Peafowl, voting with their feet!

[oldie48]

Our neighbours have bought peafowl. They escaped on the first day and a peahen refused to be caught, taking up residence in our garden. She became very tame but I realised that she was nesting but couldn't find where until I followed a trail of feathers. Sadly the fox had got her. My neighbours kept the remaining birds shut up until the weekend, let them out and they promptly disappeared. We were away until Tuesday afternoon but came back to 2 peahens in our courtyard. We now have 1 peacock and his two hens staying with us. it is not a problem and our neighbours are pretty sanguine about it (we get on very well). I just don't want them to get eaten and currently they are not very tame. Any advice welcomed

 

[adamntitch]

Would not try tame and leave them wild the problem is if they lose the fear of people then then lose fear of other things if there being kept free then best to keep them skittish

 

[oldie48]

Would not try tame and leave them wild the problem is if they lose the fear of people then then lose fear of other things if there being kept free then best to keep them skittish

The problem is when the peahen nests she's at ground level for about 30 days rather than roosting high in a tree away from predators. We don't get foxes during the day, it's night time that's the problem. tbh I don't see how having a tame peahen would make them more vulnerable as generally they would be locked away at night (like hens and ducks) if they were tame. Do you keep peafowl? Am I getting this wrong in some way?

 

[adamntitch]

Used to keep but know a few that do it's not that easy to lock peafowl away same as guinea fowl at night like it is with chicken and ducks peafowl and guinea fowl usually roost in trees not in a shed there also well known as you have found out to wonder so it's keep them in huge spaces enclosed or free range but have not much control I gave up keeping them due to the points you make to expensive to keep losing them

 

[oldie48]

Thanks, currently there's lots of food freely available for them, probably not high enough in protein so i'll just have to let them take their chances and see how it goes!

 

[tda]

I think they are quite choosy, a friend of ours bought some, let them go and they lived quite happily around their yard and never strayed, then my brother bought them from him and took them home, let them go, they pegged it over a mile away to a local village and wandered round there for a week until they were caught

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Our neighbours across the lane have had peafowl on and off over the years, some just disappeared and fox got others but current group seem happy. Mum, dad, and a couple of adult offspring. Today I see they have two minute chicks, very sweet. They did have guinea fowl as well but only one remains, lives with the peafowl as an honorary one.

 

[some show]

We had a 'village' peacock who flew in one day and lived here for about 16 years before sadly being hit by a car on the now-busier road. Extremely noisy fella, mind you, I'm not sure I'd want to have a bunch of them around Someone thought it would be kind to buy a peahen 'companion' for him in the early days but she and the two chicks she managed to hatch all got 'got' by a fox, so unfortunately they are very vulnerable to that.

 

[Ratface]

I used to keep my (then) pony near a peacock's residence. I swear that creature used to lie in wait for us and then rush out in all his fine, feathery glory! Pony was terrified and responded with dramatic sideways spooks and leaps and attempts to beetle off home. Eventually, she became less horrified, but it was always a slight "Oh, no him, again!" moment.

 

[Red-1]

I used to keep my (then) pony near a peacock's residence. I swear that creature used to lie in wait for us and then rush out in all his fine, feathery glory! Pony was terrified and responded with dramatic sideways spooks and leaps and attempts to beetle off home. Eventually, she became less horrified, but it was always a slight "Oh, no him, again!" moment.

Yes, for a while we had some down a local lane. Took delight in jumping out at us when we rode by!

 

[Clodagh]

There’s some in the valley below and I hear him screaming, dreadful noise and i’d not want any!
He is a mile away so it sounds ok but no closer, thank you.

 

[millikins]

If I was a wandering peafowl I'd take up residence in your garden OP, it's beautiful. We had a feral one near us for several years, the ponies got used to him but I had my dog with me one day and dog got the fright of his life. The people whose cottages he had chosen bought him a mate but the foxes killed her.

 

[Pinkvboots]

The farm next door to us have about 12 peacock I can honestly say they are the biggest pita, they constantly scream they are often seen on our front drive and the garden, they love to sit on our cars and scratch peck them so once I see them I chase them off our property.

I use next doors menage and for some reason they love to sit around in the menage flapping about and cause all the horses to spook.