Why keep peafowl?

[AmeraucanaHank]

Despite our efforts not to get feelings for PP, since we're still in the waiting period for her family to come forward, we're already quite fond of her. With one day left in the waiting period before we could officially say we wanted her to stay we were discussing where we could make an enclosure and looking into buying a friend for her. When we got up to let the birds out this morning, PP wasn't here. We've looked at video from our security camera that points towards the fowl yard and can't even tell when she left because she left when it was still dark. There's a lot of messy tree/weeds/brush growing up in the back of our neighboring properties, apparently a LOT of blueberry bushes in there. I have my brother out searching through the messy overgrowth to see if he can find her. I've sent her picture to a couple neighbors and have a peacock call playing over a speaker for her...hoping we'll be able to lure her back here. Ugh! Silly little peahen!

I hope you find her!

 

[AmeraucanaHank]

I often suspect that our new neighbors don't love our ducks as much as I do

How close are your neighbors?

 

[KCNC06]

I hope you find her!

Me too! I really tried not to get attached because I kept telling myself that we'd find her owners and would have to send her back to her home. She's been fenced in the past 4 days, since she found us, and made no effort to get out of the fenced yard. I'm hoping she's somewhere in the overgrowth next to us eating berries and snakes.

 

[KCNC06]

How close are your neighbors?

Our newest neighbors are way too close in my opinion. Their house is maybe about 70 feet from ours, except fully in front of our house. I had been planning to ask if peahens really *need* a peacock. Obviously if we wanted peachicks, or were normal people who wanted to see that beautiful train on a peacock. But I wasn't sure if peahens are like chickens and ducks, they can be happy living without a male in the flock. But if PP doesn't come back, it's a moot point I guess.

 

[KsKingBee]

In cases like this, I always resign myself to God's will. Something may have frightened her off the roost and she is hiding or could just be exploring or foraging. If she is supposed to be with you she will come back.

 

[AmeraucanaHank]

Our newest neighbors are way too close in my opinion. Their house is maybe about 70 feet from ours, except fully in front of our house.

I am about to get new neighbors right behind our property (building a new house) I'm not too happy about that, but I'm sure it will be fine.(well I hope!)

 

[samanthaoverton]

Same here for me...I dream of having a lawn ornament run around the yard to look at 30 acres and I'm surrounded by woods but the neighbors dogs...I should be able to have my chickens free range but noooo. Night time should be my worry not broad daylight. If I had no neighbors dogs to worry about I would have a peacock and more free ranging ducks. They killed my last pekins. I love the sound peacocks make..hubby does not

Where we live there are several "runaway" peafowl here in the desert so I never would've guessed they were all that delicate. Half the people love them, half absolutely hate them. Not much of a middle ground.

I personally have no experience with them, but I do enjoy hearing the ones from our neighbors 2 houses down. I think they sound neat but I'm weird like that. I have noticed in several photos I've seen of enclosures for them, a lot fence in huge carports for them.

I've been down this road, hubby wanted some until we realized their requirements were more than we wanted to get into, and they would serve no purpose really other than as you said "ornamental".

 

[KCNC06]

In cases like this, I always resign myself to God's will. Something may have frightened her off the roost and she is hiding or could just be exploring or foraging. If she is supposed to be with you she will come back.

That's pretty much what I've been thinking since she showed up. Today I've been telling myself that she found us once, if she's supposed to be here whatever or whoever led her here will lead her back. I told my husband that if she finds her way back to us, that'll answer the question of whether or not we should keep her. We've had enough stray cats and dogs adopt us, it would be rude to reject the peahen.

 

[KCNC06]

I am about to get new neighbors right behind our property (building a new house) I'm not too happy about that, but I'm sure it will be fine.(well I hope!)

I'm quite sure our newest neighbors don't particularly like us. Or I was sure until this morning when we asked if we could go into the overgrown area at the back of their property to look for the peahen. They were very nice about it. I have timber bamboo planted all along our property line so I'm sure they'll dislike us more as the bamboo grows. Unless they're weirdos like me and end up loving bamboo. (Japanese Timber Bamboo is very entertaining to watch while it shoots, which only happens once a year so it's not as horrible as most places on the interwebs suggest. I have culms that grew to 14+ feet this season, which really is fun to watch since they get that tall in 2-3 weeks!)

 

[KsKingBee]

That's pretty much what I've been thinking since she showed up. Today I've been telling myself that she found us once, if she's supposed to be here whatever or whoever led her here will lead her back. I told my husband that if she finds her way back to us, that'll answer the question of whether or not we should keep her. We've had enough stray cats and dogs adopt us, it would be rude to reject the peahen.

Who knows what message God wanted to send you with her appearance. BTW, if that is a running bamboo they will hate you for sure. I planted some in the city and had to move to get away from it, it was overtaking my entire yard and I had ground barriers that obviously didn't work. I planted some here on the farm on the bank of the creek for ground erosion and it also works too well. Still, I would love to have some Moso, that stuff is incredible.