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Celeste Writes about Peafowl
E-mail Subj: Peafowl Question
Celeste,
I would like to hear more about your experience with peafowl.
Thanks,
Jim
This information is rather loosely organized into sections that address some
of the issues that everyone wants to know. Please note: The personal
experience information shared on this page should not be considered as a
substitute for consultation with a good veterinarian who specializes in birds
or domestic fowl.
Peetie - Our magnificent India blue peacock
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Celeste Writes about Peafowl
Peafowl are very smart birds. They love to roam around eating bugs and grasses,
just like our guinea fowl. Then they want to sun and preen on a low perch
(our porch rails) or dig in soft dirt for a warm dirt bath.
At night they roost 20-30 feet up in trees, or as high as they get. Our "Big
Daddy" or the dominant cock always likes roosting on our back porch grape
arbor because it's high, sturdy, and a gable protects it from the rain and
winds from the north. If they get rained on during the night, the first order
of business before they come down will be to dry a bit and preen. Then they
will start drifting around the property, checking out alien life (squirrels
and such) and feeding.
If they see something that's not normally present, an animal or person or
say a bag blows through, they will honk an alarm, sounding much like geese.
They ruffle up their neck feathers so they look larger than life, and will
walk as a group to confront the offending stranger. If they are satisfied
that it's not a threat, they will resume their feeding.
In bad weather, they want shelter from wind and rains, so a high perch (long
enough for a mature male's tail to clear the ground - 5 or 6 feet high) under
a roof with 3 sides like most folks provide for horses is good. It's a major
thing for birds this size to keep their feathers in good shape, and a 5-6
foot long tail is a serious consideration.
Males won't grow this tail until they are 2 1/2 years of age, and they usually
breed by the spring of their 3rd year. This lull in maturing probably results
from the extreme amount of energy required to grow such a magnificent tail.
They must first mature in body before they can expend that energy on a more
frivolous thing such as their showy tails. The cocks start growing their
courting feathers in the fall, with the shorter "filler" feathers growing
during the early part of fall and winter. Then the longer "eyes" start coming
in right up through spring when they begin to woo the hens.
As they grow older, their tail only becomes more and more beautiful and full.
Our oldest male was 8 or 9, and his tail was breathtaking this past year.
We've since sold him in order to keep another newly mature male who has been
hand-raised and is tame. He's the Peetie in our true stories on the web site.
Mature males are very combative, even with immature males, but you can usually
keep 1 and 2 year-olds safely with an older male. If they are confined, you
would need to have separate quarters for males. But you can have more than
one hen to a male with no problem. There is the possibility of harm or death
if a subservient male couldn't escape the attacks of the dominant male, much
like chickens. They spend lots of energy chasing the young guys around to
the point of panting and getting wild-eyed, looking for a hiding place. This
year we found our youngsters hiding from Big Daddy's sight in the pen when
he was about and courting the hens.
Hens can breed at one year of age, but our yearlings didn't breed this year,
possibly because we had two experienced hens. It's also possible that they
did mate and lay eggs in the same nest as the older hens, but never sat on
their own. Like people, these birds learn during their youth what they need
to know to survive and breed and parent. In the absence of an experienced
adult, they will step up and learn as they go.
After all the hens have nested, the male's tail feathers will begin to drop
out all during the summer, leaving him with a short manageable base upon
which the new feathers immediately begin to develop. To support the longer
eye feathers there is a wide, sturdy fan of tail feathers which grow below
the "show" feathers. When they raise them to the erect position, these keep
them from bending and breaking. Also, they shake the whole display very quickly,
which produces a sort of rattling sound that seems to attract the hens.
The hen makes a big show of ignoring the cock, but will casually feed and
stroll around near him, while he shakes out those feathers and backs up to
her to show how wonderful he is. He also will lean forward to encircle her
in his display, and he does make a high, whistling honk sound as he rushes
towards her in display.
Nesting usually begins in the warmer days of late April, and a hen will begin
sitting in May. They will lay a goose-sized egg every other day and leave
it unattended until she finally sits, usually on 4-10 eggs. Most peafowl
hatch after 28 days of incubation by the hen on a sheltered ground nest.
Ours prefer corners of porches and this year actually nested in our basement
window wells to protect the eggs from our dogs. (The dogs would rob eggs
at night when they found them before the hen had set on the nest) If a hen
thinks her nest has been compromised, she will abandon it and start anew
elsewhere.
They are social and curious, frequently looking right in household windows
or walking into open doors. This rattles lots of folks. They will look you
in the eye, unlike many birds. But if you stare at them or don't break eye
contact, they feel threatened. In nature, only a predator would eye them
so directly. When uneasy, they make a short, low-pitched CHUCK sound, to
signal discomfort or possible danger.
Slow movements of head and body are best around them. They will note your
behavior and come to trust you and your routines after you prove non-threatening.
If you have to move close to them, talk softly and keep your eyes averted,
or even better, pretend that you don't see them at all. This comforts them
and reaffirms their trust in you as a non-predator.
Peafowl love green plants. Be sure to get them fresh tender grasses, maybe
bringing in chunks of sod if the pen becomes grassless. They also love to
lay on the ground in our wildflower beds or in the high grasses. Remember
that their native habitat is jungle edge, and their coloring keeps them
well-blended with the shadows and lights found in such a place. So they get
low out of the wind to take in some sun and stretch out their legs on cool
days. It's very easy to miss them when they do this.
They're excellent bug hunters, and they like small chunk dog food and regular
ol' hen scratch from the feed store. I supplement the scratch with layer
mash in the breeding months to provide extra calcium and protein for the
hens. New chicks will need some medicated chick starter crumbles to help
them while they develop immunity from common bacteria and such. Only put
out a little feed at a time, what they will eat before the day is over. That
will keep you from having a pest problem, and fermented feed in the ground
isn't very pleasant.
Where they roost or shelter you may wish to lay straw or chipped bedding
to help keep it clean and sanitary. That makes it easier to rake up their
droppings and put down fresh. On cold days, they might want to lay down in
the shelter and take a dirt bath, so try to keep it clean.
During hot weather, they like to stand in water, so we keep a low-sided rubber
feed dish filled with water for them to drink from. I usually empty it every
couple days and put in fresh. In the winter when it freezes, the rubber allows
me to flip the whole thing upside down and stomp it to get the ice out without
breaking the dish.
For the dirt baths, you may want to get a kiddie pool and just keep fresh
dirt in it. That way they won't have to dig up their land to get a bath.
If one gets sick or hurt, it's best to segregate it in a small area, keep
it warm and calm and fed and watered. You can put antibiotics in their water.
It comes powdered in packets at a feed store, and you'll need to figure dosage
to water amount. For big problems, look up a vet that will treat birds,
specifically, ahead of the need. It's not uncommon that birds die from minor
injuries, but that usually is because they still must go out, feed and escape
predators. If you can help it with the medication and confinement, they do
very well.
If you need to physically catch a bird, we've found a cast net works well.
You just casually walk right up to the bird and drop the net over it without
preamble. Then reach under the bird and grab it's legs very firmly, gently
pulling it off it's feet and hang it upside down. This move immobilizes them,
and you can remove the net and wrap a towel around the body to keep their
wings from flapping...a great danger to you and the bird as they might break
a wing hitting you with them.
Another method involves cornering them in an area where they can't fly
upwards...in the shelter or a room, and swiftly wrapping your arms around
their body before they can react. This is difficult, and their feet have
very strong muscles and very sharp claws...they use these to protect themselves
when threatened, and I've had several shirts shredded trying to grasp a bird
this way. It stresses them and you. So the quicker you can be, the better
for all involved. It also helps if you cover their eyes with the towel, as
not seeing calms them down, but take care not to block their nares, or nostrils
as you could suffocate them.
Hope this gives you some general information. Try to keep in mind that we
just have to learn as we go. Make your decisions based on what they might
experience in nature, be a thoughtful caretaker, and you'll do just fine
by them. If your locality is near busy roads or many neighbors, a house-pen
is the best alternative to letting them running loose. It should be large
and open to the world.
You might consider perpendicular perches outside a roofed shelter to allow
them to have their face in the wind from different directions. I've often
wanted to erect a split rail fence section because it's decorative and would
give them an alternative, out in the yard, to my porch railings. But be sure
whatever you have for any kind of perch is very sturdy and can take a small
child's weight, because that's what peacock use will be like...a rough-housing
kid.
~~~Celeste
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