on my home farm since early October. He has taken up residence during the day on the patio chairs and table outside the window of my living room as a roost and wanders around the farm gardens from time to time. I began feeding him a couple of times a day - he has a bowl of grain put out as well as a little sliced tomato and fish. He likes these more than anything else I have tried him on (egg, leafy vegetables etc which he has ignored) At night he roosts either on the driveway wall of the farm house, or on the top of the roof.

I would very much welcome some help how to keep looking after him, as its very much a taking it slowly approach with him and talking gently to him and giving his little meals. A main concern is the wetter weather and much cooler nights which have just arrived and trying to give a wild bird some shelter as he is sitting out in wind and rain currently. With winter to come I wonder how to give him shelter and how to get him to use it (and much more besides in terms of his health an welfare). Also he is alone and does not have other peafowl for company.

Lots of help required please as this is a crash course in learning about such a beautiful bird!!

 

[DukesDucks]

Wow beautiful bird. You need to add your location so people can give you better advice. I would not be too concerned about winter weather. Where I am, Eastern Ontario, Canada, we have weeks of -30c and lots of snow. The peacocks do very well. They are able to be inside a large area in the barn, but usually choose to roost outside in the sunshine.
If you are considering building a shelter, do lots of research as these birds need large spaces. Doing a search on BYC for coops and runs will provide lots of information.
Makes you wonder where he came from. Do you know of anyone raising peacocks in the area?

 

[Portuguese peafowl]

Hi thanks for the reply and the suggestions. I am base in a much warmer location in southern europe. Hence the user name Portuguese peafowl He might have come from a neighbouring farm but having only moved out here from the UK this summer there is ni real way of knowing. A kind of tree house has been quickly built for him the last couple of days on the basis it is off the ground for night-time shelter - but so far he has shown no interest in it and stayed out overnights in heavy rain and strong winds! I have no idea how to encourage him into a sheltered area - so far its a case of trying to get his trust by feeding him and talking gently to him. He flaps and scuttles away if I get to near him.

This is the tree house anyway:

 

[KsKingBee]

The best learning center is on the Peafowl main page under the 'Stickies' index. What is that nesting board under the eave of your house for?

 

[KsKingBee]

I applaud your effort on the treehouse but unless you feed him there he will not likely use it.

 

[Portuguese peafowl]

I applaud your effort on the treehouse but unless you feed him there he will not likely use it.

Its only just been built and with the rainy weather its difficult to get an immediate routine going with him. He has got used to being fed at his 'day roost' outside the house a in the picture - but yes I will try and feed him down there, though he won't see the food on the resting platform so it would have to be placed on the ground )assuming he can successfully be lured to that place to feed). Its a case of waiting for him to wander down where it was built. Its opposite a wall that he often roosts on at night which is why the treehouse was put nearby. Ironically he rarely ventures down there during the day!

 

[DukesDucks]

I'm wondering if it would find the tree house not safe from his point of view. No way to escape if he is roosting there and something else comes in. Just enjoy his company. Nature has a way of taking care of its own.

 

[KsKingBee]

I'm wondering if it would find the tree house not safe from his point of view. No way to escape if he is roosting there and something else comes in. Just enjoy his company. Nature has a way of taking care of its own.

The flapping tarp will likely scare him.

 

[raingarden]

If you feed him well he will stay around and find favorite places to graze and roost.

I would be worried about what he will do to the patio, but maybe it's worth it. He will be knocking wine glasses off the table when his tail grows out. The tree house is great but you have some nice tree branches to roost in too. He might wander off in the spring to find a mate.

Peacock can eat a lot of protein so adding fish to the grain and vegetables is good. If you run out of fish he would appreciate some dog or cat kibble.

 

[Portuguese peafowl]

I'm wondering if it would find the tree house not safe from his point of view. No way to escape if he is roosting there and something else comes in. Just enjoy his company. Nature has a way of taking care of its own.

He roosts on a wall the same height as the tree house right opposite. He is right on the perimeter boundary on this wall with all sorts of wild animals passing below him at night, including dogs. It is also level with some trees, the same as the structure. With the tree house within the boundary of the farm I would think it was safer and certainly warmer and drier especially with unusually cold nights to come here later this week, after extended summer conditions suddenly ended this weekend

Still, he is a wild bird and though he is now showing temptation and looking up at the opening, he can't be made to do anything and I will have to assume that if he does get cold then he will seek some better cover. Its lined with hay and has a choice of wide logs as roosting perches