We got a 5 yr. old peacock (ended up being very aggressive) about a few weeks ago. We had him pened up in the barn so our 4 hens could see him. My FIL decided to let him out after about a week (he does know they should be pened up for 2 months). He stayed around just fine and was strutting around in the barn for the hens. Well we were gone most of the day Saturday for my FIL's 60th B-Day party. We had some cousins (12-14 yr. olds) going to spend the night. They ended up over here somehow from the party without telling us and some other cousins came over. We told them at the party we had a peacock that is aggressive and not to go near him. We ended up back here with 6 kids running around outside and no peacock insight. One of the kids said he seen the dog chase the peacock off around to the side of the barn. The dog (pekingese) does chase cats and other animals but doesn't bite them. We don't know if he took off cause of the dog or the kids cause I know he isn't afraid of horses cause he was walking around beside them one day with them trying to kick him. He had been free ranging for a little over a week. We checked all over around the barn, in the trees around here, and didn't see him. Sunday the hens kept calling for him but we didn't hear him. The closest trees that aren't in our yard are about 1/4-1/2 mile from here across the cow pastures. We wouldn't think of him going that far cause of the hens. We are going to start asking people if they seen him around. It was night time when he took off so we thought he went around the barn and roosted up in one of the areas on the back of the barn or went down into the barn. I know the dog doesn't chase animals to far. She usually stops running at something after 15 feet. I didn't think he would be afraid of her cause he wasn't afraid of a fourwheeler coming towards him when someone was pulling into the barn driveway. That's why we are wondering if it was all the kids. They probably wouldn't tell us if they chased after him and he ran off. My husband was actually glad to see him go cause of him being aggressive. Is there any tips for finding him or trying to get his attention to come back? Also we were wondering if he bred the hens how long the sperm would last in them? They were up near some nests we made for them today. Not sure if they started laying. Two of them laid last year but we didn't have a male.
