A majestic bird
Most of us have first saw a peacock at a zoo or animal park. But these birds also make great small acreage keepers (well, they can roam, but more on that later). If you are interested in peafowl, this lens will give you some basics about their care.
A bit about peafowl
The most common variety is the India blue peacock, with a telltale blue iridescent tail feather and neck. But peafowl can come in a much wider variety of colors from whites, greys, and browns. Each type of pea offers its own beauty - I'm partial to those with white and grey - and they are all entertaining to observe. Males, the peacocks, will display their tail in an elaborate dance to attract the attention of an often not so interested female, peahen. Peachicks or chicks also are amazing as they scurry around learning from the adults. The best part is keeping some peafowl can be done relatively simply, as they are hardy birds and will eat insects, grass, seeds, or other available foods. They can also safely live in a barn, basic shelter, or dedicated enclosure.
Pea in a tree
One shelter solution
The next time I went back I noticed a platform in the tree. I asked what it was for.
"Oh, that? That'll be for the peacock."
I wasn't sure what they meant, but didn't ask questions. It looked complicated.
Each time I visited, the home was a little more complete, almost like a miniature treehouse for a kid. It had lexan panels for windows, a little platform where the bird could sit in nicer weather, and of course an enclosed area. But the snow fell before I could see the finished product, and I was too busy over the winter on my own farm to check on the pea's home.
I spent the day over there not long ago, and got to see how he had fared with his new home. Well, he was fine. In fact, while I visited, he was strutting in front of the hens (chickens) and rooster. He really likes the hens and is never far from them. They did not seem impressed.
Turns out the farmer had built most of the panels and superstructure on the ground, then brought up each piece to assemble on the platform. It didn't sound easy, but the pea overwintered (and we had somewhere around 80 inches of snow this year) fine. I was happy to hear their solution worked out well. I still have more to ask them about the logistics.
If you're not sure where to house your pea, maybe you need a pea in a tree!
Reference guide for peafowl
Peas online...
- The Tyrannosaur Chronicles: my cousin of the week #25... the not ...
- to everyone who guessed these "mystery" chicks were galliformes you were indeed correct. however more to the point if you guess they were peafowl, aka, peachicks, aka peacocks, and/or aka peahen you were absolutely right! ...
- little_details: Japanese word for 'peahen'
- So there's definitely a way to say "female peafowl" in Japanese, I'm sure. But it wouldn't have the same kind of either/or connotation as peacock/peahen. May I suggest that your character instead call the sword by the name of a small, ...
- INDIAN PEAFOWL
- The Indian peafowl has other names: common peafowl, peacock, and peahen. Peacock refers to the male, the female called a peahen, and the young are peachicks.The term peafowl can refer to the two species of bird in the genus Pave of the ...
- Perwita
- Peafowl are best known for the male's extravagant tail, which it displays as part of courtship. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen[1], though it is common to hear the female also referred to as a "peacock" or "female ...
If the real animal isn't quite for you...
Do you have questions about peacocks or peahens?
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by PatriotAlpacas
Hi there, I'm Tasha. I live in northern Massachusetts, where we have a small farm with alpacas and chickens. I am particularly interested in topics o... (more)













