My Peafowl in Summer
Here in the Northeast, we're expecting very warm temperatures in the high 80s the next several days. We'll be watching all my animals very closely to make sure they're well-hydrated and comfortable.
Many of you comment about how much you enjoy seeing the animals on my farm, so I thought it was a good time to share this update on my peacocks and peahens. I currently have 20 peafowl. They live in a coop surrounded by a large, fully-enclosed yard located just outside my stable and near my Linden Allee. I visit these beautiful birds every day. I love calling out to them and waiting for their energetic responses. My peacocks are doing exceptionally well and remain active, curious, and very, very vocal.
Here are some of the latest photos.
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- All my peafowl live in a safe and comfortable area next to my geese pen and fancy pigeon coop. I always call out to them whenever I drive by… and they always answer.
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- Peafowl are happiest when living in small groups. All my outdoor birds have access to natural perches made from old felled trees here at the farm.
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- 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.
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- They are ground feeders. They do most of their foraging in the early morning and evening. As omnivores, they eat insects, plants, grains and small creatures.
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- I also provide a good meal for them, which they like a bit wet and soft.
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- Peafowl are very smart, docile and adaptable birds. They are also quite clever. It is not unusual for peafowl to come running when the food appears.
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- Remember, technically only the males are peacocks. The females are peahens, and both are peafowl. Babies are peachicks. A family of peafowl is called a bevy.
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- And, do you know… a group of peafowl is often called a party, a muster or an ostentation?
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- Full grown, peafowl can weigh up to 13-pounds. The peacock is a large sized bird with a length from bill to tail 39 to 45 inches.
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- As beautiful as peafowl are, they don’t make very melodious sounds. Peafowl have 11 different calls, with most of the vocalizing made by the peacocks. And, with their sharp eyesight, peafowl are quick to see predators and call out alarms. Oftentimes, I can hear them all the way from my Winter House.
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- Both male and female peafowl have a fan-shaped crest on their heads called a corona. It may take up to one year for a corona to reach full size.
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- Peafowl also have acute hearing, but can be poor at discerning from what direction certain sounds originate.
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- I am so pleased with how well they thrive here at the farm. With 20 peafowl in all, I have a variety of all-white, as well as colorful, and interestingly marked birds.
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- This duo of peahens enjoys walking around the pen together. Peafowl are pretty social and curious animals. Yearling peafowl act much like teenagers – they play, pester each other and love to explore if allowed. The water receptacles are cleaned several times a day and always filled with clear, fresh drinking water.
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- Some will be more tame and more friendly than others. These two are very friendly and are eager to greet all those who enter the enclosure. Since most of them have grown up here at the farm, they aren’t shy at all. In fact, the peafowl are all very accustomed to all the visits.
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- While peafowl are ground feeders and ground nesters, they still enjoy roosting at higher levels. In the wild, this keeps them safe from predators at night. Here is one inside the coop perched high on a rafter.
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- Inside the coop, they also have other perches such as this tree and ladder – both made using wood from the farm.
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- Outside, we “planted” several dead trees where they could perch and watch all the activity around them. It is important that they have a variety of perches upon which to roost.
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- Peafowl will look at you in the eye; however, if you stare at them or seem aggressive in your body movements, these birds will feel threatened. Talking softly and keeping eyes averted tells them you are not a predator.
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- A peacock doesn’t grow its first train until three. And even then, it won’t be full grown or have showy ocelli. The train gets longer and more elaborate every year until five or six years old when it reaches maximum splendor.
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- A peafowl’s legs are very strong. They have three toes on each foot facing forward, and one facing backwards. They also have sharp, powerful metatarsal spurs that are used for defense. Also, as they develop, males will tend to have longer legs than females.
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- Here is a mature peacock with its gorgeous tail feathers. Breeding season is just about over now and soon, he will lose his feathers, and then grow them back next year, when breeding season begins again. Peafowl prefer warm climates. Their ideal habitat is an open tropical seasonal forest. They do just fine in the warm weather. See you soon my dear peafowl!
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