How Long Should I Pen my Peafowl before free-ranging?

[thesankeys]

So, we recently purchased 2 Peacocks and a Peahen. The males are 1 year old and we aren't sure how old the female is. We currently have them in our chicken coop so they can roost and also have access to the outdoor run.

We want to let them free-range like our chickens but I want to make sure they are "homed" before we let them out. I am afraid they will just fly away or leave if I let them out to soon.

Does anyone have any advice on how long I should keep them in the coop before letting them out onto the property to free-range?


Thanks!!!

 

[frenchblackcopper]

Several months,,,maybe by the end of summer you could let them loose

 

[thesankeys]

oh wow! I was initially told a few weeks. So maybe we should plan on keeping them penned a lot longer than that then!

 

[zazouse]

How big is your property?
Can you be home to supervise them and teach them where not to go for a while till they learn?
Penning them for a few months should work sence they are young plus you hen is older she is probly gonna be laying and if she takes off and goes broody you will be very upset when you can not find her

Please post some photos of your new family members we love to share our peas here.

 

[MinxFox]

Definitely keep them penned for several months. My first peafowl were adult birds from the zoo and when I let them out after a month they stayed around the yard for about a month then they ran away. I never was able to catch the peacock but I caught the peahen and I still have her but definitely pen them for a long time so they get used to the area. Also when they are penned try to get them to tame down by putting treats in your hand and having them take it from your hand. Treats like blueberries, dewberries, or unshelled, unsalted peanuts work great for getting them to eat out of your hand. Only give it to them from your hand.

I hope someone else replies here too about the male to female ratio because I know of some people who have only one peahen and several males or more males than peahens, but it has been said it is better to have more peahens or at least the same amount of peahens as there are males. This is because both peacocks will be fighting over one peahen, but I am not sure if it will be a problem or not. I have heard that sometimes when there are too many peacocks one or a few peacocks will leave in search of more peahens. I am not totally sure since I stopped free-ranging after that scare with my first peafowl.

Welcome to the world of peafowl!

 

[Jesus Chick]

I have had more females than males and they will still fight over the girls if they both like the same one. Also, it's been my experience that with the new peacocks,to leave them pinned up for at least a couple of months unless their are other peafowl free ranging. The ones that already free range will show the newbies around once they are free. I let the newbies out after just a couple of weeks when I had the others already free ranging. I have had free range peafowl for about 2 years now. Please be aware that they will probably find the tallest tree (probably a dead tree) to roost in. We have a tree that is a favorite for our birds that is right out our back door, that worked out great until the "newbies" decided to wake us up at 430 EVERY MORNING

since we let them free range. We put them back in a pin till we figure out a solution to that. (If you have one let me know). I do however live in a very rural area and have dogs that protect my birds. There are a lot of predators so I put a radio by my chicken coop (that happens to be by the big tree my peafowl roost in) and a solar powered motion light. I haven't had a problem since then. Before I did that I lost one of my peahens and 5 chickens in one morning to (I think) coyotes or a bob cat.

My dogs must have been distracted by something else, probably off chasing a rabbit or they would have warned us. Also, I call my birds in everyday to the same "call" and feed them. This helps keep them home and they recognize my voice.

I started doing it when they were caged. I only feed them by hand in the cage. This way they know me, where their food is coming from and they don't get confused about eating off the ground (when they are free). I bought some peafowl (2 years old) that were born in captivity and had apparently never eaten off the ground. They had a feeder that the man feed them from that was hung from the top of the cage about 5 or 6 inches above the ground. When I got them home they had to watch my other peafowl to learn to eat off the ground. It was odd...to say the least. I hope this helps.

 

[MinxFox]

Jesus Chick welcome to the forum! I keep thinking about free-ranging again but I am not sure...My peafowl are on 10 acres with a few neighbors but the neighbors like them. I don't live where I keep my peafowl so that is always a problem when it comes to looking out after them. I should probably wait until I am living on the same property as my peafowl to free range them. How many peafowl do you have and what varieties do you have? Have your free range peahens raised any peachicks? The predators we have are coyotes and raccoons. The raccoons are the ones that have given me trouble. Recently one got into the pen and killed the only peahen that was on a nest. Two years ago I had two big raccoons break in and kill 2 peafowl on separate nights. Now I will be installing a hot wire around the pen. One day when I live where I keep my peafowl I will have at least one dog out in the yard to guard the birds and it will be easier to look after free rangers.

 

[thesankeys]

How big is your property?
4 acres

Please post some photos of your new family members we love to share our peas here.
Here are a couple pictures of the males. I don't have a picture of the female yet but she is pretty with more white on her head and green on her neck.

 

[thesankeys]

We have raccoons but they don't bother the bigger birds. They do go after and have killed a few chicks/pullet sized chickens but never gone after the larger birds (and until I go the peacocks, I didn't even lock the coop).

 

[critters]

when I first got Peafowl I kept my single male at the time up for 2 months, let him out
after being hands on while cooped, and he has always stayed close...
got more peafowl and again penned for @2 months also, let 1 out...good, stayed near,
let another out, also good, let the next pair out and they each flew off in different
directions, never to be seen again by me....since these are the first, I would strongly
suggest keeping them penned for the longest you can and interact with them daily..
hand feed treats or food and your chances should improve ...

I am no expert.....just my rotten experience and loss....

good luck!