Stray Peafowl Reported, Need Advice

[yorkchick]

She loves mealworms, egg yolks, raspberries, tomatoes, scratch, BOSS, pretty much everything we've tried her on. Yesterday we tried to see if for a miracle she might be bribed to walk right into a very large plastic dog crate to get egg yolks (had a long cord attached to the door to pull it shut if she did). She ate the yolk trail leading right up to the crate but wouldn't even stick her head in to get the yolk just inside the crate. Not surprising, but worth a try just in case it worked. Then we set up a dog exercise pen (that I'd borrowed from a friend) in the area they've been feeding and watering her, staked it to the ground, covered it with plastic netting. attached the pull cord to the door, set a bowl with egg yolks and another with meal worms fairly near the door. The idea was to get her used to going in and out, and then move the bowls to the back of the pen.

This morning the neighbor, Carol, emailed me to say the peahen did go in to eat but got out before she could get to the cord to pull it. But definite progress! I am thinking she may stay in longer if we add a plexiglass mirror, based on msmolly's excellent suggestion! She does like to moon around their basement level windows, looking at her pretty little self, just as you said. (Hey, if I were half that good-looking, I might do the same!

)

 

[msmolly]

Sounds like great progress! Any mirror will do for temporary measures- Note**** Do not face it into the sun!.... or you may burn her eyes out and set fire to your neighbors house!... kinda funny, but not really. Kood luck, your well on your way to becoming a bonified member of the "Crazy peafowl-people club"!

 

[new 2 pfowl]

This sounds really promising!

 

[yorkchick]

Got her!

Didn't even get as far as resorting to the mirror. The day after we set up the pen, she went in for food and the neighbor was able to close the door on her. She wasn't too well pleased to be picked up by me but it was a small pen and it wasn't too hard to scoop her up and get her into the dog carrier. She's in what was (for the former owner of the house) a paint room in our barn now for quarantine:

She seemed disinclined to leave her perch this morning (there's Flock Raiser, cat food, and water available at floor level in the room, just not visible in the above view), so I served breakfast in bed:

I also set the water bowl on the perch for awhile and she did drink. Yeah, do you think I might be spoiling her just a little? After she survived on her own for who knows how long she could probably find food and water inside a closed room, huh? Anyway, she does seem to appreciate that her new prison bed and breakfast comes with a window seat:

Question: does this look normal or do you all think her wings were clipped? (She can fly just fine, btw, she's been roosting on the neighbor's roof...) Just curious!

Anyway, thank you so much everyone who has contributed suggestions and encouragement. I intend to keep her unless the original owner can be found (and our inquiries so far have not produced any results), so I will continue to rely on you generous and knowledgeable BYC peafowl people if I may! I've certainly lost count of the times BYC has guided me through chicken, geese, and turkey questions. Thanks for welcoming me into PeaWorld!

 

[yinepu]

Congrats!

 

[3BirdGirlz]

Nice work! Peas are such a nice addition to the family I think

 

[new 2 pfowl]

That sounds like it was pretty painless, congratulations!

 

[zazouse]

it does look like someone may have trimed the wings long ago but the good thing is most peas are starting to molt and she will be just like new by spring.
Sure wished you were closer.. I have a pretty pied male that would go good with her.

 

[yorkchick]

it does look like someone may have trimed the wings long ago but the good thing is most peas are starting to molt and she will be just like new by spring.
Sure wished you were closer.. I have a pretty pied male that would go good with her.

zaz, he's gorgeous! No, you're not an enabler at all! Nope. And no, I haven't been casually checking through the Craigslist peafowl ads either. Nope. I was thinking another peahen though? A hen would keep her company but not be so noisy? I mean, our neighbors aren't super close, and they've been tolerant of the roosters and the geese so far, and legally I could keep peacocks without a problem as far as zoning, but I don't want to push it. Mostly I would want another pea to be a friend to this one. The boys are so very very flashy, but I kinda like the understated elegance of the girls.

As long as Eloise could be happy with that.

Yes, I'm calling her Eloise.

 

[mbbrinegar]