Trimming Wings

[LoneStarHen]

We bought our first 5 peachicks on Mother's Day. That was my present! So I am very new to the world of peafowl. They are much different than any chicks I have ever raised. They are VERY flighty and still very scared of people - even after living in the house since mothers day.

They are all doing very well. They are still in the house in a brooder. 3 of them are larger and are starting to get their head feathers, the other two are about 1/3 the size. I will put them out into an enclosed run in the next few weeks. We plan on making a pen for them over near my existing chicken and turkey pens.
I know - you've all seen this question before, but humor a newbie.

I've been scanning this forum reading about all of the information on free ranging peafowl. I would really love to be able to free range them when they are older, but it seems like a substantial risk. We have 5 acres and some neighbor problems. I have an 8 foot fence on one side, but 4 foot fence on the other three sides, and a river in the back. I still have quite a while to think about my options.

I can see them flying like eagles around the neighborhood. That would make them easy prey for the neighborhood predators. Does trimming their flight feathers do any good, or can they still get up into the trees to scale the fence?

 

[DylansMom]

We bought our first 5 peachicks on Mother's Day. That was my present! So I am very new to the world of peafowl. They are much different than any chicks I have ever raised. They are VERY flighty and still very scared of people - even after living in the house since mothers day.

They are all doing very well. They are still in the house in a brooder. 3 of them are larger and are starting to get their head feathers, the other two are about 1/3 the size. I will put them out into an enclosed run in the next few weeks. We plan on making a pen for them over near my existing chicken and turkey pens.
I know - you've all seen this question before, but humor a newbie.

I've been scanning this forum reading about all of the information on free ranging peafowl. I would really love to be able to free range them when they are older, but it seems like a substantial risk. We have 5 acres and some neighbor problems. I have an 8 foot fence on one side, but 4 foot fence on the other three sides, and a river in the back. I still have quite a while to think about my options.

I can see them flying like eagles around the neighborhood. That would make them easy prey for the neighborhood predators. Does trimming their flight feathers do any good, or can they still get up into the trees to scale the fence?

Welcome to the wonderful world of Peas! My birds easily jump(not fly) onto 5 ft. perches, clipping the wing feathers will not keep them from going over your fences, but it could prevent them from being able to escape those neighborhood predators. We are on 5 acres as well, not too bad at first as there was 25 empty acres behind us, now 2 homes have been built back there and we do not free range any longer. If they can see or hear your neighbors they will go investigate.
As for being flighty, how old were they when you got them, I assume they are 2 different ages or there wouldn't be that much of a size difference. Do you know if they were incubator or hen hatched? My incubator hatched ones are usually very calm and friendly, not so much with the hen hatched ones.

 

[LoneStarHen]

The little ones still had what looked like chick fluff on them, but they had all of their wing feathers. The bigger ones pretty much have all of their feathers, and they started getting the feathers on their heads over the weekend. (the ones that stick up, I'm not sure what they're called) I was so excited that we were getting them, that I forgot how old the guy said that they were. They were incubator hatched and raised in one of those metal brooder shelves.

I was planning on putting them in a coop with my turkey poults. They are about the same age and I hatched them in my incubator. The turkeys are pretty tame.

I guess we will be building a flight pen for the peas. I'd hate for one of them to get out and something happen to it.