My first peachick and I have questions

[red horse ranch]

This is my 7 week old India Blue peachick. I know almost nothing about peafowl since I've never been around them. This one was given to me at 2 weeks old.
I've been trying to determine the sex. If it's female I can keep it but if it's male I will probably be selling it. It has never had the obvious bar on it wings but I don't know if these little dark bars are what I'm supposed to be looking for.
When the sunlight is on it I've seen a tinge of green neck feathers. But this afternoon those same feathers looked more blue.
A few minutes ago I walked up to the pen and the peachick had it's tail standing straight up like it was displaying. Would a female do that?
Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Birdrain92]

This is my 7 week old India Blue peachick. I know almost nothing about peafowl since I've never been around them. This one was given to me at 2 weeks old.
I've been trying to determine the sex. If it's female I can keep it but if it's male I will probably be selling it. It has never had the obvious bar on it wings but I don't know if these little dark bars are what I'm supposed to be looking for.
When the sunlight is on it I've seen a tinge of green neck feathers. But this afternoon those same feathers looked more blue.
A few minutes ago I walked up to the pen and the peachick had it's tail standing straight up like it was displaying. Would a female do that?
Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Looks like a male to me. Why would you have to sell a male and keep a hen? If you don't mind me asking. Females fan as well by the way.

 

[red horse ranch]

Thanks for responding. I would love to be able to keep a male. But the noise is a concern to me. I've heard them scream before and I'm not sure I want that. But then again I've put up with a big flock of guineas for a lot of years. And I usually have 6 or 8 roosters here at any given time. They get pretty noisy too. So We'll see. Do you have a problem with the noise?
I can see where pea fowl can be a pleasure to keep. I've been looking at the pictures of them on this site and the pictures are wonderful!

 

[Birdrain92]

Thanks for responding. I would love to be able to keep a male. But the noise is a concern to me. I've heard them scream before and I'm not sure I want that. But then again I've put up with a big flock of guineas for a lot of years. And I usually have 6 or 8 roosters here at any given time. They get pretty noisy too. So We'll see. Do you have a problem with the noise?
I can see where pea fowl can be a pleasure to keep. I've been looking at the pictures of them on this site and the pictures are wonderful!

I have had 7 peafowl and my 1 rooster still makes more noise then all 7 of my peafowl. My peafowl are penned though. By the way hens call too. Peafowl call most during breeding season. The most common peafowl call is a locating call. A rooster's crow is that of dominance. That's why penned peafowl are not as noisy as a rooster. Peafowl are very social creatures. They need a flock of some sort. Best to have a hen with him though.

 

[red horse ranch]

Right now the peachick has bonded with a chicken pullet. They are in a covered pen with 3 chicks. If the peachick stays here it will eventually live in the henhouse with all my chickens and guineas. I keep around 50 birds most of the time. So he/she would definitely have company. All my birds are turned loose in the morning to free range. And always confined at night.

It's good to know that the noise won't be constant. I'll just have to see how it works out once maturity hits. By the way, when do they mature? If it happened to be female would it lay eggs next spring? If it's male should I worry about it trying to breed chickens or guineas?

 

[Dany12]

Roosters and guineas are noisy all year long ... peacock not !

 

[Birdrain92]

   Right now the peachick has bonded with a chicken pullet. They are in a covered pen with 3 chicks.  If the peachick stays here it will eventually live in the henhouse with all my chickens and guineas. I keep around 50 birds most of the time. So he/she would definitely have company. All my birds are turned loose in the morning to free range. And always confined at night.

    It's good to know that the noise won't be constant. I'll just have to see how it works out once maturity hits. By the way, when do they mature? If it happened to be female would it lay eggs next spring? If it's male should I worry about it trying to breed chickens or guineas?

Peahens usually begin laying at 2 years old. Peacocks will get a few good train feathers at 2 years as well. They grow a full adult train at 3 years old though. 3 years old you can have a successful breeding season. Two years old you can but not as successful when they're three years old.

 

[red horse ranch]

It sounds like having peafowl and breeding them is a long term project. Not like chickens and guineas which can reproduce in their first year. I'm reassured about the noise so I thank you both for the information. This little peafowl may have just gained a home for life. No matter what the sex is.

 

[KelBoMorrison]

Hello. KelBoMorrison. We just got our first peas last week at our local flock swap. They are 7 weeks old and we have 4 week old guinea fowls. Can they be put a with there being an age and size difference.

Any and all helpful hints are very appreciated. Thanks


TeamKelBoMorrison

 

[red horse ranch]

Hello. KelBoMorrison. We just got our first peas last week at our local flock swap. They are 7 weeks old and we have 4 week old guinea fowls. Can they be put a with there being an age and size difference. Any and all helpful hints are very appreciated. Thanks


TeamKelBoMorrison

Such pretty birds! You shouldn't have problems with the peafowl bothering the guineas. A 3 week difference in age isn't that big a deal. I've had some 4 week old chicks in with my 7 week peachick with no problems. The peachick doesn't seem to have any aggression and just looks at the chicks as part of it's flock. When my peachick was 2 weeks old I had it in a brooder with guineas and chicks around the same age. There was never any problems between them.