12 Seeds Peacocks Love to Eat

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As a peacock farmer, you definitely want your peacocks to have the best of all they can eat. From insects to nuts to vegetables to small amphibians to eggs to seeds, your goal should be to give them a variety of the best.

But you might not know what to feed them. For instance, you might only know of one to two seeds to include in their diet. But then, no seed has all the nutrients your peacock needs, so you’ll need to give them a variety of seeds.

If you are not sure which kinds of seeds peacocks love eating, we have suggestions – including a few that can be pretty beneficial to your birds. Below, we go over 12 seeds peacocks love to eat.

Table of Contents

1. Barley Seeds

Barley seeds are one of many seeds peacocks love having in their diet. Thankfully, they are highly nutritious as they contain protein, fiber, and B vitamins.

Barley seeds are also rich in calcium, magnesium, selenium, and phosphorus. So, you can expect them to benefit the various organs of your peacocks.

Besides the nutrient levels, barley seeds do not fall short on flavor. Their nut-like flavor is one for your birds to relish.

2. Bell Pepper Seeds

It is not uncommon to find peacocks pecking their way through bell pepper fruits to find seeds since they enjoy eating bell pepper seeds.

To humans, the slight bitterness might be unpleasant. But to peacocks, it’s all good. Besides, bell pepper seeds are crunchy. The crunchiness makes them even more enjoyable to the birds.

Apart from being enjoyable, bell pepper seeds offer many nutrients to peacocks. Some of them include protein, fiber, potassium, and linoleic acid.

However, bell pepper seeds also bear some antinutrients. So, ensure your peacocks do not have them in excessive amounts.

When feeding bell pepper seeds to peacocks, you may remove the seeds from the fruits and offer them to your birds. Alternatively, you may give the whole fruits to the birds and let them tear the fruits apart for seeds.

Avoid giving your peacocks moldy bell pepper seeds as they are toxic.

3. Cantaloupe Seeds

Cantaloupe seeds have a nutty flavor, which peacocks enjoy. But beyond the flavor, cantaloupe seeds are somewhat crunchy. So, your birds will enjoy chewing on them too.

When serving cantaloupe seeds to your peacocks, you can enhance the flavor by roasting the seeds. Roasting caramelizes the seeds and improves their nuttiness, making them even tastier.

Beyond being tasty and crunchy, cantaloupe seeds are chock-full of nutrients. They offer various vitamins, including vitamins A, C, E, and K. They also contain potassium, zinc, selenium, and magnesium. Peacocks can also get some fiber and protein from them.

4. Corn Kernels

unpopped corn kernel white bowl brown cloth and basket

Corn kernels are one of the most popular seeds in the diet of peacocks. They have a starch-like flavor and are chewy when eaten raw. But you may also cook them to soften them before offering them to your peacocks.

If you choose to cook corn kernels before feeding them to your birds, it is better not to add flavorings or seasonings. Adding them may upset the digestive system of your peacock.

Besides being a delicacy for peacocks, corn kernels are nutrient-rich. Your birds can get some potassium, sodium, dietary fiber, magnesium, iron, and vitamin C from eating them.

5. Oats

Oats have an interesting flavor profile. They have a sweet, nutty flavor, which never goes bitter while chewing. So, you can be sure your peafowls and peacocks will enjoy snacking on them.

If you want your birds to enjoy the oats even more, you may roast the oats. Roasting intensifies the nuttiness of oat seeds and caramelizes them, making them even more pleasant to your peacocks.

Beyond being tasty, oats are super healthy. They are a package of antioxidants, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. So, in the end, you are not just pleasing your peacocks’ taste buds; you are helping them stay healthy too.

6. Papaya Seeds

yellow papaya seed on spoon wood and papaya slice background

Papaya seeds are mildly bitter with a hint of spiciness. But even with their unusual taste, peacocks love to eat them – dry or not.

Papaya seeds are beneficial for peacock health. For one, they are helpful in the treatment of some bacterial infections. But beyond that, they contain various nutrients, including protein, fiber, zinc, calcium, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus.

If you intend to let your peacocks eat papaya seeds, you might want to limit how much they eat. Letting them eat too many papaya seeds might cause digestive issues. You may ration them to a few seeds per day – no more than half a teaspoon.

7. Pumpkin Seeds

wooden bowl and spoon filled with pumpkin seeds

You can give your peacocks raw or roasted pumpkin seeds. As you might expect, the roasted version offers a better flavor.

Pumpkin seeds contain a lot of vitamin K, calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium. Their fiber and protein content is also impressive. So, you’d be doing a lot of good if you let your peafowls and peacocks eat them.

8. Rice

white rice brown sack green leaf wooden table

Peacocks love to eat rice. You may give it to them raw, or you may boil it. If you choose to boil rice for your peacocks, avoid adding seasonings.

Raw rice is crunchy with a mild starchy flavor, while boiled rice is starchy and soft. Either option would be a treat for your peafowls and peacocks.

When giving raw rice to your peafowls, ensure you rinse it thoroughly to remove contaminants. This way, your birds will not have to suffer from food poisoning.

While rice is primarily a carbohydrate, your peacocks can still get some other nutrients from it. Rice can offer folate, potassium, selenium, B vitamins, zinc, and iron. Peacocks can also get some dietary fiber and protein from rice.

9. Sorghum

raw white sorghum grain on wooden spoon and bowl

Whether raw or roasted, sorghum is a delight for peacocks. But if you want your birds to enjoy a crunchy snack with intense flavor, give them roasted sorghum.

Beyond being tasty, sorghum is chock-full of nutrients. It can give your peacocks potassium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc. Your peacocks can also get some B vitamins, protein, and fiber from eating sorghum.

10. Sunflower Seeds

two sunflowers and sunflower seeds on wooden spoon

Sunflower seeds are one of the healthiest seeds you can give your peacocks. They have a fair balance of protein, fat, fiber, and carbohydrates. They also contain good amounts of vitamin E, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, magnesium, selenium, manganese, folate, and copper.

Apart from the impressive nutrient profile, sunflower seeds are tasty to peacocks. The nutty flavor is not too intense yet enjoyable. Besides, the seeds are crunchy, so your birds will enjoy breaking them as they chew away.

You may offer raw sunflower seeds to your peacocks. Alternatively, you may roast the seeds for some extra flavor.

11. Tomato Seeds

close detail of tomato seeds on wooden spoon

If you give your peafowls tomatoes, it shouldn’t surprise you when they tear the fruit apart in search of seeds. Peacocks love to eat tomato seeds, and lucky for them, the seeds will do a lot of good for their bodies.

When they eat tomato seeds, your peacocks stand to get a lot of protein, fat, and dietary fiber. Tomato seeds also offer water, phosphorus, and calcium.

12. Watermelon Seeds

eaten watermelon on plate with its seeds

Watermelon seeds come with a nutty flavor too. However, this nuttiness is not so intense. Your peacocks can enjoy them raw or roasted. You could also serve the seeds to your birds alone or mixed with nuts or other seeds.

Watermelon seeds provide many nutrients to peafowl and peacocks. These nutrients include zinc, magnesium, iron, protein, omega-3, omega-6, potassium, and copper.