Are Male Peafowl usually aggressive to people?

[Germaine_11.20]

Hi, I bought Peafowl last year and I ended up with 1 hen and 5 males. One of the males has started to challenge me and has even attacked. Up until now they have been very friendly. The hen is too young to lay (they were born last July).

Since then I carry around a walking stick, but I still am not comfortable turning my back on him. I have watched him chase the geese off and he is one and they are 5 big African geese!

Is this typical or should I cull for temperment? Will the next in line just take over and be nasty if I get rid of the first aggressive male?

 

[Kev]

No not normal. Go ahead and cull him out.

Generally, most people-aggressive males were raised "very hand tame". But this one is also unusual for being this aggressive at such a young age. Usually it starts to happen when the male is two or three and during breeding season. It is also very hard to cure them of this, sometimes they will 'calm down' after breeding season but start up again every breeding season.. if this doesn't appeal to you, get rid of him.

If it has Java/spalding blood in him, could be part of it.. aggression can be higher in those than Indians.

BTW have had over 200 India males, none of them ever attacked any people, even the very tame ones.. only ones to attack me were Javas. I have seen a few pure Indias that attack people owned by others though.

 

[deerman]

rare for india to attack, I have one that was hand raised by himself . He only attack during breedeing season, all other times he will follow people around lika a puppy. Like Kev said the greens will attack more.

Had hundreds also ,only one I ever had attack was the hand rasised one. I also say get rid of him,if he is a india.....

 

[chickenzoo]

Scary. I have 2 very hand raised males and they have never tried anything. They all will chase and jump up at the Emu, just for fun... and one male and one Tom turkey have a love hate relationship, but to be that aggressive is rare.

 

[deerman]

chickenzoo, don't worry mine was the only bird, none other around, so he imprint on humans. tame and imprint not the same. he just look at me like another peacock, reason he attack people during the breeding season.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Thank you! I really did not know if it was normal. My male geese challenge me all the time and when the Peacock did I just was so disappointed.
The other 4 are fine so far.

I don't know if they have green in them but I suspect that they have "something" as the breeder had some whites in there. So who knows what these have. They look India to me but way back when I posted asking about their sex and received a post that they thought they looked crossed with something.

I have always fed them right at my feet and been able to walk away. But this boy starting coming toward me with a funny look in his eye. I started to walk away and he started coming faster.
So I decided to walk backwards to keep an eye on him and he kept coming. I tried to "shoo" him away and that is when he lept up and tried to attack. I dodged him and tried to shoo him again and a repeat of the attack.

By that time I was close enough to the hose and I grabbed it and took a swing, missed and he came again. Next time I connected and off he went.

Since then I just keep them all at bay with my walking stick and it is making me sad. I miss the friendliness I had with them.

No kidding, he runs off 5 full grown African Geese like he was King. They literally go running across the property with him chasing them.

 

[chickenzoo]

Well maybe he needs a few good wacks to put him in line.Maybe he'll suddenly realize that he is lower than you or perhaps separate him for awhile. Maybe it's too much testostrone in the air with just one girl and all those boys.. hehe.

I'd offer my emu to whip his butt for you, but they are big wusses.. LOL

My peafowl control them too... hehe

 

[Germaine_11.20]

LOL I would like to whack him! That is one big Emu! But such a cutie!

 

[BlooRooster]

Whacking may or may not work. I have whacked many animals to establish myself at the top of the peking order. It usually works with everything but birds. I think maybe their bird brain just forgets it. I had a rooster that had to be reminded who was boss about every 4 or 5 days. I have a mean pheasant (during breeding season) that just won't get it at all. He is totally driven by hormones and is afraid of nothing. LOL I usually pick him up and carry him when I go in the pen. Its either that or let him keep attacking me. It seems to confuse him badly when I do that and when I put him down he just stands there with a daised look on his face like HMMMM!! who won that one.

 

[Kev]

Aggression has a genetic basis.. Birds with mild aggression can be deterred permanently after being dealt with a couple times. Strong aggression, they need to be "reminded regularly". Their blood's boiling so they gotta try.... and try again.... again.

Your one bird seems young to be this aggressive, so I suspect he has genetics for strong aggression. Besides, you have extra males.. so culling this one is not a serious loss. Don't back off or be afraid of the others, just go out there like they don't exist at all.. and walk in a straight line.. if a bird is in the way, keep walking(use stick to get them moving, no more than that- as soon as it gets up and moves or simply moves, that's it). Make them understand they need to move for you, this will give them a sense that they need to respect your "space".. that one male made *you* move and you moved back.. he saw that as a chance to attack and be the boss and took it. Them running up to you for treats or food is perfectly fine, this means they trust you will not hurt them, which is a nice feeling.

LOL, used to have geese, know what you mean. Some of the young ones that tried attacking me just stopped and never tried again after I immediately grabbed them and held them down. Some took 2 or 3 times with this before stopping. Some never fully stopped, no matter how many times this was done to them, with some it actually just made them want to fight me harder the next day. And the next.

For me the birds is just a fun hobby so I don't tolerate mean birds, nothing worse than going out there and getting a face full of beating wings and legs! They always got culled.