Can Peacocks Eat Sunflower Seeds?

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Peacocks are beautiful birds that are exciting and interesting to raise. Peacocks are not just pretty, they are also easy to raise.

Even though peacocks are exotic birds, they can eat what other farm birds can eat. For example, peacocks can eat seeds, fruits, nuts, and many other common foods.

You may be wondering if they can eat sunflower seeds. You have some extra seeds but you want to make sure it’s safe before offering it to your peafowl friends. Read on to find out.

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Peacocks and Sunflower Seeds

Can peacocks eat sunflower seeds?

It is safe and healthy for peacocks to eat sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds are important sources of proteins, vitamins, and minerals for peacocks.

They are more than delicious for peacocks, they are very nutritious. Even though it is safe and healthy for peacocks to eat sunflower seeds, you should give them the seeds as treats rather than regular meals so that they will continue to value the seeds.

Sunflower seeds are among the most nutritious seeds for farm birds. Sunflower seeds are very nutritious for peacocks and can help your peacocks grow quickly. Peacocks also love sunflower seeds so they are useful for training them to roost and not avoid their caretakers.

The table below shows the nutrient composition in 100 grams of sunflower seeds:

Nutrient	Composition (%)
Protein	21
Carbohydrate	20
Fat	51
Fiber	9

(Source)

As you can see, sunflower seeds have a lot of proteins for your peacocks. You might, however, want to consider how many sunflower seeds you should give to your peacocks.

When to Feed Peacocks with Sunflower Seeds

Even though sunflower seeds are delicious and nutritious for peacocks, you should not give them too many seeds. Here are instances when you should feed your peacocks with sunflower seeds.

Training the Peacocks: When you are training your peacocks to return to their coop, you can use sunflower seeds to reward them for good behaviors. You can also use sunflower seeds to train your peacocks into obeying simple commands.
As Treats: Give sunflower seeds as occasional treats to your peacocks to make them active and happy.
When You Have Sunflower Seeds to Spare: Sunflower seeds can be expensive especially when you are buying a bulk quantity. Instead of buying bulk for your birds, you can give them the little that you have to spare.

The point is that even though sunflower seeds are nutritious for peacocks, feeding your peacocks with sunflower seeds regularly is not cost-effective. The purpose of raising peacocks (if you are a homesteader) is to make profits and you do not want to spend all your profits on sunflower seeds.

This means that aside from sunflower seeds, you may need to consider other seed choices for your peacocks (so that they can have a diversity of treats).

Other Nutritious Seeds for Peacocks

Here are other nutritious seeds that you can feed your peacocks with:

1. Pumpkin Seeds

pumpkin seeds in wooden bowl on gray background

Pumpkin seeds are nutrient-rich for peacocks and peacocks love them just like sunflower seeds.

You will probably have a lot of sunflower seeds to spare during the Halloween period, so you should consider giving them to your peacocks.

2. Papaya Seeds

Papaya seeds have over 19% protein for peacocks. Papaya seeds may not look like much, but they give your peacocks a lot of proteins and other nutrients.

You should make sure that your papaya seeds are not wasted as they make special treats for peacocks.

3. Peanuts and Other Legumes

Green peas and cut green beans in bowl on white background

Peacocks love their peanuts. They also love peas and boiled beans. Make sure that you give leguminous seeds to peacocks as they are nutritious.

Seeds can be quite expensive, so you can also give other types of foods or treats to your peacocks.

Other Foods and Treats for Peacocks

Here are some other food and treat ideas for peacocks:

1. Processed Peacock or Gamebird Feed

Processed feed gives your peacocks every nutrient that they need in the right amount. You can look for feed made specifically for peacocks in a feed mill or any similar shop or you can feed your peacocks with wild gamebird feed.

2. Insects and Maggots

You can buy packed insects or live maggots for your peacocks. Insects and maggots have over 30% proteins for your peacocks and are also rich in fiber, fats, vitamins, and other nutrients.

You can even culture maggots such as mealworms for your peacocks yourself.

3. Fruits and Vegetables

Peacocks are omnivores, so they can eat fruits and vegetables as well as insects. Peacocks love delicious fruits such as pineapples, watermelons, etc., and vegetables such as kale and cabbages.

You should give fruits and vegetables to your peacocks as treats as they usually do not contain enough proteins for peacocks as a main staple of their diet.

As you can see, there are many types of food and treat ideas for peacocks.

beautiful peacock with flowers and plants on background

Final Thoughts

Peacocks do not just eat sunflower seeds to pass the time, they love them! Sunflower seeds give a lot of proteins to your peacocks and help them grow quickly.

You should give peacocks sunflower seeds as treats and to help you win their love and devotion during training.