Peacock harassing chickens

SomeChookLover

Chirping
Sep 24, 2023
60
85
86
Hi everyone, I’ve been having some issues with my peacock. He’s almost 3 years old, I believe it’s currently breeding season, and he’s almost constantly chasing my chickens around. He’ll generally pick a target, and chase them around until he gets bored. With one hen in particular, he followed her for ages, until I caught him attacking her or trying to mount her, I couldn’t tell. She’s terrified of him and was hiding under a bush as he just circled it trying to get to her. I managed to catch him and lock him up, but I didn’t want to keep him caged forever. We got him a peahen, but yesterday due to a snake in the shed we had to let them out. The hope was that he would have more interest in the peahen and leave the chickens alone. However, he has not. He’s again chasing the chickens around, and all of them try to keep their distance. I don’t really want to kill him, but unless there’s another solution I would rather have my chooks. Any advice it greatly appreciated.
 
I was going to offer different advice until I saw that you were contemplating killing him. Why in the world would you kill a peacock instead of finding him a new home? Stick to chickens. Sell him and the peahen as a pair to someone who wants them.
Sorry for what I said about killing him. I was quite stressed at the time I wrote this as I thought he seriously injured one of my hens who is dealing with coccidiosis and I wasn’t really thinking rationally. Thinking about it now that I’m calmer I don’t think I’d be able to kill him. I would really like to keep him so if you do have any advice I would really appreciate it.
 
You'll need to rehome him or build appropriate housing to keep him in so he won't harass your hens. This is what I did for my Peacock-he didn't harass the hens-he got into trouble with the neighbors and was shot. He survived and now lives in a covered run with a few chickens.
 
Thanks for the replies! My chooks are free range but I do have a run I could keep him in, the only problem is he can jump out of it. That being said we already had plans to cover it, since a quite brutal strain of bird flu is expected to make it to my country soon. He’ll just have to wait a bit until we have time to do it.
 
The type of behavior you are describing is that of an adolescent cock, I am guessing he is either a 2022 or 2023 hatch bird. The good news is that he will grow out of it. Once this breeding season is over he may never display that again. Pen him for this season and let him out when the molt begins.
 

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