Stray peahen & chicks in residence...what to expect?

[StPaulieGirls]

Hello friends,

This summer, a peahen showed up on our fruit farm. She's hatched a clutch and we see her in the seaberries and vineyards with her 4 chicks. She's noisy but we enjoy her company.

We don't really know what to expect. Will she and all the chicks likely stick around our farm? Will they survive the winter if we don't supply them with food and shelter? If we wanted to supply them with shelter for the winter, what would that look like and how would we convince them to move in?

Three of the chicks are brown and the fourth is yellow. Is that last one perhaps going to fledge white?

We're so interested in this unexpected event. Hope it's not the case that she's brought any avian germs...

Blessings on your days,
Kerri in MN

 

[KsKingBee]

Chances are she will return home to where her cock and the rest of her flock are, if not you have a new friend and family staying with you for at least a while. If you keep feeding them they are more likely to stay. They will seek shelter when the elements get nasty, maybe under your porch or other windbreaks. The brown chicks are regular India Blue chicks and the yellow one is going to be an India Blue Black Shoulder and momma is split to Black Shoulder if she is the regular brown IB color. If she is a mostly white or cream color with black speckling then she is Black Shoulder