Garden Helpers, Not!

As if the weather isn't making it hard enough to garden in TX my Peafowl family is making it worse. LOL Out of desperation I potted some Eggplant and Pepper Plants in pots so I could keep them out of the direct sun and basically just to do something with them. Well, the following pictures tell the rest of the story... They are also getting in my in ground garden, but they seem more interested in the weeds then anything else. I'm hoping that when the garden isn't the only green area they will hang out elsewhere. : /

Uh, do those creatures belong to you? Or, are they wild, and just show up?

Wow, your quick I havent even gotten all the pictures posted. LOL Three years ago Petey, the male showed up. The next spring 4 more showed up but left after the breeding season, the next year they showed up again (I actually saw them walking down the road) but this time the female Penelope stayed around. Then a year later ( this spring) she brought 4 peachicks on to my front porch (May 24th) they were a few days old. I had noticed thst she had been making a "different" sound but I have no idea wher her nest was. Needless to say I was a little surprised.

One more, they have knocked a bunch of stuff over and made a huge mess. On the bright side I do have a couple Thai Eggplant set so they havent destroyed everything, despite their best efforts. I know they're just trying to cool off. The pictures arent the best but they are taken through my glass door, they won't let me get as close as they used to.

Mine love fruit, especially blueberries. Maybe if your threw them some they would loose interest in the plants?

1lisac - Do they lay eggs for you? I thought I could see an egg in the first photo.

In the 1st pic momma is yelling at them for making such a mess. 2 of them got caught red-handed, while the one is trying to distance itself from the beak-lashing :)

Ray-it does look that way, I actually think Penelope is panting, try to keep cool.

Terri-I'm sure they would love blueberries BUT they are expensive and I'm not going to pay that price for these birds! Lol They are actually scratching down in the cool, damp soil to sit in it and on anything that is in the way.

Bee- they lay eggs, I know that because that's were the chicks came from. Hehe although ive never found their nest. The egg you see is a shell from a chicken egg that was in one of those bowl setting neatly by the back door along with some coffee grounds and other kitchen scraps, waiting to go to the garden. Then the peachicks came along a dumped everything everywhere! I've cleaned it up so many times Im just not going to put it out there any more, at least until they grow up.

Just how I perceived the Bird-Brain happenings :)

You're probably right. Now that I look at the picture closer it does seem like she is yelling at them, I only wish she had started sooner. They really do make a mess, there are other pots that are knocked over that you cant see. This morning, when I was taking my kids to school, the peafamily was in the front pasture grazing with a rabbit (who was minding its own business) all of a sudden Penelope noticed the rabbit and the chase was on. The poor rabbit ran all over....
Ray-thanks for making the picture clearer, I guess I could clean the glass....

Here's a picture of when they were little and less distructive.

Oh my, you have patience.
I do believe they would be listed for sale on Local Harvest
or on Gardens NOT 2Grow!

8 ))

LOL Its not that I have patience Ive simply given up. When I look at that cute little face in the last picture I think aww.. can't help but love them when they are sooo cute. I do wish Petey wouldn't roost on the chimney at night, when he jumps down it's really loud and echos through my bedroom. Between the guinea birds and the peafowl I guess it's no wonder I wear earplugs to sleep. Lol

Maybe put down an old towel or piece of carpet in the sahde and keep it damp?

If it's cooler than the pots, they might prefer it.

They are cute. Pete's "thump" reminds me of the brids nesting in our attic one year: pint-size chicks with ten gallon "CHEEPS".

Corey

Corey in theory the towel might work but I'm NOT going outside every 15mi ute to keeprhe thing damp. LOL which is what it would take, at this point. We are supposed to have the hottest day of the summer tomorrow and Sun. I could have sworn we've already had those, many times this summer.

They have plenty of places to go to get damp.they're like chickens and they like to scratch, the first time I found them in the pots I didn't say nice things to them. Since then I have put smaller empty plastic pots in those pots so they can't get In them anymore. No "cheeping" here Petey screams, it's better now that breeding season is over but they would scream to each other. Then Petey would sit on the front porch railing, every time I opened the front door he would let out this ear piercing scream and since I couldn't see him until I opened the door it assays caught me by surprise. It does make life interesting tho.

I understand. Wow, you've got hot and dry air!

I was impressed by how fast either cotton flannel or rayon batting will "wick" water up and out of one tub and down into another. I think it could be scaled up to move 2 gallons per day ... but your rowdy peafowl might just swim in the upper tub and knock it over.

They do sound llike lovable rascals.

They have a large water bowl about 2 feet from the stuff they knocked over. The bowl is big enough for Petey to stand in, and they drink out of it but I think they have fun making a mess. I think your right they're "lovable rascals" and I'm nuts for putting up with it.

A couple yrs ago there were 5 adults in the back of my pick up truck. I really wish I had gotten a picture. I would have named it "come on Mom we're ready to go".
I can always find my truck in the parking lot, it's the only one with birds flying around it eating the grain from the bed.

Lisa, I recently visited N.M. while we were at a countryside Cafe having lunch, I get to watch these beautiful birds in their backyard. It was an awesome sight. The Peahens were in big pen with wooden bar for the them to roost. Small peafowls were practicing flying up and down on the beams, it was the most pleasant experience. But, I can imagine their activity ... could be pretty rowdy and not a gardener-helper at all. I just love watching them.

No they aren't much help in the garden, but they really amuse me. I really do enjoy them which I'm sure is very apparent. : )