5 Tips for Keeping Peacocks as Pets

Need some color in your life? Consider a pet peacock; that is, if you're up for the challenge.

Peacocks are rightfully called peafowl. (Peacock is the name for the male of the species.) Because green peafowl are endangered, it is not recommended to keep them as pets. The blue peafowl generally makes the best pet, as it is more adaptable and less aggressive than other types. There are a few things you should know about general care before bringing your peafowl home, though

1. Have enough land.

Peafowl require at least 80 square feet per bird. This space is important in order to prevent disease, as well as fighting among the birds. If you keep a male peacock, the pen should be large enough for him to display his long tail feathers without injury.

Peafowl have a loud, shrill cry that can aggravate neighbors, especially during mating season, so peafowl are obviously best kept in rural areas.

2. Keep them warm.

Wooden roosts are the best way to shield them from the cold. If you are raising peacock chicks from peafowl eggs, be sure to keep them in a heated area for four to six weeks after the baby peachicks start to hatch. You should keep the temperature over 95º F and lower it by about 5º F every week during the incubation period.

3. Keep them safe.

Predators like coyotes are the main concern for peafowl owners, especially those that are free-range. Tree houses are the best way to protect them from predators, and peafowl love to roost up high.

A large pen surrounded with chicken wire, with a wooden shelter or hen house with a nesting area, complete with a warming light, is a good example for a pet peacock habitat.

4. Feed them right.

The National Bird of India needs fresh water and be fed two handfuls of mixed grain every day. This grain can be purchased at most feed stores, and most game bird feed, like pheasant feed, is also fine for half to two-thirds of these omnivore's diet. Also include mixed greens like cabbage or kale.

5. Pay attention to their health.

Peafowl need to be dewormed every two months. Products like Piperazine or Ivermectin cattle wormer can do the trick.

Since peafowl are not common pets or farm animals, there is no established vaccine schedule for them, but avian pox, blackhead disease, and coccidiosis is always a concern. Ask your vet on how to prevent and treat these.

Other fun facts about peafowl?

What about male peafowl, peahens and courtship displays? The eye movements of female peacocks during courtship were mainly concentrated on the male's legs and lower feathers.
There are three species of peacocks: They are Pavo cristatus (Indian peacock), Pavo muticus (Java or green peacock), and Afropavo congensis (Congo peafowl).
Breeding season occurs from spring into early summer,
The peafowl dance honors many peacock species that originated in southeast Asia; it can be found at festivals across both India and Indonesia in places like Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and more!