2 Year old Peacock just molted...It's March!?!?

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NMinard

NMinard

In the Brooder
7 Years
Apr 22, 2012
35
0
32
Hello all... I am surely worried about our peacock this season. Last year came and went and our India Blue Peacock didn't molt, we waited and waited and no molt. Then a week and a half ago....some tail feathers started to drop...then more....now he is completely train-less!!! With two lovely ladies in his pen....I am not sure what to think of this coming season.
Any idea's what is going on? Has anyone else had this? Our one black shoulder peahen who of mature age is dropping eggs here and there since January which is also very odd. Last year she laid a clutch...but they weren't fertile which is to be expected as to our male was in his first year. But now his train is gone, the ladies i'm sure will not be impressed. But i'm worried he may be sick?
 
NMinard said:
Hello all... I am surely worried about our peacock this season. Last year came and went and our India Blue Peacock didn't molt, we waited and waited and no molt. Then a week and a half ago....some tail feathers started to drop...then more....now he is completely train-less!!! With two lovely ladies in his pen....I am not sure what to think of this coming season.
Any idea's what is going on? Has anyone else had this? Our one black shoulder peahen who of mature age is dropping eggs here and there since January which is also very odd. Last year she laid a clutch...but they weren't fertile which is to be expected as to our male was in his first year. But now his train is gone, the ladies i'm sure will not be impressed. But i'm worried he may be sick?
Click to expand...

Post pictures of him. Have you ever used artificial light in the past? Check for parasites on them and in their poop.
 
I'll get some pictures taken of him and put them up. We use a red light lamp during the winter for warmth in their coop, but during spring summer and fall no lights. we usually dust the birds once every year to make sure there are no parasites on skin, we also use a special type of bedding in their coop area to help keep mites at bay as well. Will have to check fecal tonight.
 
NMinard said:
I'll get some pictures taken of him and put them up. We use a red light lamp during the winter for warmth in their coop, but during spring summer and fall no lights. we usually dust the birds once every year to make sure there are no parasites on skin, we also use a special type of bedding in their coop area to help keep mites at bay as well. Will have to check fecal tonight.
Click to expand...
Is the red light on 24 hours, just at night, etc.?
 
Poor trainless boy
hugs.gif
won't attract the ladies that way!

Just wondering, what is the "special bedding"?
 



So these are some pictures they would let us take, he is a bit camera shy and not wanting to hold still at all!
The light in the winter time only was on all the time for heat :(, but during spring, summer and fall not on at all.
No visible parasites in the fecal. But that isn't to say there isn't any very tiny ones that wouldn't be in there that would need a microscope.


The bedding we use we get at a local feed supply that we have to order, cause no one else seems to keep this stuff around :(. It's a type of small shredded cardboard, helps keep things dry and not smelly, our feed guy said it will help keep any mites down , I assume because it's keeps things a bit cleaner in our coops, the nice thing about it is no dust, and if you up keep (churn it etc) it can last months inside the coop depending on how many birds are in there. We use it in our chickens coop as well and we've always had nice results and no mite problems in there or on the birds.
 
Last edited:
NMinard said:



So these are some pictures they would let us take, he is a bit camera shy and not wanting to hold still at all!
The light in the winter time only was on all the time for heat :(, but during spring, summer and fall not on at all.
No visible parasites in the fecal. But that isn't to say there isn't any very tiny ones that wouldn't be in there that would need a microscope.


The bedding we use we get at a local feed supply that we have to order, cause no one else seems to keep this stuff around :(. It's a type of small shredded cardboard, helps keep things dry and not smelly, our feed guy said it will help keep any mites down , I assume because it's keeps things a bit cleaner in our coops, the nice thing about it is no dust, and if you up keep (churn it etc) it can last months inside the coop depending on how many birds are in there. We use it in our chickens coop as well and we've always had nice results and no mite problems in there or on the birds.
Click to expand...
It could be that the light from moving it from 24 hours to however long in the spring may make them think breeding season is over and make him molt.
 
Birdrain92 said:
It could be that the light from moving it from 24 hours to however long in the spring may make them think breeding season is over and make him molt.
Click to expand...

x2 (the light from heat lamps can definitely confuse their breeding cycles) AND this is still a fairly young male, it sounds like...

I remember reading that sometimes they stay fertile a bit after dropping trains (a few weeks max, maybe?), and maybe he will get after growing it back quickly if you leave the lights off, so he can experience days getting longer. Plus lots of protein because growing train feathers uses up a lot!

Maybe you can still get late season chicks, if the hen cooperates? This may have thrown her into winter too -- maybe they will both come out of it in time to work together on it
fl.gif
 
Well the weird thing is, last year he was one, he didn't molt at all in august or even after. He just molted now of all times. Plus in spring summer and fall there were no lights on, just in the winter. I could maybe understand a molt if because of the light, but he didn't molt at all last year and there were no lights on till winter hit (which was kind of a mild winter so the lights on put on a bit later than normal). He is only 2. But i will try to boost protein as well to help his growing needs.
 
Garden Peas said:
x2 (the light from heat lamps can definitely confuse their breeding cycles) AND this is still a fairly young male, it sounds like...

I remember reading that sometimes they stay fertile a bit after dropping trains (a few weeks max, maybe?), and maybe he will get after growing it back quickly if you leave the lights off, so he can experience days getting longer.  Plus lots of protein because growing train feathers uses up a lot!

Maybe you can still get late season chicks, if the hen cooperates?  This may have thrown her into winter too -- maybe they will both come out of it in time to work together on it  :fl
Click to expand...

They dont need a train to be fertile, several of my males lost their trains by the end of July last year and I observed them trading with the hens into late August with a high fertlity rate.

Gerald Barker
 

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