Peacock terrorizes Suffolk farm chickens before being captured safely

A stray peacock that first seemed content among the hens at a Suffolk farm ended up chasing cockerels, storming through the yard and prompting a safe capture by a 92-year-old farmer known locally as Farmer Tom.

Tom Walne said the bird appeared at his farm near Copdock on Monday, April 14, 2026, and at first got along with the chickens. By Tuesday morning, though, the peace had collapsed. When he let the birds out, Walne said the peacock “went loopy,” flew at the chickens, split the cockerel away from the hens and chased it around the farmyard.

Walne said the bird seemed to be asserting dominance over the flock, turning a curious arrival into an unruly presence. After some manoeuvring, he was able to catch the peacock and place it safely in a pen, stopping the bird from repeatedly harrying the chickens.

His wife, Sandy Walne, said her husband phoned her on Monday “ever so excited” to tell her they had a new addition on the land. She asked a friend to post on social media in an attempt to trace the bird’s owner, but nobody came forward. The couple were also told the peacock had been found at another farm “over yonder,” and that those owners believed it was the same bird and were glad to see it go.

With no owner identified, Easton Farm Park near Woodbridge agreed to take the peacock temporarily. The bird was moved there on Thursday, April 16, 2026, after the run-in with the chickens left it stressed. If it settles over the next few days, the park is likely to keep it.

For Walne, the episode brought both amusement and a practical limit to country life. He said he would like to boast about having a peacock on the farm, but “can’t have him here if he’s going to chase my chickens away.” Sandy Walne put it more bluntly: “He thinks he rules the roost.”