Skip to Content

5 Best Items for Baby Peacocks to Eat

*This post may have affiliate links, which means I may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through links I provide (at no extra cost to you). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclaimer for additional details.

Peacocks are very beautiful birds. Everyone loves to see the majesty of peacocks. While peacocks have beautiful trains that are fun to watch, the splendor of those trains reflects the hard work of a farmer or homesteader when raising the peacocks as babies.

baby peacocks resting on grass field

What are the best items to feed baby peacocks so that they can grow into beautiful and healthy adults? Here are some great ideas:

1. Processed Feed

Processed feeds are number one because they contain all the nutrients that peacocks need to grow. Processed feeds are not just rich in proteins, they also contain fibers, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, etc. in recommended quantities (according to the age of the bird).

What kind of feed should you give to your baby peacocks? You should feed your peachicks with feeds rich in proteins. You can give your peachicks starter turkey or gamebird feed.

processed feeds for birds

According to the age of your peachick, they need 25-30% crude protein in their feed.

Do not feed your baby peacocks with starter chicken feed because chicken feed does not contain sufficient proteins for your peachicks to grow as fast as they should. Typical chicken feeds contain 16-25% crude protein according to the age of the chicken.

2. Mealworms

Mealworms are the larvae of the mealworm beetle. Mealworms are a special source of food for your peacocks because they can also be used as treats to reward your peachicks during training.

You can buy mealworms from feed mills, local stores, and online malls. You can also cultivate your own mealworm colony to save some cash.

If you cultivate your own mealworms, you get to select the kind of food used to raise the mealworms and thus, indirectly regulate what your peachicks eat. Why not save some cash by feeding your peachicks with fresh mealworms made by you?

3. Other Insect Larvae

Aside from mealworms, there are several other insect larvae that you can feed your peachicks with. Examples are:

  • Black soldier fly larvae
  • Housefly larvae
  • Grub worms

Just like mealworms, it is easy to cultivate the larvae listed above or you can get them from local stores around you.

4. Bugs and Little Invertebrates

The thing about little critters is that they make up a whole lot of the peacock’s diet in the wild. This means that if you want your baby peacocks to grow more naturally, you should give them (or allow them to search for) more insects and other little invertebrates.

garden snail on the ground

Examples of invertebrates that peacocks can eat in the free-range are:

  • Earthworms
  • Nematodes
  • Spiders
  • Snails
  • Slugs

Asides from invertebrates, other animals (vertebrates) that peachicks can eat are lizards, amphibians, snakes, etc.

If you are brooding your baby peacocks in a brooder box (i.e. they are not with their mother), you should feed them with processed feed and very few insects and other little critters because of the possibility of harmful microbes.

5. Fruits and Vegetables

Most of the feed options listed above enrich your peacocks with a whole lot of proteins. Fruits and vegetables, however, can give your baby peacocks the vitamins, minerals, and a few other nutrients that they need.

You should give your peacocks a lot of vegetables. When bored, peachicks can peck vegetables hung from the roof or ceiling as a green piñata. You can also mix vegetables with other types of feeds given to the birds.

Examples of vegetables that you should give to your peacocks are:

  • Cabbage
  • Broccoli
  • Lettuce
  • Spinach
  • Carrot leaves
  • Arugula
  • Cauliflower

As for fruits, you can give your peacocks some fruits, but not in large quantities. Fruits contain a lot of sugars and very few proteins so too many fruits can be bad for peacocks. Give fruits to peachicks as treats (i.e. give them occasionally).

Examples of fruits that you can give to peacocks are:

banana grapes blueberry and apple on the table
  • Bananas
  • Grapes
  • Apples
  • Watermelons
  • Mangoes

Make sure that your peacocks have access to major sources of proteins (such as their processed feed) when you feed them with fruits and vegetables.

Remember that baby peacocks need as many proteins as they can get, or they will not grow beautiful and strong quickly.

Now you know some of the best items to feed your peacocks with. What can you give to your peacocks as treats?

Best Treats for Peachicks

Here are some good choices of treats for peachicks:

fresh green peas in a glass on white table

1. Grains, Seeds, and Peas

Grains, seeds, and peas are excellent treats for peachicks. They also make great food ideas for peachicks, but you should give them as treats (occasionally) to increase the value that your peachicks have for them.

Grains are rich in carbohydrates and proteins. During the winter, you should give your peachicks a lot of grains at night because digesting grains can keep your birds warm.

Examples of grains that you can feed peachicks with are:

  • Maize
  • Wheat
  • Rye
  • Barley
  • Sorghum

Seeds are also great for peachicks as they are rich in proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Examples of seeds for peachicks are:

sunflower seeds in a bowl on wooden background

Peacocks love grains, peas, and seeds, so make sure you give them some treats they love.

2. Blueberries, Grapes, and Other Fruits

Many homesteaders agree that their peacocks always go crazy for blueberries. Blueberries are sweet and have sugars, vitamins, minerals, etc. Remember that you should not give too many blueberries to your peachicks.

Other fruits that you can give to your peachicks are:

glass and plate of ripe blackberries and raspberries
  • Watermelon
  • Blackberries
  • Raspberries

Make sure that your peachicks get a lot of healthy fruits.

3. Arthropods and Other Invertebrates

Remember that peacocks love invertebrates. Some invertebrates that you can give to your peachicks as treats are:

  • Crabs
  • Snails
  • Shrimp
  • Earthworms
  • Mealworms

Peacocks love crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs. Give your peachicks shrimp only occasionally.

4. Raisins

Peachicks love dried grapes or raisins. Raisins are rich in sugars, fiber, vitamins, etc. You should give raisins to your peachicks but don’t give too many because raisins are high in sugars and fibers.

5. Pigeon Mix

Every bird loves pigeon mix. Pigeon mix is made from a bunch of grains and other ingredients. You can easily use pigeon mix to train your peacocks (newly released from the brooder) to return to their coop or pen at night.

Give pigeon mix to peachicks occasionally.

Related Questions and Answers

1. What is the Best Source of Food for Peachicks?

The best feed for peachicks is processed feed. Processed feed is best because it is carefully made for the specific age of your peachicks. As peachicks and other young birds grow, their protein needs can increase or reduce according to the species.

While insects, insect larvae, etc. can have proteins, they may be digested slower because they are still in their raw form. Processed feeds, however, have readily available proteins with a high rate of digestibility. This means that your peachicks will grow faster with the right processed feed.

If there are no peacock-specific feeds in stores around you, you should feed your peachicks with starter turkey or wild gamebird feed. 

2. Why Do Peacocks Need a Lot of Proteins?

If you consider the protein needs of common birds such as chickens and ducks, you will agree that peacocks need a lot more proteins. Peacocks need proteins because of their trains. The feather of peacocks is made of keratin which is a hard form of protein.

To grow beautiful feathers, your peachicks need a lot of proteins.

Aside from the production of feathers, peachicks need proteins to grow and repair tissues, become sexually matured (i.e. start the production of egg and sperm cells), development of their brains, etc.

3. Can You Change the Diet of Peachicks?

If you wish to change the brand of feed you give to your baby peacocks, you can change it, but not all at once. To change the feed of your peachicks, introduce the new feed to them while also feeding them with the old feed. Continue doing so for a week or two until you stop feeding them with the old feed.

By introducing the new feed before stopping the old feed, you are giving your peachicks enough time to get used to the new feed before stopping the old feed entirely.

4. Can You Raise Peachicks in a Brooder Box?

chick brooder  top view

You can raise peachicks in a brooder box, but should only do so when they are not with their mother. Peachicks learn faster with their mother. Mother peacocks (or peahens) teach their peachicks what they can eat.

Peachicks raised by their mothers are also stronger than peachicks raised in brooder boxes.

5. Can Peacocks Eat Bread?

Peacocks can eat bread. Bread is safe for peacocks but does not contain sufficient proteins and other nutrients for your peacocks.

You should not give bread to your peacocks regularly. Instead of bread, feed your peacocks with protein-rich feeds and treats.

Final Thoughts

Peacocks need protein-rich foods to grow beautiful and strong. Examples of food ideas for peacocks are processed feeds, mealworms, fruits, and vegetables.

Remember to give your peacocks healthy treats.

Resources