FORUM

We have had two peahens in our garden and neighbouring gardens for a week now and both the Mairie and Gendarmerie have not been very helpful. We have tried the equivalent of RSPCA here in France but they said they couldn't ctch them -Has anyone any idea of where they could have come from -we live At the top end of Villelongue del Monts backing onto the ALberes . Also any ideas as to where peacocks are kept locally? Lynda

Surely this should be "two found peahens"? Good luck.

Have you tried your local Mairie? They would likely know if someone had peahens/cocks...they are bloody noisy, so likely they have an idea where they came from.

Doubt very much they are lost. I would guess the chasse has let them out for the hunters to shoot. In alenya every friday evening they come and let a load out and every saturday morning they come and try and shoot them. They have killed everything else off at the back of us so have to let things out so they have something to hunt.

Peacocks! What a bizarre quarry.

So has anyone any idea who keeps these birds in our region as the Mairie wax useless ? [/i]

Maybe you should hang on to them and keep them safe til after the hunt? Pretty impossible I would imagine but hate the thought of them trotting off and getting shot.

...and...if your peacock lays an egg in your neighbour's garden, is the egg yours or his?

We can't see them this morning so they may be in a neighbours garden . However Steve who cleans our pool for us has given me the address of a farm near Sorede where they have a male peacock so if they return we might go and see if they want two females for breeding !

Or why not just let them get on with their lives? I inherited an aged chicken with a house I bought in 76. It lived for quite a few years just pootling about the place (with the goats and cats I also inherited).

They are bred to be shot during the hunting season ( although i would probably be the firstto hide one if it came into my garden).

Sue/Paul never mind whose egg it is, if a PEACOCK lays an egg, the bird will be worth a fortune and in the Guinness book of records.

aaah...yes...

The old 'uns are the best, and I'm sure that applies to the jokes as well as the jokers

Not here now so perhaps they have made their way down to our little river and on their way to the next lot of flowers and berries !

getting to the weekend so hopefully they have gone into hiding before the guns come out

This is an old thread, but thought it might be useful info.

Peacocks or peahens for that matter are notoriously difficult to catch unless they have been handled repeatedly and even then, it is not easy.

As far as I know the mairie does not get involved with wild ones, but they do if you have a complaint about a neighbour (you can easily google for some articles where people were fined/complaints upheld in court). "Wild" ones are not seen as a nuisance as they are bred for hunting as somebody else pointed out.

I love peacocks and anybody wanting to know more about them, there is a lovely farm in Lancashire with lots of useful info:

http://www.browfarm.co.uk/peafowl/