# I Want to Keep Pet Peacocks **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 27, 2002, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-keep-pet-peacocks/111086 "2002-05-27T20:32:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-keep-pet-peacocks/111086/1 "2002-05-27T20:32:50Z")
I’ve always wanted a couple of peacocks to wander around my estate-er, back yard. I love the colors and the exquisite tailfeathers, and I’d like to majke a gift of two to my wife. naturally, I would care for the birds. My question: how hard is it to care for these exotic birds? Do they make a lot of noise? And, are they likely to annoy the neighbors? Does anybody have experience in keeping peacocks? I’sd also like to have a couple of ring-necked pheasants! Finally, if I get tired of them, are peacocks good to eat?😕 ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-keep-pet-peacocks/111086/2 "2002-05-27T21:33:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ralph124c \* > My question: how hard is it to care for these exotic birds? Real easy. The most important thing is to have some tall trees they can perch in at night. Otherwise they’ll perch on your house. Or someone’s house. Feeding them is not strictly necessary during most of the year as they will eat bugs and stuff. Not that they will refuse bird feed if you give it to them. > [@](#): > > Do they make a lot of noise? And, are they likely to annoy the neighbors? Noisiest damn birds in the world. At least during mating season which lasts from early spring to early to mid-summer. Your neighbors will probably hate you if you get them. Unless you only get females. It’s the males that make all the noise. But it’s the males that have the long blue feathers. They drop those feathers in summer and grow them back the rest of the year. > [@](#): > > Finally, if I get tired of them, are peacocks good to eat?😕 Couldn’t say. I used to live in a neighborhood that had peacocks living semi-wild. Didn’t eat any of them though. When I first moved in, there were a couple that were lucky I don’t own a shotgun. I got used to the noise after a while, though. Male peacocks are territorial. If you get two of them, they will claim separate areas, one of which will probably be your neighbor’s lawn. If you want to feed one, you have to go into his territory. Females are not territorial and will wander around all over the place. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-keep-pet-peacocks/111086/3 "2002-05-27T21:53:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ralph124c \* > \*\*I’ve always wanted a couple of peacocks to wander around my estate-er, back yard. I love the colors and the exquisite tailfeathers, and I’d like to majke a gift of two to my wife. naturally, I would care for the birds. My question: how hard is it to care for these exotic birds? Not hard at all. In parts of Tennessee, they’ve turned feral and areas now have large wild populations. > [@](#): > > Do they make a lot of noise? And, are they likely to annoy the neighbors? It depends on how close your neighbors are and whether or not they’d be bothered by constant cries of what sounds like women saying “Help!” > [@](#): > > Does anybody have experience in keeping peacocks? I’sd also like to have a couple of ring-necked pheasants! > Finally, if I get tired of them, are peacocks good to eat?😕 \*\* :::::Must resist urge to make off-color comment.:::: Auugh! They taste like chicken! ::::Slinks away satisfied that he settled for a tired cliche than the alternative.:::: ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-keep-pet-peacocks/111086/4 "2002-05-27T21:59:28Z")
I used to live live across the street from the Naval Postgraduate School and also worked on that base for four years. There’s a muster of peafowl living on the base. Given how noisy they are, you probably don’t want one. Bagpipes don’t approach their noise level. Added to that is the peacock’s “song” sounds like someone screaming bloody murder. For the uninitiated: [ul][li]Peafowl: either of two very large terrestrial pheasants (Pavo cristatus and P. muticus) of southeastern Asia and the East Indies often reared as ornamental fowls[/li][li]Peacock: male peafowl[/li][li]Peahen: female peafowl[/li]_These definitions gotten from Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary. An intersting thing is the Encarta Encyclopedia tells me there’s three species of peafowl._ [li]Muster: a flock of peafowl.[/li]_This definition taken from [www.dictionary.com](http://www.dictionary.com) (except they said “a flock of peacocks.”_[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-keep-pet-peacocks/111086/5 "2002-05-27T22:01:52Z")
You must really hate your neighbors. Get a male, they will hang you in effigy. Then they will hang the peacock. A guy a few blocks from me had a couple of them. The male would call in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, and most of the night. It was found run over in the middle of the road one morning. Many said it was not an accident. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-keep-pet-peacocks/111086/6 "2002-05-28T01:59:31Z")
Since it’s a type of pheasant, I imagine it could be prepared like the more commonly encountered game bird, and might be pretty good, actually (I like pheasant). I did turn up this: [http://members.tripod.com/~BayGourmet/askchef.html](http://members.tripod.com/~BayGourmet/askchef.html) > [@](#): > > Peacock is a dark, sweet, juicy meat not unlike duck but considerably less fatty. I recommend checking the degree of fat on the carcass, and barding (draping with fat bacon or rubbing/injecting with butter or oil) if the bird is a lean one. Simple roasting or braising will bring out its unique and delicate flavor; do not overcook peafowl. A good herbal pairing would be herbs du provence with lavender and thyme, or perhaps fresh rosemary. Roasted or braised root vegetables or squashes are another good accompaniment to this delicately flavored and savory meat. ---
**Author:** ![Forbin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Forbin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Forbin)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-keep-pet-peacocks/111086/7 "2002-05-28T03:00:24Z")
You probably don’t live where cobras are a problem, but peacocks are great for ridding yourself of cobras. If they see a snake (including cobras), they kill it. And they’re quite good at it too! Useless trivia I just happen to know ---
**Author:** ![Motog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@Motog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motog)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-keep-pet-peacocks/111086/8 "2002-05-28T04:17:30Z")
I can second the comments about the noise. They have a very loud and very unpleasant call. I lived on a fruit farm in the mountains that had them (one of the reasons that they were kept was, as Forbin said, to deter snakes- though I never saw them kill any snakes). The farm was about 60acres but they still annoyed the neighbours with the noise. However, the real reason the neighbours used to hate them was that they used to roost in their carports and the droppings stripped the paint off the cars. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-keep-pet-peacocks/111086/9 "2002-05-28T06:27:55Z")
Peafowl in flight are quite amusing. I swear they look like a cartoon rendition of a drunken bird in flight. ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-keep-pet-peacocks/111086/10 "2002-05-28T06:35:08Z")
About 20 years ago, some folks up in Marin thought having peafowl on the premises would be ‘chic’. That fad lasted just long enough to be mocked - the reality of having the nasty, messy things was NOT pleasant. don’t know about the ring-necked’s … ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-keep-pet-peacocks/111086/11 "2002-05-28T06:48:27Z")
Another thing I remember is that peacocks would attack their own reflection in either chrome bumpers or shiny black paint. No other color interested them. They couldn’t hurt the bumpers, of course, but they would really mess up a black paint job. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-keep-pet-peacocks/111086/12 "2002-05-28T09:18:33Z")
Noisy, noisy damned things. I went on a camping trip several years ago out in Nevada, and they had several of the birds around the place. One of the males was albino, and had really beautiful tailfeathers. Almost white in color, but with the iridescence intact. Very prismatic in the sunlight, so you could still see the “eyes” on them. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-keep-pet-peacocks/111086/13 "2002-05-28T09:44:23Z")
In a very large country garden, there is nothing more exotic and appealing (IMO) than the occasional echoing call of an unseen peacock; to find it, shall we explore the maze, or might it be in the knot garden? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-keep-pet-peacocks/111086/14 "2002-05-28T10:02:59Z")
In my current town of residence there was a peacock that someone had bought as a pet and kept in their large backyard. It was not popular. After some wrangling over many months it was declared a nuisance ( and I believe the owners also sold the home and moved - the exact sequence of events is a bit hazy in my mind ) and Animal Control was called in to remove it. Now I was fond of the thing as I lived just enough blocks away, half-a-dozen, for its call to be appealingly exotic ( as **Mangetout** put it ) and not overwhelmingly intrusive. But I sympathized with the immediate neighbors. Thing is, they couldn’t catch it. This was one wily bird. They tried for _weeks_ with absolutely no success. When threatened it just retreated into a particularly tall and dense tree in the yard where it was virtually invulnerable. All attempts to trap it failed. _Until_…They tried \*_dtilique’s_ idea. They put out a cage with a mirror in it. It didn’t attack it so much as admire itself, apparently - Vanity was its downfall :D. I like them, like I said. But unless you live well away from the neighbors, I wouldn’t even consider getting one. About the only thing that might top them as a neighborhood nuisance would be if you got a Howler Monkey. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@Big\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-keep-pet-peacocks/111086/15 "2002-05-28T14:11:44Z")
I have peacocks on the farm I’m renting. They really are beautiful creatures, but DON"T GET ANY! I wish I could shoot 'em all, but it’s part of the lease that I can’t get rid of those terrible beasts. Loud and noisy are not strong enough words to describe the vile sound of a peacock shrilling at full blast at 2:30 outside your bedroom window. I hate them. On second thought, I’m sure the owner won’t miss one or two. Get in touch, I’ll make you a great deal on a used peacock. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-keep-pet-peacocks/111086/16 "2002-05-28T18:09:54Z")
My neighbors used to have peacocks and I’ve never forgiven them. In addition to the noise (which has been well documented above), they are absolute poop machines. So unless you want to clean poop off of the porch, the stairs and just about anyplace else that you can imagine, DON’T DO IT!!!. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-keep-pet-peacocks/111086/17 "2002-05-28T22:56:25Z")
A friend of mine has some [golden pheasants](http://bpsp-neca.brim.ac.cn/books/bdinchn/photo/02.jpg); if you don’t want the noise of peacocks, I’d say they are a just as showy in their own way (the photo in the link doesn’t do them justice).