I love my peacock.
I am still trying to decide what to do. This is a male peacock and he has always lived alone except for the other farm animals (no chickens or geese; he is the only bird). I don’t think he will be trying to mate or make mating calls since there will not be any other peacocks around. We do have a pond with a pair of mallard ducks and occasionally we have a goose family.
I am a little concerned about our very active and curious 4 1/2 year old son. He is full of beans and he loves everything. I worry about him racing up to the peacock or ?
My horse trailer has a “mirrored” back door. The comments about peacocks pecking at their reflections have me concerned for my trailer. There is nowhere to put a big 3 horse slant with LQ to keep it away from a peacock.
I am considering trying this on a temporary basis. My friend and her husband will be living just 5 minutes down the street, so I think the husband would come out to help us get the peacock acclimated and he might also be willing to help troubleshoot if necessary.
It is a huge change for the husband to leave his farm and live in a subdivision. He is 84 years old and no one in his family is interested in working the farm, so it is to be sold. It might be nice for him to be able to come to our house to visit Big Blue.
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Aww I think it would be really nice of you to at least try having Big Blue. Must be very hard for his owner to change his life so completely. He sounds like a nice bird and since he hasn’t had any hens he may not be interested in “fighting” his reflection.
I bet your 4 year old and Big Blue will end up friends. My girls loved the pea cocktail that roamed the zoo and the peacocks loved the little kids leaving trails of crackers behind them.
I was all, “Heck no you don’t want no dang peacock!” until you mentioned he was an old feller, then I was, “Awww, of course you’ll keep the peacock for the poor old dear…”
So, there’s that…
They don’t make the call just to mate. Our main male was like a watchbird. Whenever a car drove over the wooden bridge, he would announce their arrival. And if Mom banged the pots around in the kitchen sink, he’d call.
He was an alarm clock, too. He roosted at night in the pine tree right next to the house, and in the morning, he would wake up Mom & Dad with a big THUMP as he jumped down out of the tree onto the roof right over their heads!
I miss those guys. Years ago, someone had peacocks in our subdivision. Brought back memories. Can’t remember if they disappeared before or during Katrina.
Sounds like trying it may be the best way to know - sounds like they are love/hate kinds of pets! I’ve never owned one, but boarded at a barn with a veritable zoo next door. Peacock never let me approach, but not mean, no mess, and actually seemed very friendly with my mare - the peacock would go in and eat whatever was dribbled under her feed trough. One day, she was lying in the sun in her run and the male peacock was perched on her hip! I never minded their occasional calls, but I wasn’t sleeping next door to them, either:) For those who’ve owned them, do they help with bugs like chickens supposedly do?
It’s a huge change for the 84 YR. Old Guy to leave the farm and live in a sub division, as you said.
You are so taking that peacock.
The 84 YR. Old guy will help you trouble shoot, as you said.
You are so taking that peacock.
Our next door neighbor has about a dozen peacocks. She would give you any or all of them for free. And we would applaud while you drove away with them.
It would definitely be nice for Big Blue’s current owner to be able to come visit him at your farm.
Provided you don’t have any coyotes. They might get Big Blue first. That happened to the only peacock I ever knew.
Our SIL had them…offered us a pair…we built a lovely, big, safe cage on our 80 acre ranch…then I googled peacocks…NOPE…what others say plus the fact they poop a LOT and EVERYWHERE!!! Say no!!
Ok. I guess I have to write this. A. I love my birds. B. They are loud. Particularly in breeding season. Girls or no girls he will be much more sensitive to loud noises and strange things and WILL sound off.
Do you expect him to free roam- it can be difficult to get a mature bird to stay in a new spot. I have fails at it 4 times and now my birds are penned up whether they were born here or not for their safety and so I can keep them around. I tried penning up juvenile birds for 4 months and then starting to let them roam during the day, but they joined with a turkey flock and took off in two days. Second and third attempt stuck around for about 7-10 days.
[QUOTE=LesleyW;8267496]
A good friend who once had one described it as a “special needs drag queen”.[/QUOTE]
this is SO true, in SO many ways, that I just had to ROTFLMAO. One of our boarding stables neighbors have several - both white AND blue. They are definitely…special. And good for despooking, if you like that kinda thing. My uncle had a huge flock when I was growing up and I still look at the ground whenever I walk outside - you only step in one of those pats barefoot ONCE before you learn!
Similar ways you could title a thread called “Do I want a Pet Peacock?” :
“Should I let my boss’s kids ride my weanling?”
“Is it ok to spread a bucket of nails on my neighbor’s gravel driveway?”
“Do I want Global Ruin?”
“Do I want guinea fowl?”
:lol: :lol:
They sure have pretty feathers, though.
ETA: just read the part about the 84yo farmer. That’s reason enough to invite Global Ruin to your farm. Remember the pretty feathers
[QUOTE=HungarianHippo;8268603]
Similar ways you could title a thread called “Do I want a Pet Peacock?” :
“Should I let my boss’s kids ride my weanling?”
“Is it ok to spread a bucket of nails on my neighbor’s gravel driveway?”
“Do I want Global Ruin?”
“Do I want guinea fowl?”
:lol: :lol:
They sure have pretty feathers, though.
ETA: just read the part about the 84yo farmer. That’s reason enough to invite Global Ruin to your farm. Remember the pretty feathers[/QUOTE]
Good comparison!! They are prettier in someone else’s barnyard!!! …or a zoo!!
Good friends had some long time ago. In addition to the noise, they seemed like flying cows. You had to wash your truck after every time you went over there. Wouldn’t wish that on anybody.
NO. Not just no, but absolutely-freaking-not.
The bird is 7 or 8? That’s nice. Did you know that they can live for 40+ years in captivity?
The reason my old boarding barn has about 40 of the SOBs is because the original ones that are 25 years old are STILL there and STILL breeding. (The barn hands apparently went on an egg roundup recently and chucked 50 in the dumpster.) They are very robust and continue with their incessant screaming and crapping. Their poop is the size of that of a small dog of around 15 pounds. The consistency is like tar. It tends to stick until it has completely dried out.
And LOUD does not begin to cover it. Even one is loud; more than one and you can’t hear yourself over them when they get going. It is not just about breeding. They make many calls, honks, squawks, and other noises and do so in many different situations. Garbage truck emptying the dumpster? Deafening chorus of alarm calls. Gate slamming shut? Deafening chorus of alarm calls. Someone yelling to someone else? Deafening chorus of alarm calls. Closing a lid to a feed bin? Deafening chorus of alarm calls. Slamming a car door? Deafening chorus of alarm calls. Horses squeal? Deafening chorus of alarm calls. Whip cracking? Deafening chorus of alarm calls.
You get the picture. They never. shut. up. And no, they never get used to noises that they hear every single day. The poor barn hands and their kids say that they like to roost on their homes at night and continue the squawking at all hours. Heck, there are some at the Japanese garden in a park two miles from my house and if I’m going to the bathroom at 3 am and the window is open I can hear them. It gets a tiny bit better for about two months in the dead of winter, when I think they have to expend too much energy trying not to starve in order to be quite so obnoxious, before they go right back to it.
Yes, it is very sad about the old fellow, but let them pawn the feathered menace off on someone else. Having only one peacock means that you just have one gross, loud, feathery, screaming poop machine instead of many. And unless you want this thing for the next 30-40 years I suggest politely but firmly declining.
Does he have a favorite chicken or goat that you can take on and let him visit instead? :lol:
I’m glad you’re still thinking about keeping him, at least.
I’ve been rooting for Big Blue for two whole pages. :yes:
I would take him. 
You know, despite everything… I’m a sucker and I’d take him.
OMG, I hate them.
One showed up at a barn where I boarded and could not be caught. He’d sneak around all stealthy like in the dark and then let out a blood curdling scream (sounded like a cat being tortured) with no warning. Because he was so sneaky the horses NEVER got used to it. He also liked to be in a tree and then wait until you passed underenath and then jump down in front of you/on you. Many spooked horses, many people fell off.
I hated riding around that creature. He would stand on the edge of the ring all quiet and then randomly let out a blood curdling scream and or/fall off the fence and flap on the way down like it was a 500 foot fall from a helicopter. I would ride inside if I saw him. He just set my teeth on edge!
I went to look at a horse and when we drove up, there was a peacock there. I told her “thanks but no thanks” and left.
I really freakin’ hate these things! And I don’t hate many farm/pet animals?! The farmer is probably retiring JUST so he can get away from the peacock 
