Can I Change a Peacock's Roost?

Peafowl have to have a lot of room to live in, or they can quickly become a nuisance. Both peacocks and peahens are noisy and active, and they tend to use the bathroom wherever they are standing when the urge to go strikes. Sometimes peafowl decide to roost in locations that are deleterious to their human owners.

  1. Peafowl and Roosting

    • Peafowl share many similarities with other poultry, such as chickens and turkeys, including a desire to roost when the sun sets. The need to roost in a safe location that is high off the ground is normal for peacocks. Peafowl will typically choose a location that is 4 or more feet off the ground and feels secure from predators.

    Bad Roosting Locations

    • A good roosting location might be a specially built roosting perch, a perch inside a chicken coop or similar structure, the top of a building or even a water tower or similar structure. A bad roosting location, as far as humans are concerned, might be on top of your neighbor's house or vehicle. Peafowl do not care about property boundaries when they select roosting locations, which can lead to problems for you. Most homeowners do not enjoy coming outside every morning to discover a peacock has spent the last 8 hours of darkness peacefully pooping on their vehicle from a perch on a tree branch above the driveway.

    Changing Roosting Locations

    • Peafowl are highly adaptable; you certainly can change their roosting locations, but you will have to give the peacock an incentive to make the change. First you need to make sure your peafowl have access to only the areas where you are comfortable with them roaming around, and roosting, in. Provide your peafowl with one or more appropriate roosting locations that are easily accessed within the area you want them to stay in. Make sure the roosting perches are at least 4 feet off the ground and sturdy enough that your peafowl will feel comfortable standing or sitting on them. Some people opt to keep their peafowl permanently housed in chicken coops, which will definitely limit the places they can roost to only those of your choosing.

    Training Your Peafowl

    • It's generally a good idea to keep your peafowl contained for the first 6 weeks you own them; you may want to do the same thing if you are trying to change their habits. Make sure to feed your peafowl regularly close to the area where you want them to roost, making their lives nice and convenient if they do what you want. An ample supply of food and a good perch should be enough incentive for most peafowl to stay nearby. You may also want to provide your peacock with several peahens for company. Peafowl will wander from home if they are looking for mates.