Hi All, My latest thing: Just this morning, I had a guest drop in for a visit. A young male peacock, looking lovely with the classic Indian blue feathers on it's neck, and speckly breast like most juvenile birds, dropped in. He is hanging out in our cat and dog free yard, staying mainly on the back porch.

Wanting to be hospitable, I quickly hot-footed it over to our local co-op and bought chicken scratch, which is mainly cracked corn. I came back and my guest was mainly busy keeping company with the "other peacock" in the nearly floor to ceiling windows, near my back door.

Carefully, I cleaned out a plastic planter bottom, and filled it with water and brought it to the guest. I also threw out about a cup of scratch for it on the patio. I then observed it having some food and beverages offered, and I was glad to see it, as it must have been thirsty and hungry.

Just a little while ago, it walked around in the sun, honking and calling for a few minutes. It was a very funny sound, not unlike a goose honking.

I think he must have been flying or walking around, checking out "his" area, and forgot how to get home. I don't know of any of my neighbors who have pea fowl, and I certainly have never heard them honking on my walks.

Anyone have any ideas on what to do? Anyone have any experience with pea fowl? I did put an ad in a local paper "Found, large bird, call to id." So hopefully someone will call and want him back and have the ability to capture him and take him home.

I would love to keep him..... but don't know if that is possible with me going back and forth to the farm, etc.

What to do..........???????

He is soooooooooooooooo beautiful! We are enjoying his company for now!

-- sis (sis@home.zzz), May 23, 2000

Answers

Sis, please keep him!!! :-) Then we can have a "Name the Peacock" contest!

I have a small zoo a few miles from my home. It is for abused, abandoned or injured exotic animals (including lions tigers and bears oh my) I am a member, I go there often. They have MANY peacocks!! I could ask them what they suggest if you'd like. It will give me an excuse to visit again! :-)

(They have a tiger there that plays with us, most remarkable animal. However, if one of THOSE should happen into your backyard, I suggest not keeping it)

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), May 23, 2000.

DANG! For about half an hour early this evening,7:00pm, it's still quite light out, but the light *is* starting to fade a teeny bit. Our noble guest wandered around, checking out my garden, compost pile, and garage. I sat on the step between my kitchen and my garage, and he serenaded me with much honking and squeeking. He was most intrigued to see that there was another bird inside the house, intent on watching him too.

He went to my veg. garden and had a little snack of salad greens and a little dessert of strawberry flowers(!) before deciding it was time to get back to his regular perch.

I asked him to please stay, as he could roost in any of our tall tall trees, or on top of the house if he wished too, but he declined.

He went in the same direction that he came (according to the neighbors). I escorted him down the road for a ways, until he entered another yard a few houses away.

I truely hope he finds his home. And if he can't, maybe he will come for another visit.......

Thank goodness I had film in the camera :)

-- sis (sis@home.zzz), May 23, 2000.

Sis, years ago we heard the dogs killing a chicken in the yard. It sounded like the chicken was being slowly strangled to death. We didn't have any chickens, but the neighbors did. We raced out to the chicken's defense...but the dogs didn't have a chicken. The dogs were staring at the house with their hair standing out all over their bodies. We went back into the house. The chicken strangled again. We raced outside. The dogs were turning in circles and looking up at the house. We looked and saw nothing. This happened over and over for most of the afternoon.

Near dusk I sat quietly on the porch and waited for the chicken to strangle again. It sounded over my head. I looked up and saw claws curling over the edge of the roof. The dogs huddled in silence, looking up with me. A little later, a peahen poked her head over the edge of the roof.

No one in our area had peafowl. She hung around for a few days, and like you, we did our best to make her welcome. Even though we lived like hill-williams in the sticks, having a peafowl in the yard made us feel like we were moving up in the world. :)

She left and never came back. Royalty is like that.

-- helen (home@the.time), May 23, 2000.

Well, you've actually had two pea-hens in your midst this whole time.

Since my maiden name was Peacock, I've often had Peacocks just drop in. They usually want coffee to drink though ;-)

And I rarely sound like a dying chicken during the summer months... but I make no promises when it comes to bewailing our awful winter weather.

-- Tricia the Canuck (jayles@telusplanet.net), May 25, 2000.

I have two chipmonks living in my yard. What can i put out for them to snack on, anyone have any ideas? They are sooooooo cute.

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), May 25, 2000.

We had two chipmunks climbing in and out of our attic - had to board up the not-wholes they climbed in threw with some steel plates......

Feed them what you feed squirrels...or Peacocks (but I'd lay of the coffeee outside - it will get cold before they can handle the cups!)... if you want them to come back.

If you don't want them to come back, feed them something DieTer wouldn't like......they'll get the message.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), May 25, 2000.

Kritter, feed those little chippers raw peanuts or anyold nuts you can get cheap. They also like bird seed, whole wheat bread, and STRAWBERRIES out of my garden! (GRRR)

I don't feed the squirrels here, but a neighbor does, and the bluejays also get some of those peanuts. It's cute to see the jays hiding the peanuts in the long branches of the cedar and fir trees, which I see when I look out the back windows of my home.....

Also, last spring, the little guys developed a taste for maple tree bark and almost killed several expensive little ornamentals that my neighbor had just had planted in his japanese garden. Fortunately the trees lived, but I don't think they will be long lived. They nearly girdled those trees! Youch!

-- sis (sis@home.zzz), May 25, 2000.

The problem is feeding them without the squirrels making off with it first. I always try to walk up to them slowly, and throw treats at them..LOL...and of course they run away. I was trying to give them Kibbles and Bits...(dog food) because I heard they might eat that. When I let the dogs out an hour later, of course they ate it..dur.

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), May 25, 2000.

The peacock on the back porch.....
-- (sis@home.zzz), September 06, 2000.

He stayed for the day, because he liked the privacy and the gardens...
-- (sis@home.zzz), September 06, 2000.

Late in the afternoon, as I was inside, preparing dinner, he serenaded us with much dancing and music....
-- (sis@home.zzz), September 06, 2000.

He thanked me for my hospitality, but he insisted upon leaving, and returning to his own home to roost for the night.
-- (sis@home.zzz), September 06, 2000.

Hi, I've looking into buying a couple of peacocks for our farm...just a few for my personal enjoyment. Want to get them young and teach them that this is home so that they don't go wandering off..read your charming story about your visitor, if I thought my peacocks would venture to a nice place like yours I wouldn't worry. After reading alot of available information the bird house needs to be secure as well as the fence around high or enclosed, also need to keep them secure from harm at night etc. Will keep you posted if I'm able to get them this summer. Va.

-- Virginia Haffner (springhillfarm@cablenet-va.com), February 19, 2001.

its unforutainit really, because I own 4 myself ( 2males and 2 females)and everyone that I know whos ever had then says the same thing. Its sad that such beautyful birds have to be locked up. so if you get any more info, please let me know.

-- joshua pineyro (puppetman188@aol.com), April 16, 2004.

Hi, I live in an apartment in San Antonio, TX -- yes an apartment and we have a male peacock who visits us daily on our porch. I have given him cracked corn and he loves it. Now my question is -- the honking -- why does he do this?? Is he sad, lost, happy?? We have no idea where he came from, as we live right by a very busy interstate. Any ideas? Our apartment complex has basically adopted him and feed him and he wonders around the property and then goes over the fence at night to a wooded area. Thanks.

-- Cheri (tcg93@yahoo.com), April 17, 2004.

Your peacock mate be looking for a partner.

-- Robert & Jean (getingwarmer@ga.inthespring), April 18, 2004.

yesterday afternoon my son came home from school and said "I see dad got more for you to take care of." I had no idea what he was taking about. I do now and it wasn't my husband who did anything. A pair of peafowl have adopted our yard. I guess they were attracted to the 5 guineafowl, 6 mallard ducks, 3 toulouse geese wandering around and the other caged critters. at last count we had a total of 84 animals, but that was 15 minutes ago so that is probably too low now.I put some wild bird seed, scratch and small dry cat food and the peafowl love it. I don't know how long they'll stay because they do have the wanderlust spirit. If I see them over the fence on the street I get them back in because the red-necks around here would love to run over one and brag about it. By the way, the male seems more interested in one of our large Turkens than he does his female.

-- marj calderwood (h2oicemarj@aol.com), May 04, 2004.

... And a partridge in a pruned tree....

-- Robert & Jean (getingwarmer@ga.inthespring), May 06, 2004.