Wild peacock visiting us

[Mark]

We live in the country and currently have 7 free-range chicken. Over the last month or two, a wild peacock has started visiting us. He is spending more time with us this week, but he may disappear again tomorrow. There was a woman raising peafowl up the road a few miles. She passed a way a few years ago, and several of the flock must have gone wild. We are in the middle of a terrible drought here in Central Texas, so it may be visiting due to a lack of food and water. We have both scattered about for the chickens.

We don't have any plans to catch him, but we don't mind his visits. He is losing his fan feathers, which I suspect is normal.

Any suggestions on building a relationship? It is fun to have him visit.

Mark

 

[trailchick]

Since there is a big drought be sure to keep plenty of water available. A tub with water to wade in if is very hot might be too much to resist, because mine are always wading in the water tub.
For treats, he would probably eat any chopped fruit & vegetables. My free ranging peas love to hear the plastic jar of unsalted peanuts. They also raid the wild bird seed I put out, & I add Sunflower seed to that mix, which they like. They will eat the seeds out of any leftover squash from the garden as well.
If you are out when he arrives move slowly and try not to look him directly in the eye. Just try to appear nonthreatening, and talk softly to him... Toss out the goodies when he is around for him to see & find.
The loss of the train is normal too.
I hope he will stick around for you to enjoy! Good luck.

 

[featherhead]

Hi Mark ~ this is exactly how we got started with peafowl years ago. Farmer passed away and he had about 30 free-rangers. They lived a couple of miles away, and the farmer's wife stopped feeding them. The peas went off in search of food and a couple of them ended up enjoying our back yard. One male met an early fate at the hands of a coyote or fox, but the other male lived in our back yard for 6-8 months. We decided we were supposed to take care of him, so we built him an aviary and the rest is history.

Your male will seek shade during the hottest part of the day, probably on the ground. Keep water available. They love bird seed, especially those black sunflowers. They also love all melons and squashes, and lettuces of all kinds. Since breeding season is over, he just might stay. Our original bird appeared at the beginning of May, and missed an entire breeding season by hanging out in the back 40. When season is over, they are probably less likely to wander off.

 

[MinxFox]

They really love unshelled unsalted peanuts. You can throw those out to him and I used peanuts to get my peafowl to eat out of my hand.

We have been wondering why we haven't had any peafowl show up at our pen yet since it seems several people own some not too far away and sometimes we hear a peacock call off in the distance. I always joke and say it would be cool to have some awesome variety like a silver pied or something just show up in the yard one day.

I hope the peacock stays around. If he stays long enough you will get to see him with a nice new full train.

 

[Mark]

>Your male will seek shade during the hottest part of the day, probably on the ground.

True. He has been hanging out on our covered porch during the afternoons. That's not particularly welcome. Our free-range chickens were doing that last year and made a big mess. This year, we have been providing them with a bird bath each afternoon in some shaded shrubs, and we all get along much better. The peacock doesn't seem interested in associating with the chickens, so we need to figure out a way to encourage him to spend the afternoon a little bit further from the house.

Mark

 

[Debbiesflocks]

I feel your pain with him hanging out on the porch. Mine like to hang out on the porch for some reason. I am guessing it is the cat feed they are after. But i have gotten used to it and now look where i step before i go out bare footed

.

 

[Mark]

Just a follow up...

The peacock lived with us for over a year. It lived in a big tree next to the house. It was a real joy to have around. He was beautiful, if messy. A neighbor was less enchanted. He said the peacock had eaten every fish in his fish pond.

This spring, he started wandering, and disappeared.

 

[zazouse]

Just a follow up...

The peacock lived with us for over a year. It lived in a big tree next to the house. It was a real joy to have around. He was beautiful, if messy. A neighbor was less enchanted. He said the peacock had eaten every fish in his fish pond.

This spring, he started wandering, and disappeared.

Sorry you lost him and unless the fish were real small I don't believe the peacock took all the fish, my peafowl all eat crustations and small fry from out ponds and I have never ever seen them with anything bigger.. They are not like wader birds they do not go into the deeper waters to fish, more likely the fish were eaten by coons .

 

[margaret8]

Coons got all of mine on several occasions!

 

[zazouse]

Yea coons got big gold fish also and snakes will eat them to. like the banded water snake that eats catfish out of the duck pond here.