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What to Feed Peafowl: A Guide for Chicks and Adults
Feed peafowl a complete ration suited to their age and feeding purpose. Newly hatched chicks need a suitable starter crumb; growing birds move through the feeding programme for that product; adults need a maintenance or breeding ration according to their stage.
If you are choosing food for a peacock or peahen, start with the bird’s age, its current feed and whether it is breeding or laying. This guide explains the choices and links to suitable feeds available from Chestnut Mill.
What should you feed peafowl chicks?
Choose a complete starter feed whose instructions cover young ornamental or game birds, including peafowl. The feed’s texture matters as well as its nutritional content: small chicks must be able to pick it up and swallow it comfortably.
Check the exact product before ordering. A starter crumble and a combined starter/grower crumble can look similar but have different formulations and feeding periods. The options below contain 26% and 23% protein respectively; these are product specifications, rather than one protein target for every age.
Which feed should I choose at each stage?
The table shows Versele-Laga’s staged feeding programme using products available from Chestnut Mill. Its age bands apply to these feeds. Follow the relevant supplier’s programme if your birds are eating a different range.
| Stage | Feed available from Chestnut Mill | Form | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter: hatching to the end of week 6 | Versele-Laga SHOW 1 Crumble – 20kg | Crumble | 26% |
| Grower: weeks 7–12 | Versele-Laga SHOW 2 Pellet – 20kg | 2mm pellet | 19.5% |
| Maintenance: from week 13 and adults outside breeding | Versele-Laga SHOW 3 Pellet – 20kg | 2mm pellet | 15% |
| Breeding and laying | Versele-Laga SHOW 4 Pellet – 20kg | 2mm pellet | 16.5% |
The change at week 13 is a feeding stage in this programme. It does not mean a peafowl is fully grown or ready to breed.
Is there a smaller bag of peafowl chick feed?
Versele-Laga SHOW 1 & 2 Crumble – 5kg is a separate combined starter/grower option for the first 12 weeks, with the transition around week 13. It contains 23% protein and remains a crumble through that early programme.
It is not simply a smaller bag of the 26% starter in the table. Compare the exact feed, feeding period and bag size when buying for a small number of chicks.
When should peafowl change from chick crumb to pellets?
Follow the programme for the feed you have chosen. In the staged programme above, the change to grower pellets is at week 7. The combined starter/grower option has its own instructions, so you should not apply that changeover automatically.
Plan the next feed before the current bag runs out. When introducing pellets, check that the birds can eat them comfortably and keep clean drinking water available. If you are changing brands, tell us the exact feed and the birds’ ages so we can help identify the next option.
What should you feed adult peacocks and peahens?
Choose according to whether the birds are maintaining condition or breeding and laying. The maintenance feed in the table is intended for adults outside breeding; the breeder feed is formulated for the breeding and laying period.
Reaching the end of the chick stage does not automatically mean a bird needs a breeder ration. Check its current feeding purpose before selecting the next bag.
Can peafowl of different ages eat the same feed?
Check each group’s requirements before choosing one feed for the flock. For example, in the staged programme above, 12-week-old birds are at the end of the grower period, while 20-week-old birds are within the maintenance stage unless another feeding requirement applies.
For a flock containing chicks, older youngsters and breeding birds, give us the ages and numbers in each group when asking for help.
Can peafowl chicks eat chicken layers pellets?
Choose a starter feed with instructions covering the chicks and their age. Layers pellets serve a different feeding purpose; a familiar brand or a similar protein percentage does not establish that they are suitable for young peafowl.
What else should I check before buying peafowl feed?
- Exact product: some feeds cover several ornamental or game-bird species, so the bag may not say “peafowl” prominently. Check the product and its instructions.
- Coccidiostats: the starter, combined starter/grower and grower products linked here contain a coccidiostat; the maintenance and breeder options do not. Follow product restrictions concerning other animals, medicines and food-producing birds. Ask your vet about illness or medication.
- Bag size: allow for the next feeding stage when deciding how much to buy.
- Availability: check the product page for current stock or special-order information.
If you cannot identify a delivered bag confidently, contact us with photographs of the bag and label before using it.
Browse peafowl and peacock feed, or ask us for help choosing. Tell us the species, ages, number of birds and current feed.
Product specifications checked against the manufacturer’s UK information for the starter, combined starter/grower, grower, maintenance and breeder feeds on 21 September 2026. Follow the instructions for the exact product you are feeding.