So, I'm pretty sure there's something hormonal behind this, but it's just weird. Our peacock is almost two years old and he thinks he's a stud muffin.
Right now, he's very hormonal. Today, he's started harassing one of our roosters. This rooster is pretty big, 8 or 9 lbs, and he's a Lakeshore Egger,
so he's white with a lot of differemt gray and black markings....he's got spots, speckles, stripes, and a lot of pattern in his black and gray tail. Fawkes the peacock was trying to attack him in the barn, but once they were outside, Fawkes just followed Dinali the rooster. ALL day. Didn't try to hurt him outside..just followed him everywhere and sort of danced around him. Well, the rooster, I'm guessing, was somewhat confused by this..he'd trot away a couple steps, and sometimes run for awhile to get away, but finally for the most part just tried to ignore the peacock. The chicken hens would not go near the two of them. Finally I decided Dinali the rooster might like a break, so I shooed Fawkes away...but he wouldn't really leave the scene. . I assumed that when he had a clear path, Dinali the rooster would head off to somewhere else. But he didn't. He stood around and waited for Fawkes to come back....then they walked off together again. But they're not friends. Tonight, at roosting time, I could not find Dinali, although Fawkes was present, with the peahens and other chickens. He does not bother the other roosters, although he's thought about bothering two of our other roosters who are similarly marked. When the peafowl were younger, they were all afraid of Dinali, but there didn't seem to be any reason for that either, and they aren't afraid of him now.
I remember one of our other peacocks, Sapphire, used to do the same thing to another rooster we had, who was a Dominique and so had a black and white bar pattern. (both of them are no longer with us). I don't remember if it was at the same time of year, but certainly during the warmer months, so still within breeding season.
So what is it about roosters with black and white markings? Do the peafowl see that as a different color than we do, , or something threatening? I'm guessing that they must view the black and white roosters as rivals...but why? And why not other colors?? He gets along fine with everyone else. The peahens don't really care about the roosters at all.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Just curious!!
Right now, he's very hormonal. Today, he's started harassing one of our roosters. This rooster is pretty big, 8 or 9 lbs, and he's a Lakeshore Egger,
so he's white with a lot of differemt gray and black markings....he's got spots, speckles, stripes, and a lot of pattern in his black and gray tail. Fawkes the peacock was trying to attack him in the barn, but once they were outside, Fawkes just followed Dinali the rooster. ALL day. Didn't try to hurt him outside..just followed him everywhere and sort of danced around him. Well, the rooster, I'm guessing, was somewhat confused by this..he'd trot away a couple steps, and sometimes run for awhile to get away, but finally for the most part just tried to ignore the peacock. The chicken hens would not go near the two of them. Finally I decided Dinali the rooster might like a break, so I shooed Fawkes away...but he wouldn't really leave the scene. . I assumed that when he had a clear path, Dinali the rooster would head off to somewhere else. But he didn't. He stood around and waited for Fawkes to come back....then they walked off together again. But they're not friends. Tonight, at roosting time, I could not find Dinali, although Fawkes was present, with the peahens and other chickens. He does not bother the other roosters, although he's thought about bothering two of our other roosters who are similarly marked. When the peafowl were younger, they were all afraid of Dinali, but there didn't seem to be any reason for that either, and they aren't afraid of him now.
I remember one of our other peacocks, Sapphire, used to do the same thing to another rooster we had, who was a Dominique and so had a black and white bar pattern. (both of them are no longer with us). I don't remember if it was at the same time of year, but certainly during the warmer months, so still within breeding season.
So what is it about roosters with black and white markings? Do the peafowl see that as a different color than we do, , or something threatening? I'm guessing that they must view the black and white roosters as rivals...but why? And why not other colors?? He gets along fine with everyone else. The peahens don't really care about the roosters at all.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Just curious!!
