Peacocks - are they worth having around the farm yard!?

[Doing it for the kids]

Ever since I saw a pair on holiday in Dorset I quite liked the idea of them. I’ve the opportunity of a couple (brace??) but not sure how damaking the can be.

rumours are they are noisy, can be quite bolshy and attack shiny things. The Mrs is far from convinced, I’m on the fence...

we are a fair distance from any other property so I doubt the will wonder too far.

any advice welcome?

 

[MRT]

No first hand experience, my grandmother kept them and said if spooked they would fly a long way and never found thier own way home

 

[ProDrive]

Thought they brought bad luck?

 

[Lili]

Watch out for them getting on the roof - they are fond of heights!

 

[Barleymow]

Some in the village they wander all over the place, good for traffic calming

 

[ollie989898]

They get on roofs.

They 'decorate' paths as they go.

They are noisy as sin.

They hold up traffic.

Look pretty but taste bad.

 

[Lincs Lass]

We have about 15 round the village ,,mating season is very noisey if there is two cock birds sounding of against each other mmhe who shouts the loudest gets the bigest hariem ,,they are destructive,territorial ,they will kill ducklings and eat them ,,the average brood of chicks is six ,they are suseptable to black head virus which kills the chicks in a matter of days ,,the cock birds sounds like a strangled cat ,the hens are usually quite .Had this one tonight

 

[suffolksmallholder]

An old farmer I knew kept and bred peacocks. Yes they were noisy, flew off to visit other peacocks in the vicinity but were spectacular in residence. You only had to shout once on passing his farm and set them off.....
SS

 

[solo]

A local nursing home had some, but the villagers didn’t like them because they used to follow the milkman round and peck the milk bottle tops and the loaves of bread. They could be quite vocal too. Nursing home no longer has them after a petition got going.

 

[glasshouse]

They will crap all over your newest tractor, not an old one
They stripped the paint off the bonnet of my new ford 7810 in the eighties
My sister got them , then got married and left us with the mess.

 

[Lincs Lass]

Forgot to say ,,they will pull all your bedding plants out and other plants will get pecked to hell as they pluck the flowers of as they are sweet.
They roost on your ridge tiles dislogding them if they are loose ,,,By god can they fly

Also they will peck metalic and blue paint as they see a reflection in it and think its competition ,,Best place for peackocks is india sat outside the Rag,s palace

 

[TripleSix]

Terrible things, noisy and love to sit on top of cars and tractors dragging their claws across the paintwork.

We got given a couple years ago,. Kept them in for a couple of weeks,let them out and they flew off over to the neighbours and moved in there permanently.
He was actually pleased.

 

[Clive]

Ever since I saw a pair on holiday in Dorset I quite liked the idea of them. I’ve the opportunity of a couple (brace??) but not sure how damaking the can be.

rumours are they are noisy, can be quite bolshy and attack shiny things. The Mrs is far from convinced, I’m on the fence...

we are a fair distance from any other property so I doubt the will wonder too far.

any advice welcome?

they are loud ! neighbour has some and they make a lot of noise in the early hours


I have googled recipes for roast peacock many times after a early wake up !

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Some in the village they wander all over the place, good for traffic calming

they might slow the white vans down who fly around here!

They get on roofs.

They 'decorate' paths as they go.

They are noisy as sin.

They hold up traffic.

Look pretty but taste bad.

yet to taste one, suppose that can be a plan b! they can hopefully stay in the Fsrm yard which gets swept often.

We have about 15 round the village ,,mating season is very noisey if there is two cock birds sounding of against each other mmhe who shouts the loudest gets the bigest hariem ,,they are destructive,territorial ,they will kill ducklings and eat them ,,the average brood of chicks is six ,they are suseptable to black head virus which kills the chicks in a matter of days ,,the cock birds sounds like a strangled cat ,the hens are usually quite .Had this one tonight

best only keep one boy then, enough hormones around this place! No ducks, only chickens. The office is well insulated but the single glazed bedroom windows are not, that’s the main concern, enough loud noises from the kids bedrooms early in the day already!

 

[Al R]

Go on, do it for the kids

From reading everything above I wouldn’t have one

 

[Av Gorritt]

Our neighbour in the big house down the lane has a cock and two hens , (I think the hens are sitting just now) . We get a visit quite frequently and they seem to peck at the crushed potatoes from the telehandler wheels . Very occasionally I've had to remonstrate with them for perching on my car , and yes , they're a bit noisy sometimes . But all in all I quite like them about . I suppose they're like the couple of cock pheasants we also have , with their harems , OK whilst they're in controlled numbers but could be a pest if they multiplied .

 

[Lincs Lass]

they might slow the white vans down who fly around here!



yet to taste one, suppose that can be a plan b! they can hopefully stay in the Fsrm yard which gets swept often.



best only keep one boy then, enough hormones around this place! No ducks, only chickens. The office is well insulated but the single glazed bedroom windows are not, that’s the main concern, enough loud noises from the kids bedrooms early in the day already!

Chickens carry the blackhead virus and ferral pigeons,,anything free range that drinks or baths in puddles (yes I know the shortage of those )general craps in the same water ,,peacocks then drink the same water and the virus is transfered ,,you will know if one gets it ,,their wings droop,their breathing is very strained and gasping ,they stop eating and next you know ,they die

 

[Spartacus]

A neighbour had some, about 600 metres from me but they came over to visit quite often, f**k me they were noisy, I wouldn't want them full time!

 

[Lincs Lass]

Thought they brought bad luck?

Thats the feathers in the house ,,the tail feathers look like eyes

 

[Kidds]

Having had a trio many years ago I would say do it for the kids.
The most surprising thing about them is how high they fly to roost. Whatever the tallest thing around is, that is where they will be.