Two Pheasants and a Peacock Join My Flock
A white peacock and two female golden pheasants join my flock at Cantitoe Corners.
Earlier this year, I adopted three male golden pheasants from Animal Nation Farm Sanctuary in nearby South Salem, New York. The males are marked with bright red, orange, and yellow plumage. I knew they would make wonderful additions to my farm. Last week, when I heard two females were available, I adopted them also, along with a young white peacock. I am happy to report all the birds are happy and acclimating well to their new surroundings.
Here are some photos, enjoy. And for more information on Animal Nation Inc., or on how to make a donation to the organization, please go the web site by clicking anywhere on this highlighted link.
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- Since most of my peafowl were hatched right here at my farm, they are all accustomed to the loud noises and busy activities. My peafowl live in a large enclosure just outside my stable where they can be monitored closely during the day. Here is one of my mature “blue boys.”
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- This week, our friends from Animal Nation Inc. came by with a delivery. This organization is a go-to resource for at-risk animals from New York City and the surrounding areas. The peacock they brought over was in need of a home – I saw it during a recent visit to the sanctuary.
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- Patrick Moore is the president of Animal Nation as well as a New York City firefighter. With him is Lisa Loprinzo, a longtime dedicated volunteer.
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- And here is our new peacock – a three to four year old male who was found as a stray in Poughkeepsie, New York.
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- The bird quickly flew to a top perch in the peacock coop. Most white birds have a genetic condition called leucism, which causes pigment cells to fail to migrate from the neural crest during development. Leucistic peachicks are born yellow and become fully white as they mature.
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- It wasn’t long before the other white peafowl found him and kept him company. My new rescued peacock is on the far right.
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- I think the three will get along just fine. Peafowl are members of the pheasant family. There are two Asiatic species – the blue or Indian peafowl native to India and Sri Lanka, and the green peafowl originally from Java and Burma, and one African species, the Congo peafowl from African rain forests. All my peafowl are Indian.
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- My “blue boys” have such gorgeous long trains. I visit the peafowl and all the other animals every day during my tours of the gardens and grounds.
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- It is mating season, so during this time, the males will show off their tail feathers to the females. This peahen doesn’t look so interested. Males also fan their trains to show dominance, intimidate predators, and communicate with others.
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- Both peacocks and peahens love foraging. Peafowl are omnivores, meaning they eat both meat and vegetation. In the wild, peafowl eat ants, millipedes, crickets, termites, centipedes, locusts, scorpions, small reptiles and mammals, as well as seeds, grass, flower petals, and berries. I also fortify their diets with a good seed formula.
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- Here is one of my peahens. A hen’s plumage is generally more muted than the vibrant colors of male peacocks.
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- I am so happy all my peacocks and peahens get along. They are outdoors all day in their enclosure, where they are safe from predators. And then put into the coop at night.
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- I also adopted these two female golden pheasants.
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- Female golden pheasants, or hens, are completely brown and dotted with black spots.
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- Pheasants are also foragers and love to spend time on the ground, where they eat waste grain, other seeds, and insects when available.
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- The two females took to the males right away, and vice versa.
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- They all seem so happy to be running around together. Pheasants are native to the forests in the mountainous areas of western China.
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- Inside, the five birds have a ladder where they can roost and rest. These birds are not big. Golden Pheasants can weigh between one and two pounds when full grown.
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- This is a red golden pheasant with its bright colorful plumage. Males have the golden-yellow crest with a hint of red at the tip. The face, throat, chin, and the sides of neck are rusty tan.
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- The yellow is a color mutation of the red golden pheasant. It was originally developed in the 1950s. To maintain the yellow coloring, these birds need shaded areas to protect their feathers from the sun.
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- These hens are already enjoying their large outdoor yard. The males are also coming out more since these two arrived. Do you know… while pheasants are able to fly fast for short distances, they actually prefer to run. And they run very fast – sometimes up to eight to 10 miles per hour.
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- Right now, they are very content getting to know their new male friends and their farm surroundings.
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- And already, the hens have laid two eggs. We put them in the incubator right away. I think the pheasants and peacock will be very happy here at the farm.
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