Lovebirds Dennis Fett and Debra Buck love their birds almost as much as each other.
Writer: Mathany Ahmed
Photos: James Lathrop
Fifty years ago at a high school band recital, Dennis Fett locked eyes with Debra Buck. He was the band director. She was in the audience. That moment changed their lives forever.
Dennis spent the next three years courting the pretty woman he’d seen that night. Eventually, he proposed to her, a farm girl from humble roots, with a modest diamond welded to a washer. “Everybody always asks, ‘Did you give her a diamond ring?’” he recently joked. “I say, ‘Yes — and a pig.’”
The newlyweds spent their early years caring for Charly, a pet pig who grew to 800 pounds. When Debbie asked for a peacock as her next pet, Dennis found her one. “Good thing it wasn’t elephants,” he said.
Now celebrating 45 years together, the couple lives on a small western Iowa farm near Minden, which doubles as the Peacock Information Center, where they’ve raised hundreds of peafowl. Over the years, they’ve become experts in peafowl care, publishing books and posting hundreds of videos on YouTube.
Affectionately known as “Mr. and Mrs. Peacock,” they say the attention has always supported their true passions — the birds and each other.
Like the peafowl they raise, who often mate for life, Dennis and Debbie have built a lasting partnership rooted in devotion, patience and the occasional flair for drama.
There’s no question who rules the roost at the Peacock Information Center in Minden.
Winging it
Their first peacock, an India Blue named Junior, hatched from eggs they bought from an Omaha zoo. “He was extremely friendly,” Debbie recalled. “He lived in the house with us, so he’d cry and cry until I’d go up and play with him. He liked to fly on my shoulder.”
Their experience with Junior hatched an enduring hobby.
“After Junior, I got possessed with peacocks,” Dennis said. “I would spend hours and hours observing them.”
They got more eggs through Debbie’s brother, who had connections to exotic birds. Debbie was raised on a modest farm, with chickens, and taught her city-slicker husband from New Jersey about farm life.
Still, they learned about peacocks mostly through trial and error. They mistakenly believed Junior was a boy; a vet corrected them only after the bird had died.
“At that time there weren’t any books or information about peacocks,” Dennis recalled. Seeing that gap inspired the couple to write “The Wacky World of Peafowl,” which came out in 1986 and sold more than 8,000 copies its first year. “Now, if there’s a peacock problem anywhere around the world, I’m the go-to person.”
Peafowl take up to 3 years to reach full maturity, making them some of the slowest-growing birds in the world.
Fanning their feathers
The book’s success brought national attention. During the 1980s and ’90s, the couple appeared on dozens of national
talk shows, even going viral (before the term existed) with a peacock-inspired song. In 1996, they launched a website to connect with other peafowl fans, including a few famous owners like Hunter S. Thompson and Hugh Hefner.
Dennis, a clarinetist who studied at Juilliard, loved the spotlight. Debbie, the more reserved of the two, was happy to let the birds and her husband take the attention if it meant better care for the animals.
“I’m a drama king. I’ve always performed,” Dennis said. “My idea was always to get as much media as possible to help us support our hobby, and it was good for years.”
In the last 15 years, they’ve shifted to YouTube, sharing hundreds of videos on everything from peachicks hatching to tutorials on decorating with peacock feathers. Their most popular video, simply titled “Peacocks Yelling #13,” has racked up more than 1.6 million views.
“Our life is on video tape,” Dennis said. “We don’t have kids, we don’t have family, but maybe someday somebody would be interested to say, ‘Who’s this Dennis Fett and Debra Buck?’”
Molting season
Their life together has been idyllic, but not without struggle. Tornadoes hit the farm in 2014 and 2024. Just months after building a new roof, baseball-sized hail caused more damage.
Debbie’s vision has been declining, too, which has been hard on both of them since she’s always been fiercely independent and hands-on with the farm work. “One day,” she said, “I won’t be able to see the peacocks.”
That reality inspired a new project: a travel series exploring Iowa’s attractions while she still can.
They consider themselves resilient, and the good outweighs the bad.
“It’s all a part of living,” Debbie said with a shrug.
Dennis agreed. “In spite of all the hell we’ve been through, I wouldn’t change it for anything,” he said. “This is where we’re supposed to be.”
Meet the Birds
Dennis Fett and Debra Buck have raised about 200 peafowl on their farm. Here are the breeds you’ll meet at the Peacock Information Center.
India Blue (above): The classic peacock, with a bright blue body and a long iridescent tail with “eye” patterns. These are Debbie’s favorite.
Cameo (above): Rare in the United States, with feathers that range from soft brown to creamy white. No two birds look alike.
Black Shoulder: Similar to India Blue but with bold black wings.
White Peafowl: All-white feathers with ghostly markings; the males and females look nearly identical.
Mathany Ahmed grew up in Iowa City in a family with roots in Sudan; she now lives in Central Iowa and writes about its diverse communities.
