Wandering Peacocks

[redheadedhens]

I am not well versed in the world of pea fowl and would love a little insight from those more experienced. The ranch behind our home has peafowl I hear regularly. This time last year, they started showing up in my yard, usually in the morning, and left the second I opened the door. This lasted a month. Then they disappeared, and I never heard them again for several months. Then this year, I started hearing them again and sure enough-beginning of July, they have started to intermittently visit my yard.

Questions....

There are usual 4-6, most males. I didn't realize they stay together, and assumed males were territorial? I assume they are young males as their tails are pretty short?

This year we have chickens (when I opened the blinds to take this picture, all four of them were facing the chickens with their tails fanned). But last year we did not. Any idea why they would decide to visit the same time of year each year? I should note, I live on a cul/de-sac and the ranch runs the length of the street. I doubt they only come to my house.

Do I need to be concerned about them being in the yard my chickens free-range in for reasons of communicable diseases, etc?

They are also roosting on my roof (clay tile), I don't necessarily mind but any issues with potential damage?

 

[EyeKeyYou]

Breeding season gets them exploring(Late Spring early Summer). Those look like 1 year olds but have seen 3 and 4 year olds hanging out together. They are only truly agressive when female around and breeding. They can damage stuff and hopefully you like them visiting as a lot of people will do nothing to control their peafowl's roaming habits. Probably no disease problems, no more than what wild birds would bring. Since I keep peafowl I actually worm all visitors with soaked bread. They are usually not that shy are you sure they aren't feral?

 

[redheadedhens]

Thank you so much for all the information!

I am not sure they aren't feral. The only reason I assum they aren't managed in some way is because of their disappearance last year. And there is no way they were simply penned up after that month or so because I still would have heard them. They are very talkative throughout the day, every day. Any thoughts on their absence? Perhaps they just raise them to a year, sell, and start over. The ones in the yard last year were similar in age, I'm guessing.

I don't mind their visit at all. But I'm guessing their human contact is very limited, as they fly away as soon as I make any kind of noise.