Freeranging or Penning: Which is Right for You?
Perhaps the biggest question facing a new peafowl owner is whether you will keep them penned or leave them free on your property. Although you may have a gut inclination toward either option, it's best to consider this realistically before you decide. Depending on your circumstances or location, one choice might be easier or smarter than the other. Below are some factors to consider when making your decision.
Freeranging Pros/Penning Cons:
- There is something magnificent about having peafowl free on your property, to roam and explore at will. Here is the primary reason people let their peas out, and it is a compelling one. Peafowl are very curious birds, and watching them interact with their surroundings when they are not constrained can be a source of endless amusement.
- Although some sort of pen must be constructed for the acclimation period, having freeranging birds drastically cuts down on aviary costs and construction time.
- There are no pens to be cleaned.
- Feeding and watering the birds will take less time when you have one feeding area instead of individual pens to visit (assuming you would have more than one pen of birds).
- Peafowl will be exposed to all sorts of food they would normally eat in the wild, making it easier for them to have a balanced diet and requiring you to purchase less feed.
Freeranging Cons/Penning Pros:
- Freeranged birds are generally more susceptible to predators especially laying and setting peahens and young chicks. Although adult peafowl are usually capable of flying from danger, nesting peahens are at a very high risk of predator attack because they usually will not quickly abandon their nest, and even if they do it is often too late. Although I've never freeranged peacocks, my mother freeranges turkeys and every summer we lose most of our hens if we don't find the nests and take the eggs.
- Freeranged birds will mate at will, so if you have multiple types/colors of peafowl you are unlikely to get pure chicks. Although this can be a lot of fun to see what hatches, don't expect any of your pricier colors to breed true often. If you want pure fancy chicks, penning, at least during breeding season, is probably the way to go.
- There is always the chance that freeranged birds will take off. This is especially a danger when the birds are first released if they are spooked or were not acclimated properly Successful Freeranging Tips. Although acclimated birds usually stick around, there are always exceptions. As your flock grows, younger males may fly off to find their own hens. The same might be true if your lone peacock loses his mate. Penned birds, barring a defect in the pen or an accidentally left open door, stay put.
- Even if your peafowl stay around, they probably don't know the boundaries of your property as well as you do. They may wander onto your neighbors' land, and your neighbors may not appreciate these visits.
- As with any freeranging bird, peafowl can make a mess. You may find your garden or flowers under attack and poop on places you don't want it (such as your front porch). Peafowl have also been known to attack their reflection off the side of a shiny car or truck, thinking it to be a rival male. They are usually fine, but the car comes out of the situation worse for wear-peacock spurs are formidable.
- Although peafowl are usually smart enough to stay off streets, if there is a major road nearby there is always the possibility of an accident.
Some people who freerange their peafowl avoid many of these potential problems by penning their birds during breeding season. This was they are able to control which males mate which hens, and protect the hens and their future chicks from predators. After summer ends and the chicks are big enough to fend for themselves the birds are allowed out again for another eight or nine months. Doing this allows you the best of both worlds, and is worth considering if you are interested in raising a few different colors or don't want to worry about lost hens and chicks.
