WHY RAISE PEAFOWL?

Looking for an exquisite bird to raise? Then the peafowl maybe for you. Their iridescent tails can be sold to get a little more profit outside of their meat and eggs. They live off of grains, insects, snakes, small fish, and frogs, so they will be an excellent pest remover.

Breeding

Peafowl are polygamous birds. One male will mate with four to five peahens. Most peahens will not lay in their first year of production. During the second and third years, they will produce a few eggs. It is not until their fourth year that they will lay five to nine eggs a year. If eggs are removed from the nest, a peahen may lay another clutch or two, but she will not be able to incubate more than ten eggs. If there are too many eggs, artificial incubation or a foster mother turkey hen can be used. Thick shrubbery is good place for nesting. There is also the option to confine peahens to a pen or yard during egg laying period in the spring to early summer.

Incubation and Brooding

Peahen eggs incubate for 28 to 30 days. The simplest method is to allow the peahens (or foster mothers) to incubate their own eggs in the open or large confined coop for six to seven weeks. Younger hens usually do not settle in confinement. If this happens, gather the eggs to be artificially incubated in the same way as a chicken. Artificially incubated eggs can be brooded by turkey foster mothers or reared in confinement similar to turkeys.

During the brooding period, it is recommended to confine the mother. If the mother was to roam with her chicks, there is a higher possibility that the chicks could be lost due to the environment and inclement weather.

Keep the chicks confined with the mother for the first week, then they can come and go as they please for the second week, but are able to return to their mother. Having the mother confined keeps the chicks from wondering off. After seven weeks release the mother.

Feed

Young peafowl can be fed turkey feed. Turkey starter and a series of grower rations will last about four months. Final grower rations should be feed to peafowl until they reach one year old. If turkey feed is not available, chicken feed can be used, but is has a much smaller portion of protein that is require for the peafowl.

Keep grit, oyster shell, and water available at all times. Peafowl will eat insects and if there is enough it will supply them with enough protein. Unfortunately natural insect supply only last for about six months, so a protein supplement should be provided when insects are not available.

Housing

Peafowl are a difficult bird to confine. They frequently fly and perch on high trees. If you are going to confine a peafowl, the area should be tall with a high roosting shelf. There should also be a large, grass-covered run included. The runs should be at least seven feet tall to prevent birds from jumping up and injuring themselves.

Resources

United Peafowl Association - A peafowl enthusiast organization

The Peacock Information Center - Interested in caring for peafowl? Find a diversity of resources from the Peacock Information Center.

"My Eyespots are Up Here!" - An interesting article about the courtship of peacocks. Although peacocks are famous for all tail feathers with colorful eyespots, an expert says peahens look lower when sizing up a male and that dance moves may give a suitor an edge.