Can Male Peacocks Be Housed Together?

The male peafowl, known as a peacock, is best known for its long extravagant tail, which it displays for courtship purposes. There are two main types of peafowl, the Indian Peafowl and the Green Peafowl. The Indian Peafowl has more blue in its feather coloring and the peahen, or female, is gray or brown. The Green Peafowl is mainly green and sometimes gold. The Green Peafowl peahen is very similar to the male, but with a shorter tail. Peafowl are native to Southern Asia and Malaysia. Peafowl are relatives of pheasants.

  1. Space Requirements

    • Many peafowl can be housed together, including males, as long as they are given ample room. Peafowl need about 80 square feet per bird.

    Free Roaming

    • Peafowl will generally stay close to home if allowed to roam free. Only let peafowl loose if they are familiar with their surroundings and if space permits. Don't let peafowl loose in a dense neighborhood or in an area close to roadways.

    Pen Sizing

    • Peafowl need ample space to spread their tails. Pens should be plenty tall enough for plumage displays during mating season, at least eight to 10 feet tall.

    Mating Season

    • Males may get slightly aggressive toward each other during mating season. If males have ample space, aggression shouldn't get bad and will mainly involve plumage displaying.

    History

    • It is believed that peafowl have been bred in captivity for centuries, and first by the people of China.