Martha Stewart's Peacocks Are Famous, But They Aren't For Everyone

BEDFORD, NY — Martha Stewart's prized peacocks are among Bedford's most famous residents, but a vet says that raising peafowls is one celebrity pastime that is best not emulated by the public.

In recent days, Martha Stewart has once again regaled the international press with tales of the "friendly" peacocks who share her Westchester farm.

The 82-year-old lifestyle maven and original "influencer" told People Magazine that speaking with her beloved pets is a two-way street.

SEE ALSO: 6 Of Martha Stewart's Beloved Pet Peacocks 'Devoured' By Coyotes

"They talk to me," Stewart told the magazine. "Whenever I go to their enclosure, I talk to them. I go, 'Awk, awk.'"

She described the birds as "very friendly, sociable and clean."

"Some are shyer than others," Stewart told People's Nicholas Rice. "Some are much bolder. Some are much more prone to ruffling their feathers, fanning their tails. I have a mixture of males and females. And I breed them. They're all bred in my incubator."

Veterinarian Athena Gaffud from Honest Paws said that while Stewart has had an earnestly positive experience with the birds, the celebrity's experience shouldn't signal that peafowl would be a good pet for most.

"Owning a pet peacock is possible if you have the means and time to provide their needs," Gaffud writes. "They need big spaces to roam around to have a happy and healthy life. They have special needs being an exotic animals, and they need the company of their kind being a social animal. It is inhumane to put a lonely peacock in a small enclosure all alone for the rest of its life. As an omnivore, they are not difficult to feed."

According to Gaffud, in situations like Martha Stewart's farm, the birds can be a good fit, but they are living creatures, not decorations.

"They can be friendly, but they can’t be house-trained like cats or dogs," she notes."Due to their beautiful looks, they could be a great addition to your farm, they also get along pretty well with other pets in your property. They know if danger is near so they will give a good fight with snakes using their claws."

Peafowl also come with some unexpected challenges, according to the veterinarian.

"They are very active and noisy, so they could be a nuisance to your neighbors with their sound," Gaffud said. "Or if they fly away from your property to search for food [they can] consequently destroy your neighbor's garden. Know the laws in your area if you can keep peafowls as pets."

The neighbors of Martha Stewart's Bedford farm aren't likely bothered by the distant "awks" of her peacocks and she has access to facilities that are the envy of zoologists, but the rest of us might be better off fancying these birds from a distance or risk running "afowl" of the HOA by-laws.

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