When do peacocks mature fully

[Kev]

Ah okay, hoped you had figured out a way to tell between homozygous pied and split whites without test-breeding them.

 

[deerman]

yep thats are the colors, all these will breed for you this year. Believe I got all right when they were chicks.

except the split part, because like posted b4 could be split white or be darked pied.

Now you need to see what you want, i would pen the peahens up during breeding season. The silver pied hen will stand out for predators when she goes setting...

You did a good job raising them. Myself I would put the silverpied hen with ones with the white throat patch. As I know who hatch these, wouldnt think they are split white. I would bet money they are darkpied. Cause he would have no reason to breed a Opal with a white. Also I would think your blue hens are split to another color or pattern. Only because I wouldnt think he would be breeding blues to blues.

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Thanks Kev, DMFarm, and Deerman - now I know the colors. And yes Deerman, you called each one exactly right when they were only a few days old (man you guys are good). I had no idea I had an India Blue female, her neck colors are green. As Deerman said, the breeder I got them from, Leggs Peafowl, is a top breeder and I'm sure only breeds certain colors together.

While I still don't understand the colors, the split (dark vs pied), and the ratios - I'm thrilled to hear they should all breed this season. Wow, they are still so young at 18 months.

Since they freerange, does this mean I need to confine them to pens for breeding and laying and setting purposes? Does a peahen always set her eggs or is she like a chicken that could lay eggs forever and never once decide to set them. Will or should I just incubate the eggs in my Sportsmans (which I've never had any luck hatching any of the dozens of peafowl eggs I've tried to hatch).

Of course if one decides to set, I'll make sure she's in a nice safe place. Our six big dogs do a great job of keeping predators away. I'm always having mama ducks show up with babies or chickens show up with baby ducks or baby chicks that were off setting on a nest and I had no idea till they show up with babies. The chicken that showed up with baby ducks was quite cute - especially when the baby ducklings started getting in the duck pool and the mama chicken freaked out.

Yesterday, when I was taking pics, I did have to go looking for the female purple and the male opal. I could not find either. When I finally found them they were together,coming out of an overgrown area around some old stables. I looked to see if I could find a nest but couldn't find anything. Maybe I'll need to follow her and see if she's laying somewhere.

Thanks again for all the help.

 

[Kev]

My experience: free range hens always set on their nests. As for confined hens, very much hit or miss. In any season, most confined peahens just won't set even if they have nests or eggs are left in nests. Then, individual peahens will try to set almost every year but most peahens that do set usually only try to once every 2 years or something more irregular... some peahens never even tried to until they were 9 years old, etc.. Those same peahens if I let them free I know would almost all set their first season free range- that has actually happened with peahens that were previously always confined and never set, but come their first season free range, bingo they set on their nests. Seems it is pretty common for most confined peahens not to set, but it is not "rare" for one to set anyways though.

It is true that a lot of free range peahens are lost when they are setting, but if your place is that safe it is up to you.

You do not need to pen them up as for colors, unless you want a specific bird to breed or want specific colors. Otherwise the males will try to breed with any female and the females will choose which ones they like.

As for hunting for nests, peahens lay their egg pretty late in the day- evening or very late evening.. sometimes close to when it is completely dark, even. It's rather obvious- she looks "agitated" and seems to impatiently move around and start running off to certain locations.. once she has decided on a nest spot and has laid eggs in it already, she will act like she is looking around and then sort of go straight to the nest.

Very often the nest is a good distance from the main area.

 

[ruth]

Thanks Kev - that helps to clear things up. It stands to reason, most confined animals either don't breed or don't reproduce in captivity. I'll watch for the "signs" you mentioned. So far they seem to be disappearing during the day and all return near dusk and fly up into their favorite tree to roost. However, today they haven't all shown back up yet and it's getting dark but it's been raining all day and they usually hole-up somewhere dry - normally the carport, shed, barn, or stables but lately they seem to be off in the woods somewhere (or at least somewhere where I'm not finding them). My dogs keep the yard and nearby perimeter pretty safe but can't patrol the thousands of acres of woods that surround us. So I may need to start watching them and see where they go. If, now that they are mature and nearing mating time and their behavior and routines are going to change, I may need to confine them but that would mean building some rather large pens - they have never been confined.

Another question - if a hen does start to set somewhere, like in the woods, is she like a chicken that can be moved, preferably at dark to a pen, along with her nest, and will continue to set or if she's disturbed she's "done"?

Oh, and finally, what is a season? I think I remember the local breeder, saying it was through August here but I'm not sure if I remember that correctly.

 

[Kev]

For peafowl, it is kind of ironic that the non-setting peahens have better breeding success because they keep on laying more eggs, so if their owner incubates those eggs, she will basically produce way more babies than if she set on them herself. It's possible that in some hens or lines the urge to set is "weakened" but then like I mentioned from my experience, the non-setters in confinement all set during their first season free range.

Seasons starts and ends a bit different depending on region and can be different from year to year.. mine usually starts April and ends July, other years can start either a month earlier or later. You know the breeding season when you hear a new kind of call, it's the call the male makes when he wants to mate with a hen.. he does this high pitched call when he "rushes" at the hen.. if she accepts him, she will immediately squat and let him breed her. Or if she refuses or is not in mood, she just walks or runs in a circle around him, just barely staying out of his reach.

I have not been able to successfully move a setting peahen.. it seemed to me they are very "site loyal".. they always threw a huge fit and went back to where their original site was, all upset. Could try putting eggs in locations you think is safe.. I don't know if golf balls would work for them.. if not, there are fake goose/turkey eggs that are much closer in size to peafowl eggs.


I definitely recommend keeping a mother peahen and her babies confined to a pen for the babies' sake. Need to proof the pen as the babies fly far too well at a very young age.. I used dog runs with half inch chicken wire and deer netting attached from top to bottom and also over the tops of the runs so the chicks could not accidentally fly out and be stuck outside, if you put up the wire only along the bottom. Your dogs will not protect the peachicks against hawks.. there are bold hawks that specialize in snatching small birds.. those are always the worst on the little free range babies,

 

[DMFarm]

Ruth
Here in Texas I start getting eggs in March and they lay to Aug. I have several hens ever year that I let set on there last clutch of eggs most of the time they dig a hole in the corner of the shed and set out of the weather. I never had any nesting boxes in my pens they lay where ever they want.

 

[deerman]

Ruth mine start late april end in Aug. If I dont gather the eggs all my peahens will set, now they are in large breeding pens, 12ft X 36FT. Like Doug mine lay on the ground even when i have nest boxes, some have used the nest boxes ,but most dont. Heck even have some hens two setting on the same eggs.


I will let some blue peahens set late july on their last clutch.

Moving a setting peahen, will more than likely break her from setting.