Peafowl 101: Basic care, genetics, and answers.

[MinxFox]

Someone asked this question about space recently, here is the topic: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/862321/space-and-peafowl-breeding

The more space the better, but the recommendation you normally see is 100 sq ft per bird. I read once that one person likes to go 100 sq ft per peacock but 50 to 75 sq ft per peahen. As far as height the highest the better too. When a peacock displays his train is about 6ft tall but they like to roost up high and you don't want to have their train touch the ground when roosting if possible so maybe 8ft or higher.

Most people like to take the eggs and hatch them themselves, but if you plan on letting the peahen hatch their own eggs you need to also factor in extra space for the chicks so if you have a peacock and a peahen the max chicks the peahen can have is normally six. Peahens are great at hatching out all of their eggs. They have better success than I do.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Someone asked this question about space recently, here is the topic: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/862321/space-and-peafowl-breeding

The more space the better, but the recommendation you normally see is 100 sq ft per bird. I read once that one person likes to go 100 sq ft per peacock but 50 to 75 sq ft per peahen. As far as height the highest the better too. When a peacock displays his train is about 6ft tall but they like to roost up high and you don't want to have their train touch the ground when roosting if possible so maybe 8ft or higher.

Most people like to take the eggs and hatch them themselves, but if you plan on letting the peahen hatch their own eggs you need to also factor in extra space for the chicks so if you have a peacock and a peahen the max chicks the peahen can have is normally six. Peahens are great at hatching out all of their eggs. They have better success than I do.

Thanks so much! I have them free range in my 40X60 pole barn for now, peak is 30 some feet. They are yearlings so I don't honestly know what I have yet, But suspect it is a pair.The turkeys are off to their new digs too, so its just the 2 of them now. My big guy is still timid, but the hen (?) is pretty social. So we wait. next year I will know.

 

[hafeez]

Hi


please tell me , if a black shoulder have white feathers at the side where they have brown feathers or the last feathers of their wings .which type of BS it is and should cross with which colour to get maximum white in offspring or any other beautiful color.

thanks ,

Hafeez .

 

[DylansMom]

Hi


please tell me , if a black shoulder have white feathers at the side where they have brown feathers or the last feathers of their wings .which type of BS it is and should cross with which colour to get maximum white in offspring or any other beautiful color.

thanks ,

Hafeez .

Do you have pictures you could post? Many people confuse young black shouldered peacocks for pied peacocks, because young black shouldered males have a lot of white in their juvenile feathers. These are pure black shouldered males at 1 year old, by the time they are 3-4 years they will lose all those white spots.

 

[hafeez]

Thanks,

for immediate response and interest.........no its not young male , fully grown up, almost 4 -5 years old , sorry I do not have a pic but if you insists I can get it , this peacock is with a trader. I am interested to buy it if it is some thing special ...one thing more the neck has a white patch too beneath face ..........well if it is pied then what should be the particular hen for him

,once again

thank you.

Hafeez.

 

[DylansMom]

Thanks,

for immediate response and interest.........no its not young male , fully grown up, almost 4 -5 years old , sorry I do not have a pic but if you insists I can get it , this peacock is with a trader. I am interested to buy it if it is some thing special ...one thing more the neck has a white patch too beneath face ..........well if it is pied then what should be the particular hen for him

,once again

thank you.

Hafeez.

Hello Hafeez,
You don't need to post a picture, they can just make it easier for us to figure out what genes a bird is carrying. However even with a picture we can still only give you an educated guess, the white on the neck right below the face is called a "throat latch" this can come from white genes, pied genes and also possibly "white eye" genes, If he has white spots in the center of the eyes in his train that means he carries white eye genes( if its only a couple he carries 1 copy of the gene if all eye feathers have the white spot then he carries 2 copies of that gene). If the only other white is a couple of the outer primary wing feathers he is probably carrying white genes(or split to white) if he has patches of white in other places then pied genes are probably present. He could also have several combinations of these genes, which is why I say pictures can help. If he is pied another pied hen or a white hen would give you the most interesting offspring, bred to a plain BS you will just see less white. Bred to an IB you will get IB chicks with less white. Sorry I can't be more helpful, but it is hard to give answers when we don't really know what he is carrying.

 

[hafeez]

This is the exact description but how ever I will try to get pic too in few days , He looks completely like BS , except a white latch and white primary feathers replacing the brown feathers , no white eyes , no any other white spot ..

Thanks,

Hafeez.

 

[DylansMom]

This is the exact description but how ever I will try to get pic too in few days , He looks completely like BS , except a white latch and white primary feathers replacing the brown feathers , no white eyes , no any other white spot ..

Thanks,

Hafeez.

Cannot be 100% sure, but he sounds like he would be a black shoulder split to white. He probably is not pied or carrying pied genes, so the only way to get pied chicks from him is to pair him with a pied hen.

 

[hafeez]

well....................just for the sake of knowledge, as I am very much new to this beautiful and gorgeous bird ...............what is difference between pied and split as you have said that this is BS split to white ........now what I think that his parents were BS and white.......................so then what is pied gene, please don't mind .

Hafeez.

 

[DylansMom]

well....................just for the sake of knowledge, as I am very much new to this beautiful and gorgeous bird ...............what is difference between pied and split as you have said that this is BS split to white ........now what I think that his parents were BS and white.......................so then what is pied gene, please don't mind .

Hafeez.

Hi Hafeez, I will try to explain this, but there are others on this forum who are better educated in the genetics so if I am explaining this incorrectly they will hopefully join the discussion. When a white bird is crossed with a normal colored bird, the colored genes are more dominant and all we will generally see is white primary wing feathers and a white throat latch. A pied gene actually allows the white to show up on other areas of the birds feathers, white isn't really a color it is a gene that keeps color from showing and pied genes simply allow the white to block out more areas of color from showing up. A bird that carries 2 copies of a pied gene will be a "dark pied" and will look very much like a bird who is split to white. To get a really colorful or loud pied you need to have a white gene and a pied gene not 2 pied genes. The best way you could tell if this bs male is split white or dark pied would be to breed him to a white hen. If she is a pure white and not carrying any hidden pied genes herself their offspring will not be pied, they could be white or they could be split white like him. If he is dark pied the offspring could get one pied gene from him and 1 white gene from the hen and you would get loud pied offspring like this one.