Peacock Buddy Board

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Hi All --

It's late September.  We live in north San Diego County in California.  Any chance of getting any eggs to hatch out at this time of year?  We need a hen and would love to hatch out now, but if we have to wait until Spring 2004, that's o.k. too and we have an egg source for then.  Alternatively we would love a young hen to be his mate for life.  Any thoughts? 

Also, do you know if it's characteristic of peacocks to "collect" shiney things like nails and/or screws?  The other day, my husband was loading screws in his tool belt and Bob, our peacock, picked a screw from the box and my husband had to chase him around the yard to get it from him! 

Thanks so much.  I'm so happy to have peacock friends!  We have had chickens for years, but nothing tops this bird! 

Sydne Gilbert Sgilby01@cs.com
Bonsall, California
______________________

Help, I'm relatively new to Peafowl. I was given great guidance regarding
trimming the birds beaks, worming them etc. Problem, catching them is a
near death experience for both bird and persuer. The birds go nuts and fly
in to the barn walls and the run wire. Any tips?
Thanks - Janet Gary-Reid3@comcast.net

***I feed them into a pen- near it and then into it. Cyclone kennels with
roofs work great. Then I use a big net to pin them to the ground. Reach
for the legs and hold the bird upside down. It will become docile immed-
iately.

May 2002

Walnut Creek, Lafayette, California: Peacock needs a home. Must be caught.

Sherri1373@aol.com

May 2002

From Tim:

guess what a new baby peachick hatched today. she laid 7 eggs but she only one of them hatched. any way she is so
protective over the one. i had to feed from out side of the cage! but that is so cool that atleast one hatched. should i leave the
male in with them? Swish4490@aol.com

April 2002

Hi Susan,
My two baby peacocks were born in June and July. The June baby is turning into a beautiful and big India Blue male, but
the other baby, which is a white peacock, still has us guessing as to gender. It was born as a twin, one of which disappeared
soon, to a mother who is half white peacock. This little baby isn't nearly as big as the Blue baby, even though it's only one
month younger. But its tail is very pointy and getting longer. I'm wondering if this is a sign of it being a male? Since it was
a twin, I'm not surprised that it is smaller than normal, and it is a very healthy and bright bird, very loveable. Do I need to
wait until I see the grey eyes on a white tail to know for sure it's a male?
Thanks.........Judy Crawford
jleec@earthlink.net

April 2002

Susan

I learned the hard way to use rabbit wire for my peacocks pens. My previous
wire had 1X1 1/2 inch openings and a weasel got in and killed a breeding pair
and two half grown birds.

Anne Butther1@aol.com

March 2002

I can totally relate to the first letter I read on your "Springtime Greetings" post.
Our Indian Blue Peacock is also named Bob and is very similar to this person's (who wrote
that letter) peacock. He picked our yard over 2 years ago and with all the homes in the
area I found it to be a great gift also. He somehow instinctively knew we were decent
folks who would welcome him. We also find it very thrilling to have such a glorious bird
grace our yard with his presence.
Bob also knows his name and people find it amazing that we have a peacock too. The cats
don't bother him but he has chased them once in a while into the bushes (almost as if he
were playing with them.) I am a teacher and every month I will bring in a peacock feather
(we have SO many) as a give away prize. The students are beyond thrilled. They know all
about Bob. His pictures are in the room also (along with our cats of course lol)
Anyway, Happy Spring to you!
Cindy Widdall

February 2002

Hello All,
I have changed my E-mail address (and the peafowl's) We are now at Jenny.Seccull@bigpond.com
Also I have a very popular/simple recipe to share all the way from S/W Australia :
Hard Boiled eggs mashed with insectivore meal added to it.NB Don't be too generous: Peafowl should not be fed too much protein as it can result in over rapid growth and deformities in legs. My mothers and babies get it and absolutely love it.
Jenny Seccull
PS photos soon of new peacock pen

February 2002

Sad News from Western Australia. I lost the last of my Peacocks yesterday, mauled, and mutilated by two Bichon Frise Dogs. I found him
alive, and sprayed Benadine all over the very bad wounds, they ripped all his top feathers out, did not touch his head or neck, I think
they think it is a game. We miss him so much, he used to sit near our home office glass door and look in at us, and perch all around the
place. The only thing we won't miss is his droppings everywhere. One thing to have a animal die, another to have them mauled to
death. A warning!! never trust your dogs, even if they never even glance at your peacocks when you are with them (this is what mine
did) if they escape a lot of them will enjoy chasing and ripping feathers out.
I can never have another one now, the rest have all walked off the property.

Julie Gilbert JulieG@insight-wa.com.au

February 2002

Hi
I was so sorry to hear about Julie from Australia's peacock being mauled to death. We have dogs around us but we don't have one ourselves. Our peacock buddy is smart to stay in our fenced yard. He has no interest in going into the other yards. Good thing. Much as I love dogs, we will not have one while Bob is with us. Our cats treat him with much respect.
Again, I am so sorry about Julie's loss.
Cindy CKWiddall@msn.com

February 2002

I have 70 acres in southern California, oak and sycamore along a year round creek. We've had a wild peafowl colony for 60-70 years, usually 5-10 birds. The last several years, all our chicks have been male, and we are now down to our last mature hen! We have 2 mature males (had 3, till 2 got in a fight to the death the other day).

Is there anyone on your list looking for a home for wild or semi-wild hens?

We have several feeding stations around the property, and think that the 2 males would get along better if they didn't have to fight over the hen. With breeding season just around the corner, there is some urgency.

Thanks
Thayerfam@aol.com

February 2002

Hi:

Well we are finally successful in keeping our peacocks around and letting them roam free. Remember, we had 100 acres and had pictures of them roaming beautifully around and not bothering too much. Well, they tend to "hang around" on our decks throughout the day and of course leave their dropping all over. Not only is that a nuisance to have to clean up to avoid stepping in the mess and tracking it in, but we just planted some potted herbs outside on the deck, and they quickly devoured them. The other big concern is that we grow about an acre of blueberries , and they haven't come out yet, but when they do, we wonder if the peacocks are going to eat them all. Is
there anyway to keep them away from the berries, plants etc.? If not we may have to get rid of them. Are they incompatible? Isn't there something we can do? I love them ad enjoy them, but we have over 500 blueberry plants, and we do want to plant a garden, herbs etc.

At night they roost in trees away from the house, and sometimes they roost on our house roof. I kind of like them up on the roof, unless we discover they might start chewing the roof?

What do you think?
Can you send this out to all of your list-serve as well?
Thanks,

Sylvia l.s.mangan@worldnet.att.net

January 2002

HI , my name is Karen and I was wondering, if people, would
use a place where they could bring pets of all kinds to be
take good care of. Like a shelter but for all animals. It is
one of my dreams and if you can give me any info about how
to go about building a place like that, or tips on where to
start then e-mail me at huntleyd@quest.net .

January 2002

Hi Susan,
What a wonderful newsletter you have! Thanks. I just wanted to let you
know that we changed our email address.

Our peacock, Bob, is doing well. He loves cheese when he can get it but
doesn't care for the scambled eggs (how finicky is he? doesn't he know what
he is missing?) His delight is moist cat food whenever that is around. I
normally feed the cats inside for this very reason, but it has been so
chilly here lately I give it to him once every other week as a treat. He
still eats his regular diet of bugs, dry cat food, corn, and bread (and some
cheese.)
Thanks for all the suggestions.
Cindy W.

January 2002

I have three peacocks penned in 12' X 12@ cage, attached to a 8' X 6' garden shed with the windows removed so they can come out
or go in as they please. Two of them have been in the pen since being a couple of weeks old and know no different. The other one is
10 years old and has known freedom before he came to me as a rescue. They have been in the pen since August last year and I now
think they are ready to be released to wander free. My big problem is foxes, there seem to be more of them than usual this year. I am
worried that they will get the females once they start to nest. I intend to remove the cage from the shed and hopefully they will still use
the shed to nest and be safe. Does anyone know if they are creatures of habit and will continue to use the shed, or am I living in cloud
cuckoo land thinking they will do this. I would be grateful to anyone with any experience of this to help me, before I release them in the
spring.
Thanks, Terri Ward. email:"Pet Cemetery" <enquiries@petfuneralservices.co.uk>

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Thanks for the e-mail. My birds love the pigeon food. I cook it for them
during the cold months in my crock pot and they love it.

Today I noticed several little white crawley bugs on the head of one of the
young birds. What is this and what do I do to eliminate them. I have some
unexplained bites all over me and wonder if they're related? Thanks.

Lynn Lynprints@aol.com

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hi its me tim. hey they really like bananas to mixt with zukiney. by

and

Hi it is Tim. i have a question about my peacocks. my mail seems like he is
older but he still has some gray white pattern on his back. could you tell me
any way to tell how oldie is. the man i got him from shaid he did not now how
old they were. or if they ever mated or laid eggs. my female seems old enough
to lay. one more thing is there any way to tell if they will mate or will
they mate no mater what if it is time to.

Swish4490@aol.com

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Terry Maresca wrote:

Hello, Susan!

We recently acquired 2 India Blues in September at the age of 3 months, who have now become 2 males. We are hoping to find a
suitable female, and know you are in the NW. Any suggestions of who may have one for sale or trade? We live in Issaquah, WA,
about 25 mi E of Seattle.

Also- what suggestions do you have to keep birds happy in the rainy season? We have created many shelters for them, but the
ground is very soggy nonetheless. I worry about disease susceptibility too.

Terry terrymaresca@yahoo.com

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November 2001

Thanks for the e-mail. My birds love the pidgeon food. I cook it for them
during the cold months in my crock pot and they love it.

Today I noticed several little white crawley bugs on the head of one of the
young birds. What is this and what do I do to eliminate them? I have some
unexplained bites all over me and wonder if they're related? Thanks.

Lynn Lynprints@aol.com

November 2001

Sexing Young India Bluechicks:

Day old chicks we have sexed them by the color of the beak . The female will
be a shade darker than the male chick.
Another way we try to sex day old chicks is by placing you thumb and 3 fingers
around the head; lift the chick up slowly. If it is a female it will have relaxed legs that will hang down. If it is a male he will flap the wings, kick the lags and squawk.
Good Luck
Peacockman
Mike Johns cedarnrock@aol.com

November 2001

Susan-Love your feeding tips but you haven't mentioned grapes which, I believe, is the number 1 favorite peacock food. I raised my babies to come to the door
around 2 pm looking for the afternoon treat. Not only do they tske them from my hand, but I have managed to teach them to line up and take turns (most days!)
Had a summer garden and froze corn, grated squash, carrots and chard stems just to tide theirds through winter--In fact, when grapes ae on sale, I freeze them for the
expensive seasons. Thanks for the good tips!"Pigasus" <pigasus@cyberport.net>

October 2001

From: Pmcgriff@aol.com

I live in an area were peacocks have roamed free and wild for many years.
Last year something, we still don't know what, cause a massive die off. We
lost all our females and several males. We only have five or six males left.
In order to keep them from all disappearing due to attrition, our neighbors
and I would like to procure a few females. Do you have any idea where we
could start? We live in southern California.
Thanks for your help,
Patrick

October 2001

I live in Western Washington and have a pair of wild peacocks around the neighborhood that have been here for about 3 weeks. While I don't want someone to kill them, I do believe they need a better home. Do you know of any rescue agency that will come get them. Animal Control won't Dept of Fish and Wildlife won't and I am at a loss. I'm running out of options that lead to a happy ending for them. They are very young; the male doesn't even have a colored tail yet.

Diana Ellis
977 SE Spencer AVE, Port Orchard, WA "Ellis, Diana L." <DEllis@Eisenhowerlaw.com>

October 2001

Subject: Please Help!

From: Lagunakatkctoo@aol.com

Hi Susan,
My name is Kathy and I am a first time writer to boxess@boxess.com. I have to admit I am writing in help of my roommates desperate situation. My roommates name is Josh. We live in Laguna Beach, California. Josh has lived here with his wonderful peacocks for the past five years. I have lived here for only six months and I have to say the peacocks won my heart over the first day. This is our situation. Even though, Josh has had the peacocks for five years, the city of Laguna did not know of his beautiful Avery until recently. That's another chapter. Anyway, the city has been on a mission, for the past couple of months, on having a permit approved. Today, I finally stopped by the local animal shelter to find out the outcome of the letters sent in by local residents. I have been trying to
So, this is our situation and now we have to find homes for them. I am hoping that you might be able to suggest good homes for these wonderful peacocks. Josh can give you a better description of them. I know he has a gorgeous male, three females, and five new babies.
This is Josh's e-mail address, JRNLaguna@aol.com
If that doesn't work, you can always e-mail me back. I would appreciate any impute that you might have. Talk to you soon. Thanks again.
Kathy (AKA-Desperate to save the peacocks).

July 2001

Here's a letter I reveived, and some answers from members below

I don't know what state you are in but I am in Florida where our state
Statute distinctly says that when One decides to purchase these birds,
One needs to obtain a permit. If One then allows the peafowl to roam
One is subject to a $500 fine or 6 months jail term.

We in our neighborhood have people in violation of the law who allow
these animals to roam at will - AGAINST THE LAW.

As to your comment that these creatures make noise only during mating
season: Madam, it is now July l4th and I am 50 ft behind a man who
bought 2 peafowl which have multiplied to 6 and who is gone for the
entire summer...he says he turned them loose (against our law) but his
yard has become a nuisance attraction and domain for the peafowl.

You said yours make noise about l night a year. You need to come here
to our community and to my house and hear the raucous screaming
throughout the night and day.

This has been going on incessantly since April 4th!

Do you have a permit for your birds? Do you live on large acreage so
that your animals don't bother other people? Are you allowed to let
your creatures roam?

Thank you for any help you may provide.

Oh, I see you are in Cave Junction, Oregon.

With liberty and justice for all...Alma R. Jurgensen

Mine first:

I sympathize with you that your neighbor has gone off and left peacocks
to roam at will. I did write that ours are noisy one night a year here
in
Oregon, where nights are cool. Where hotter, and more populated, they
will call out more frequently. I think you should communicate with
your neighbor about this. I live in a rural agricultural area, so we
can have noisy beings. My parrots are louder than the peafowl. The
peafowl should simmer down when the tail feathers are dropped, and
the breeding season is over. They are just creatures trying to survive
in this world, which is ever growing smaller as it becomes more
populated with humans.
Please be patient with them- they need liberty and justice too-

Susan

Some people complain about anything. I live in a very rural area of Florida.
Everyone in my area has from 10 to 50 acres. Of course, out of probably 100
people there is one neighbor who complains about my peafowl. I have two males
and two females. When they first wandered over to his property he just
thought they were beautiful and let them roam at will. THEN they happened to
poop on his $10,000 tile patio. So now I have had to build a large pen for my
birds because this neighbor? threatened to call the sheriff or kill my birds.
He is the only person in this area who doesn't want to have animals of any
kind on his property. He is from a large metropolitan area and moved to an
area where everyone has livestock or animals of some kind. But isn't it just
fine that he has a half acre overgrown pond that is a mesquito breeding
ground. Our solution: everyone around here is going to get peafowl and let
them roam. Will everyone go to jail?
My other neighbors miss seeing a hearing the birds. Do people know that these
birds control bugs and snakes? I can't wait till a bull gets loose and looks
in his front door!
People have to remember that Mother nature was here long before the so called
human was. Isabel

Dear Susan,
I think the poor lady in Florida is the victim of a VERY
irresponsible peafowl owner and he would deserve any fine he got ! I'm
sure there are laws in parts of the country about which kinds of
birds/beasts you can have. Portland has a prohibition against
roosters, I think, that goes back quite a number of years. I wish some
of our "Peacock Buddies" in Florida could help her - maybe catch the
poor birds. It's not their fault they have been abandoned. Something
must be scaring them if they are making a racket alll the time.
Oh! I told a lady in the Coos Bay/North Bend area to email you since
she asked me about getting companion birds for a peacock she recently
acquired and I also mentioned looking at the peafowl.org site because
they show a breeder iin Portland.
Hope you are enjoying the summer, even if the weather is strange this
year.
Betty Ann Smith

Actually Susan, I understand her outrage. Im out in the middle of nowhere not quite west texas and so my birds havent bothered anyone.(that has said anything anyway) But our male screams all spring all night. We put up with it because we think the trade off is worth it. We have lived out here for 6 years now with the birds and have never seen any kind of snake anywhere around the house and you can bet your sweet bippy they are out here. But In an urban setting with that many people they would start looking like gaudy turkeys to me, especially around thanksgiving. I think it was totally obnoxious of this man to get those birds when he wasnt going to even be home year round and I really think they belong in a livestock catagory as far as being alowed to roam around in the city. (you asked what I think). George Ann

and, finally, from Alma again,

Thanks so much for your prompt reply...and for your information about
the peafowl becoming less vocal once the feathers come off.

I notice that you DO suggest that b4 people contemplate getting peafowl
they talk to their neighbors, etc. If only our neighbor had done that!
The victims in this situation are the peafowl whose 'owners' are guilty,
in my opinion, of benign neglect.

We are in a heavily populated area with many cars and the animals have
been out in the busy roads with autos screeching to a stop.

Animal Rights people are not exactly in sympathy with people like my
neighbor who tire of the birds or desert them and allow them to
proliferate at random until the neighborhood must make a dire decision
on how to eliminate the peafowl. A sad commentary.

Again - thanks.

With liberty and justice for all...Alma R. Jurgensen

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July 2001

Peacocks Wanted in SC. Thanks

Megan Turner LeopardRescue@aol.com

July 2001

Hi Susan,

Thanks for all the info. The peahen* that is coming to my yard is very
skittish. She doesn't like loud noises or human voices. Sometimes she'll
sit on my deck, right up against the house, but if she sees me moving in the
house or I call to her, she moves away. Part of the problem, I assume, is
that I don't feed everyone at the same time everyday because my schedule is
different every day.

*I'm assuming a peahen because of the behaviour - I haven't checked the
flight feathers yet.

Thanks again for all the info.
Samantha artisticat@earthlink.net

July 2001

Hello,

My name is Jim Simmons and I have a forty acres which I call Clear Creek Ranch in N.E. Alabama. My needs? I want to know if you know of
any law to protect the birds from harm for simply walking onto a neighbors yard? Six of my birds were shot at one time for simply wondering
onto my neighbors yard, killing four and wondering two. He killed two males, (my oldest) and two females, (again my oldest). He crippled a
males left wing and shot a female's left eye out. They both
survived. I called the sheriff and after they came out they said there is nothing they could do because they were doing damage to his yard
by pooping on it. I'm taking him to small claims court but I don't know how I will fair there because he is a minister or proclaims to be. I'm
probably just fighting a lost battle but I had rather fight it and lose than not fight it at all.
I certainly enjoyed your web-site. If you have the time, please visit mine at www.AsDogs.com . Thanks for any advise you can share with me.
Take care and God Bless. Jim Simmons

July 2001

Here's a peafowl page from Joy-

http://PeafowlDomain.homestead.com/PEAFOWLDOMAIN.html

July 2001

About pen/enclosure/coop/cage size:

Susan,
Are there quidelines re: size per bird?? They all get along, even during mating season. Seems as tho there an alpha bird who's in charge and everyone stays in line!!

Did the scarecrow help?? Also, how is it peafowl keep the rattlesnakes away???

Take good care, Lynn Lynprints@aol.com

July 2001

Hi: I live in North Bend, Oregon. We are located on the Southwest Oregon Coast.

We have 100 acres in the country. I just bought one 2year old male peacock, and am desperately looking for a few more, but especially at least one peahen. I am having a hard time locating anyone in this are who has a peahen to either give away or sell. I have been told that the peacock is less likely to take off with a few other birds around, but especially a mate. We are keeping him penned up for a few weeks to get him acclimated, but eventually plan to let him roam free. We are in the process of building a coop for a shelter, with a place to roost and keep his food up. We have a lot of
Douglas Fir around, and hope though that he might roost in the trees. If anyone is from Oregon or knows of anyone relatively close by that might have peacock, please let me know as soon as possible.

Can you suggest a design for a coop with dimensions, etc. I want to build them a place that they can choose to use for shelter and food etc. We have lots of trees, but am just
starting to get a few, and want to get them acclimated. If you don't have any ideas for a structure, can you suggest a resource that does?
Thanks, Sylvia l.s.mangan@worldnet.att.net

June 2001

Dear "Susan" (and others who care for peacocks):

I am a bewildered homeowner who has happened to have a lost peacock come to visit my house and
yard the past 10 days or so. It roams about my one and two story house roof in the day (mostly under the
eaves), and it roosts at night on some branches in a Japanese black pine tree at night about 8 to 9 feet up
in the tree.

I would like to have it taken to a safer and more appropriate habitat. Can you assist in any way in finding
someone or some group that can do this. (The local animal control office is mostly indifferent, as they don't
seem to want to make the effort to catch it--but they say go to some bird preserve if they did bother to come
out and managed to get it. The SPCA does not seem to want to be bothered.)

I am trying to find ways to feed it, and I put out water. But the overall situation here is not good for it in this
suburban area with back to back houses.

Thanks! Chuck Johnson (562) 923-2768 e-mail: clj99@earthlink.net

June 2001

Susan:

Just wanted to thank you for the info on how to deter peacocks from
places. We had more than 200 people attend the "Peacock Peace
Conference" the other night, and I was able to pass on the suggestions
to the few who find the birds to be a problem. Other than those people,
it was basically a "lovefest" for our regal population. It certainly
drew a lot of press attention -- front page on local newspapers for
seven days running and top story on our three TV stations the evening of
the conference. Amazing.

Thanks again!

Virginia P. Foy
Rio, Florida

June 2001

Hello,

I received your email from your website that a friend of mine was looking at while we were talking about a rescued peacock that my
local humane society has had about 2 weeks now - which is located in Dayton, Ohio!!

My friend really enjoyed your website!! I was wondering if by any chance you might know of someone in the Dayton, Ohio and
surrounding area who would like to give this peacock a really good home? He of course is male. I don't believe the shelter has a lot of
information on him as the person who brought him to the shelter said he just found him wondering loose.

Please let me know if you could possibly help, or if you can't I understand. Thank you - Donna Melia brosis@siscom.net

June 2001

Susan,
We have had incredible results in getting peafowl to move from a property
where they are considered a nuisence with a motion activated sprinkler. There
are several out there. One is called the Scarecrow. Another is Dog-Be-Gone.
You can buy them for under $100 from many home/hardware stores OR online at
www.scatmat.com or www.whateverworks.com. A friend who does peafowl rescue
had several who liked her patio and this is the only thing that worked. The
sudden burst of water startles them and they avoid the area. Could you
forward this to the person asking, as I was unable to get thru. Thanks for
everything.

and,

Susan,
I just found another site that sells the Scarecrow for $65, the lowest price
ever seen. They have alot of helpful hints on nuisence critters and how to
deal with the situation humanely. www.PestDetour.com

Lynn

June 2001

Can you tell me if it is common for peacocks to be born with bent toes and
feet? I have had several with this problem. Sometimes they straighten out
but sometimes they die because it is hard to walk. Is it from something I am
doing wrong or do they inherit it? I need help.
Gail Foster - New Mexico Click to email: GFFSSHADOW@aol.com

June 2001

In response to the free peafowl needing a home, MS is too far from CA. Otherwise I would give it a try. I am wanting another female though. Any
suggestions? Could someone catch a female and ship it to me and I'd pay the freight?
What do you think? Joy Stevenson, Click to email: jars7@bellsouth.net

May 2001

Once again we want to get the message out to all interested parties: We have
an overpopulation of peafowl here (on our street) in Fallbrook, California
(North San Diego County). We are going to be starting a trapping program in
about 1 month. Any interested parties are welcome to as many as desired for
no cost....just come and get them.
Susan

April 2001

My name is Laura and I live in Granite Falls, WA, a rural area. I have
received my first peacock complaint! They are hanging around a neighbor's
deck more then he cares for. I want to find a way to convince him and the
others on my street that these birds are worth keeping around. So... do
they eat bugs? I imagine that would be appreciated by my neighbors. It
would be really great if they eat slugs... but anything would work! Any
insight? Thankyou! -Laura

April 2001

How can I find out about safe & pleasant to live in enclosures from here in Australia. I'm afraid I don't have access to US TV
channels or I would most definately have watched this one.
Jenny Seccull

April 2001

2 days ago a stray lone peahen flew over a fence but didn't make it. Her leg got stuck between 2 boards and my friend, Jamie from animal control got her. It was after hours
and the poor peahen was hanging upside down and drooling. Jamie rushed her to
the all night emergency vet where she was treated for shock and her foot and
about 2 " of her leg were amputated. I picked her up Fri. morning and took
her to my avian vet to have her checked. All looked good. I set her up in an
aviary with a bed of wood shavings and some hay. She is in great shape,
except for her foot. She is keeping quiet and only once tried to get up but
fell. It is sad to see but I commend the vet for saving her. What is your
experience with something like this? Will she be able to get about? Will I be
able to have her in with mine or should I keep her separate or with one male
or what???? Thanks Susan. Best, Lynn Lynprints@aol.com

April 2001

For black gnats use Permectrin; it is a spray folks use on horses. Follow
directions: spray shelter wire and Birds, also spray the ground.
You can also use Avon Skin so Soft mix 50% with 50% water and spray the
Peafowl's head and body.
This is a little messy it leaves an oil coating on the feathers that can get
dirty.
Good Luck
Mike & Jody
Rock-n-Cedar Exotic Fowl

April 2001

Hi Susan - First of all, let me say, my male peacock is doing just fine. (I had written you in regards to finding him on my front porch bleeding.) Don't know what happened, but all is well now. He has certainly become the Don Juan lately. He is constantly spreading those feathers, trying to impress the "Mrs."What I am wondering is, his feathers do not seem to be as full as last year. Any thoughts on this? Thanks - Cheryl~ cheryldee@atl.mediaone.net

April 2001

Susan,We found homes for all of our peafowl finally and our neighbors don't
hate us anymore! I don't know if this will work in your area, but you might give it a
try. The local (Sacramento, CA) SPCA sent us to the Wildlife Care
Association at (888)599-9453. It is a toll free number so you will know
immediately whether or not it's good in your area.They put us in touch with someone who agreed to take peafowl and once we were able to capture them he came to pick them up. We did give them to him (as opposed to sell) since we really wanted to get them out of here and someplace where they would be appreciated. Jan O'Brien (no longer a peafowl caretaker)

April 2001

This message is in reply to the message at the bottom of your most recent group email below about someone looking for a home for 5 males. I have 10 acres with 2 ponds in Bunnell Florida surrounded by many acres more of saw palmetto and pine trees.
We have 2 males strolling around and 3 females in pens...I feel that I have plenty of room for more so please have them contact me. Thanks, Ann Menke info@a1aweb.com

April 2001

>From Fallbrook, Calif. ANYONE out there who would like some of the birds
here are welcome. WE HAVE OVER 60, much too many for a neighborhood. We can
hardly drive down the street anymore. Please contact me at smid123@aol.com
or fax us at 760-728-0551. These birds are "wild" not belonging to anyone,
but are fed by a few of our neighbors. We have a large cage that we can hold
them in while looking for homes. We would love to hear from you. (Fallbrook
is in northern San Diego County)

April 2001

Susan,
those black gnats or bull nats are eating my peacocks and chicken up. can I 7 dust them or what do I do??? I have a 5% seven dust.
Thanks Robin tufenuf@brightok.net

April 2001

Larry and i have many peacocks in pens ...but the blues brothers run freely
on our farm...they arrived 2 winters ago and have been part of our family
ever since....i never noticed them being pesky or destructive with our
flowers...i love flowers and have a profuse flower garden during the summer
months here in p.a. I notice contrary to what i have read that the blues
brothers are actually beneficial & eat beaucoup bugs and never,never eat my
flowers...i love my birds; they add a beautiful compliment to the
property.....they are not aggressive with us even though many might think
them as wild.....the thought of destroying these birds for whatever reason
to me would be like throwing the Mona Lisa into a bonfire .....Francine
Laurencefrancine@aol.com

March 2001

Interestingly, our peacocks PREFER our bougainvillia over almost everything else. We are curious to know if there is anything we can put on our landscaping to keep the peacocks from eating it - for example, Jalapeno juice? or garlic juice? Has anyone
tried something like this? The only herb I've found they don't like is rosemary. They love mint, have eaten our ferns, left the roses alone. We're waiting for our bluebonnets to bloom and wonder if they'll eat these. Caroline - cbdb@tstar.net

January 2001

I emailed you several months ago. I got three peachicks in August and they were 12 weeks old. They were allowed to run freely on our property as of October. They are healthy and fine and since Christmas Eve they finally fly in a large pine tree at
the edge of the woods to roost at night. Up until then, they roosted on our roof. I still do not know how to keep them away from the house during the day. They only seem to want to explore just before roosting at night and do not wander off too far. They are so funny. They do not seem to want to be separated from the others. If two are in the front of the house, the one alone will honk loud, almost like a goose until they are back together again. They run and chase eachother, sometimes in circles, as if playing catch with eachother.

Several times in the past few months, the crest feathers on the male India Blue are gone. I do not know if it is the female India Blue or the male Emerald Spaulding that are removing his feathers. The Emerald Spaulding seems to be the leader over the India Blue Male even though they were all hatched last spring.

We have wild turkey come around and the peafowl do not seem to be interested in the turkey at all. We even have pictures of the peafowl eating corn with the deer that came in our yard. At first they fanned their tail feathers and tried to intimidate them to chase them away from the corn. The deer did not seem to care, so the peafowl joined them for lunch. The peafowl fly on my birdbath and use it for their drinking water.

I just thought I would fill you in on how they were progressing. I paid $75 for each of them and I have gotten my money's worth in pleasure just watching them. I named the Blues Napoleon and Josephine and the E Spaulding is George, for Curious George.

Sincerely, Joy - jars7@bellsouth.net

February 2001

Hi Susan,
Well P.Boy is no longer alone. I went looking for a female big time.
Found a man that is going out of the bird business, he wants to
travel and retire.
Anyway, he had 3 that he would not separate. Male,female and little
one born around last Aug. Pretty boy didn't know what to think of
the whole thing for awhile, but he is now feeling rather pee-turbed.
The last day or so he sure is strutting. His tail is about 4 feet
across. And when I tell him how pretty he is and make over him, he
struts all the more.

I do have some questions though.

Do females strut? (fan there tails). The youngeon is fanning. I can
not tell if it is male or female. Its color looks like its momma,
but is brighter around the neck area. It has a really nice crown,
where the mamma doesn't. The guy I got them from said the females
chew off there crowns...is this right?
Also, Pretty Boy has lost 3 of his tail feathers, is this normal?

Still have not gotten the vit. But am feeding them all kinds of
goodies. The water is heated so the wild turkeys drink it as well,
as do my darn little cats, and the deer.

I went to the buddy board and did not see my notes.
Pretty Boy and the others have a shed that they can go into at night.
But choose not to. During the day they do go into it. They prefer
the tree outside the shed. The shed has lots of straw on the floor
for them to nesstle down in, I do need to put up some perches. Just
can not do it during the winter as I need to cut the young (way over
crowded) trees to use them as such. Snow is way to deep for me to
get out there.

The new "family" eats the eggs up like there is no tomorrow, alone
with lettuce, bread, hay, cat food, sunflower seeds,chic scratch and
apples. P.Boy still does not like eggs, but everything else he
loves.
Must be working cause he is gaining and looking Really Good.

I have got a ton to do here, plowing snow for my "babies" so there
little feet are not surrounded and covered by the cold stuff. Oh the
story I could tell you of the first night I turned them loose...it is
funny now, but what a nightmare then.

look forward to hearing from you Susan.

M, from the "Big Sky Country of Montana" <>< imkaldm@cyberport.net

February 2001

I had a question. The writer mentioned solutions to the overpopulation
problems. We spoke about breeders and she said that the birds in the wild are
a mishmash type whereas the breeders have different species. I didn't argue
with her, but do you feel that this is true? I know you make part of your
living selling them and I am certainly not judging. Of the 62 I have rescued,
they are primarily India Blues, lavendar and whites. What sets the one's bred
apart from those? I would think the India Blues would be popular. Anyway,
just wondering... Lynn - Lynprints@aol.com

January 2001

Dear Susan,
Finally I have found someone who has a passion for this very special group of feathered friends of mine...........I have had the utmost joy
and also some very sad days owing to the peacock. I am delighted to find you and am mailing membership as soon as I can. Presently I have a hand raised hen: "ERNI"(we thought she was going to be a boy!) with four chicks and 2 other females and RAJAH the father of ERNI. One peahen has been raised by a tiny little Old English Game Bantam hen for whom I had to turn the egg twice a day whilst she
sat!
Unfortunately foxes are a problem for us here in Australia when the hens sit. We have become undercover detectives during mating season tracking peahens all over the place when they are selecting nesting sites and laying so as to protect them from foxes. Sadly we have lost 2 one of which was Erni's mum. I have attached a photo of Erni for you.
I am lucky to have enlisted the assistance of the ex Melbourne zoo vet for assistance for example when bitten by a lethal red-back spider. However it is often that he confesses he doesn't know what is wrong and we have to rely on guess work.........
I do so look forward to hearing all the tips and ideas and especially about sexing the chicks.
Jenny Seccull
Western Australia
PS our breeding season is from Sept to March and moonlit nights are just as noisy where ever you are it seems!

January 2001

Dear Susan,
I don't know if anyone has helped Elizabeth with her White Peacock
Dream. I have been looking in several dictionaries of symbols and find a
number of conflicting explanations, depending on which part of the world
is doing the interpretation and even which period of history uses the
peacock for a symbol. None of them use White Peacock as a specific symbol
but many have entries for Peacock and White separately.
I'll list some of the "nice" attributes, since she said her dream left
her feeling good all day. The Peacock can be: Immortality, Longevity,
Love, symbol of the Stars in the Sky, (in China) Compassion associated
with Kwan-Yin, (in Christianity) the All-Seeing Church and resurrection or
the glorified soul, (in India) wisdom/music/poetry as associated with
Sarasvati, (in Iran) Royalty. Islamic symbolism also links the eye on the
feathers to the "Eye of the Heart."
"White" can be used to show: Transcendent perfection, simplicity,
light, purity, illumination, innocence, majesty, heavenly delight, and the
triumph of the spirit over the flesh.
There are MANY more uses of both symbols. Perhaps Elizabeth needs to ask
her local library about sources listing interpretations of dreams.

I hope she has many more good dreams about Peacocks. Betty Ann

Betty Ann Smith, Reference Librarian Work: (503) 768-7346
Lewis & Clark College Fax: (503) 768-7282
0615 SW Palatine Hill Road smithb@lclark.edu
Portland, OR 97219

January 2001

CedarnRock@aol.com wrote:

Hello Susan

I just went through the buddy board since we have rain today. Here are two messages I would like for you to put on it.
#1
A post from Marilyn Markley dated 12-22 2000 I think the date is correct.
She stated she had a light in the shelter. If the light is regular light bulb
it will make the birds start laying early or start molting. Wild Fowl start
laying when they get 14 to 16 hours of sun light. She needs to use a red bulb or red heat lamp.
A word of caution light bulbs can start a FIRE. A friend in MA. had his barn burn using a light for brooder heat. Lost the big barn and several Peafowl.

#2
You sent me a question about Peacocks making a lot of noise. My response was there is a video on devoicing A Peacock. Under my response was a message that
could be intrepid that I devoiced Peacocks .. The person said it was cruel
to send him the cocks cod. You may not want to post my response to his.

My response
I would say there are hardly any Peacocks that get devoiced in a year. But there are thousands of DOGS AND CATS THAT GET NEUTERED AND SPADED
EVERY YEAR AND NO ONE SAYS ANY THING ABOUT this CRUEL thing. I HAVE NEVER HAD A PEACOCK DEVOICED. I HAVE REQUEST FOR THEM FROM TIME TO TIME. I ALWAYS REFER THEM TO THE VIDEO ON THE U.P.A. (United Peafowl) web site.
Thank you
Mike Johns
Rock-N-Cedar Exotic Fowl, Muldrow, OK
Web site http://www.boxess.com/chome.htm

HI, In regards to the people in Columbus, Ohio--We live in Mansfield,
Ohio--about 70 miles from Columbus. I know how cold it has been here. We
have 3 old card tables that we put up against the back of the house with
corrugated roofing layed over it. In the summer and fall when it rained, all
5 of our peafowl would stay under that. It was open so that in case any
animal came after them, they could get away easily. When the snow started
they all stayed under there but I was worried about the awful cold also and
we finally got them all into a huge shed that we have. We put straw down and
have a light bulb hanging down that they stay under most of the time but go
to the rafters to sleep at night. Three of our peafowl were just hatched
August 19 and we worried if they could stand the cold winter but seem to be
doing fine so far.
Thanks for all your E-Mail
Marilyn Markley

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