# Why peacocks?



## gabbyraja

Honestly, why do people raise peacocks? I can not figure it out.


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## wolffeathers

Because they like to look at them. Pretty much sums it up. 

Some breed them to sell to other people who want to look at them.


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## gabbyraja

k, that's really what I thought... Pets.


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## JasoninMN

You can sell a peacock for a lot more then the average chicken......


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## Darren

JasoninMN said:


> You can sell a peacock for a lot more then the average chicken......


And there's a lot more meat on them too!


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## DYngbld

Because not everyone else does.


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## gunnar wordon

The eggs are expensive but, once they're fully grown, they are worth a LOT!


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## celina

my daughter asked..where are they found in the wild...does anyone know??


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## mistletoad

celina said:


> my daughter asked..where are they found in the wild...does anyone know??


India and southeast Asia.


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## Kazahleenah

celina said:


> my daughter asked..where are they found in the wild...does anyone know??


 Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka


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## mekasmom

JasoninMN said:


> You can sell a peacock for a lot more then the average chicken......


You can sell a Peacock egg for $15 too. You can't even sell a dozen chicken eggs for that.

Plus they make so much noise that they irritate neighbors. That has value too if you don't like your neighbors.


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## Tiempo

gabbyraja said:


> k, that's really what I thought... Pets.


8 Assorted Peafowl/Peacock hatching eggs, 8 fresh hatching eggs | eBay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-PEAFOWL-...676?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cc8582164

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Peacock-P...654?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item231f6abe8e


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## mekasmom

Tiempo said:


> 8 Assorted Peafowl/Peacock hatching eggs, 8 fresh hatching eggs | eBay


WOW! And I thought the ones that sell for $15-20 around here was a good price.


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## Tiempo

Mature birds sell for about $50-$100 each around here, but they are too loud for my tastes


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## Oakshire_Farm

My neighbor has some, I like there noise from a distance. I walked into my barn one day and 2 of there peacocks (both boys) were standing there! I screamed, I had no idea they were there and they scared the bejesus out of me! LOL They wander down to visit every once in a while. My tom turkey HATES them and does his best to keep them away. My cows act like they are some foreign threat that has been send to kill them when they walk across the pasture with their tails all fanned out! It is a adventure when ever they come to visit. 

But I do not see any use for them, the price you pay for them, I have seen up to $150 each. I cannot imagine anyone would eat them?


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## oregon woodsmok

They are beautiful to look at. There is nothing wrong with ornamental. I have a lot of really pretty flowers at my place and they are just to look at.

I think the tail feathers can be sold every year, if the bird has to pay for some of it's food.

I don't want them around because they are too noisy, but if they had a quiet variety, I might have one. They are pretty all year round, not just for 3-4 weeks like my irises.


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## jd4020

A friend of ours has about 30-40 of them running around her place and has offered them free to another friend & myself. But they free range and are cagey fowl. After we caught the first two, they were on to us. They roost at the top of oak trees and sail down in the mornings. My friend took the two we caught. Her grandson gathers the molted feathers and sells them.
I would LOVE to have them at my house. I love the call they make and how splendid they look. With their little crown of feathers on their heads I think they give the barnyard such a regal air. 
jd


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## mekasmom

You have a wonderful friend to offer them to you for free. They are expensive birds.


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## Dusky Beauty

Peafowl are actually supposed to be great for snake control, they chase them down relentlessly and eat them if they find them, just like guineas. I've been debating the virtues of raising guineas vs. peafowl for a while, but I'm worried about keeping either species home. At the new house there is a neighbor a mile away who has peafowl and you can clearly hear them call across the valley, I don't think I could keep birds from following the noise. 

Does anyone know if you can clip wings to keep them grounded?

This lady is a few miles away from me now... I was thinking of giving her eggs a try if I got a new incubator. http://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/grd/3032492685.html (Actually... when I go outside at night... it might be HER peafowl I hear calling out.)


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## neurochicken

The feathers are big now for floral arrangements, weddings, and decor. This would be a really good idea for Farmer's Market, IMO. Other reasons (besides being pretty): (1) excellent guard birds (I have seen more than a few strangers- human and otherwise- tuck tail and run from my parent's property upon hearing a peafowl's call) and (2) snake control.


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## neurochicken

Oh, and my parents' start was from a stray who wandered to our home from a neighbor's house. They've had a "herd" of 'em ever since.


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## GBov

celina said:


> my daughter asked..where are they found in the wild...does anyone know??


They are found in the "wild" in Florida. There is a strong feral population down here.

Am about to buy four of them but at $10 each, thats not too bad. They are (I think) the largest of the phesants so their meat is supposed to be quite tasty.

I'll let you know if it is.


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## wolffeathers

I have read the meat tends to be dry. 

In medieval times they would carefully skin a mature peacock, cook the meat and then place the feathers back over the meat. Obviously we know better than to lay raw skin on cooked meat, but someone did the modern version by taking the bird to a taxidermist, who skinned the bird and then placed the hide over a dome like dish. That way the dome could be cleaned and safely placed over the cooked meat. It was a centerpiece dish. 

I have read that the meat was considered dry even then and sometimes the cooks would place the peacock hide over a more tastey bird like a goose. LOL Funfact of the morning.

They tend to be expensive around here, 75-150 per adult bird, an expensive experimental meal, but at 10 a bird, I would be tempted to give it a try.


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## Vickie44

They roamed the hills in southern California. I like their sounds much more then Guinea hens


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