Peafowl 103: Illness, Injury, Medication and Care (in progress)

Pics
Hi, thanks for providing all this information! I have a baby peacock that is about 1.5 months old, he is not walking and having respiratory problems, first it seem that he hurt his right leg and was limping a bit, but then the next day he could not stand up at all, he can move his head and wings but his feet are not strong, if I lift him and take the weight off his legs then he can move them and try to talk, nothing is broken just not able to stand, seem he may have worms, I have tylan 200 but not sure how much to give him, it say in your article 1cc I think, but is this for an adult peacock or for baby? I also want to deworm him and have wazine that I use for my chickens but not sure what dosage to give him, please advise, it's been 3 days of no sleep or rest since I have to be hand feeding him every 2 hours or so, he drinks on his own and pick at his dry food but we need to put it close to his face for him to get it, it is very painful to see him like this, he was strong and happy and suddenly one day he can not walk any more :-(
Welcome to BYC! How is your peachick doing?
 
Someone asked this thread be started, so I am copy/pasting from my word document to force myself to keep working on it... feel free to ignore it till the in progress tag is removed

Welcome to Peafowl 103: Injury, Illness, Medication, and Care. If you are pre-reading for information about Peafowl, please first visit Peafowl 101: Basic Care, Genetics and Answers and Peafowl 102: Advanced Housing and Accessories. If you are looking for an answer to a current problem you are having, please read on. If there is something missing from this entry, or something you would like to see here, please leave a response on the thread or PM me your questions and I will see that they get answered.

This post is in progress and will be edited as I gather information. Please feel free to post the illnesses or injuries you would like to see posted here while I work. Additionally, if you have photos of examples of anything posted here, please post them or send them to me so I can post them for others to see. And a last note, if you know of a vet in your area that will take/treat peafowl, please leave their contact information so others in your state can reference in case of an emergency.

Overview

Basic Emergency Care Tools
There are some things which you should have on hand at any given time in case of emergency.
Gauze - Gauze is a clean, absorbent pad that is used in wound dressing and cleaning. It is usually white and can be obtained at any drug store. Alternatives if you lack gauze on hand may be a soft, clean washcloth, quilted paper towels, or thick toilet paper.
Vetrap/Brown Cling Gauze - Vetrap is a sticky feeling length of "gauze" that adheres to itself when pressed together. This makes it ideal for wrapping around gauze to hold gauze in place in a dressing, as you do not need to pin it and risk injuring your bird again. It is disposable, so no cleaning required and no chance of applying a dirty bandage. It comes in many colors but unless your bird is separated from all other birds, a natural color would be best so no one picks on the bandage.
Hydrogen Peroxide - Diluted 50/50 or more, this can be used for cleaning SHALLOW wounds like abrasions or small cuts. DO NOT use this in a deep wound or beyond the first cleaning. Wash wound with clean water to remove hyrdogen peroxide from wound before dressing. Hydrogen peroxide is light sensitive and loses its effectiveness if stored in a container or area where light can reach it.
Betadine - Another solution for cleaning wounds, Betadine can be used in deeper wounds. Cleanse it thoroughly from the wound after application.
Neosporin - Neosporin is a triple antibiotic that can be applied to most non-severe wounds, but only the sort WITHOUT painkillers should be used. Any triple antibiotic WITHOUT painkillers can be used in place of neosporin.
Saline- Saline is an excellent sterile wound cleanser and can be obtained at any drug store.
Needles - There are two kinds of needles you may need- medical and suture. Medical needles are hollow and beveled on one end, used for moving fluid. They can be useful in many situations. They are of course used for injection medications, but can also be used to give subcutaneous fluids and lance wounds. They are sold at farm supply stores like Tractor Supply or from any medical supply store. Suture needles are solid, curved, and may or may not be reusable. Usually they are sold attached to suture thread, and would be clipped off and disposed of after use.
Syringes - Syringes are used to inject medication but can also be used to give oral meds, subcutaneous fluids (with needles), or force water/liquid food into a bird that needs it and will not take it themselves. They are also useful in measuring doses when applying medication (notably wormer) to the water.
Styptic Powder - This is used to staunch minor bleeding, as in torn nails or shallow cuts/abrasions. Corn starch can also do this if you don't have styptic powder on hand. Styptic powder is available in most pet stores, sold as a tool to stop bleeding from cutting the quick on a dog or cat's nails when trimming.
Electrolyte Solution - This is used to restore electrolytes to dehydrated or stressed birds. Pedialyte has an unflavored version that can be mixed into their normal water or given with a syringe if necessary.
Tweezers - These are useful for picking objects from wounds.
Extra Soft Bristle Toothbrush - In the case of some wounds, a soft bristle toothbrush can be used to clean the wound site if there is small embedded debris.


Chicks overview
Your basic safe care of any peachick should ensure that they are not exposed to environmental issues that would put them in harm's way. Their food should be kept dry and clean, including the feeder. Any food that is not dry should be dumped and fresh food should be added- damp food can mold or rot and kill your chicks. Water should be provided fresh daily OR AS NEEDED and should be provided away from the food to prevent them from wetting the food. Their bedding should also be clean and dry, and should be replaced if it is not. Their bedding or brooder bottom should be such that they can get a grip to stand properly but cannot get their claws/toes stuck in anything. There should be no sharp objects in the brooder (including wire ends if you have a wire bottom brooder) or on the walls/ceiling where they might injure themselves. You will want to avoid housing your chicks where they can catch drafts that might cool them, and ensure that their heat lamp is both hot enough and that there's space to get away from it if needed. Please see Peafowl 101 for additional basic care of your chicks.


Behaviors (Normal vs. Abnormal)
A normal, healthy chick (after hatching) will toggle between alert and bouncy and sleeping like the dead (and it's practically like someone hitting an on-off switch sometimes). If you approach a brooder with very young chicks, they may appear to be laying in the shavings dead when in fact they are just sleeping. If you've hatched them and are raising them in the brooder, you will most likely find yourself playing mommy by "pecking" at the food and water with your finger. A healthy chick will come peck at what you are pecking at. As they grow in their feathers, their wings may droop some- this is normal. Their wings are very heavy with new feathers and their muscles are not very well developed. If you feel your chick's crop, there will usually be food crammed in there; if not, check back a few times and you should soon find at least a somewhat full crop. If you feel along your chick's breastbone (keel), you will probably not feel very much "meat" there; this is typical as peas are lean game birds, not fat domesticated chickens. The keel is also where the flight muscles attach, and young birds will not have nearly as much muscle there as adult birds. Young birds will have mostly brown, black, and/or white poo. Sometimes they will pass a liquidy clear stool with a little bit of brown or white (or possibly a greenish tint) in it, which is normal (adults will do this when cooling off). Click here for a page about normal vs. abnormal poo.

An unhealthy chick may be lethargic, not just sleepy. Where a healthy chick will perk and begin to be active if you disturb the brooder, an unhealthy chick may remain lethargic after waking. You may notice a chick walking funny. You may notice their stool is consistently watery, loose, or bloody. It may be lacking or overly heavy in white matter (urates). Your chick may sneeze or "gape" its mouth and may have runny discharge from the nasal cavity or mouth. You may notice chicks huddling under the heat lamp if they are getting too cold (which can kill them). You may notice them avoiding the light and/or panting if they are too hot. If you see any form of injury or missing feathers in undue amounts (more than one or two in a patch may be the chick getting picked on). There should never be blood. Any wound that is any color other than red or clear may be infected- especially if you see yellow, white, green, or black discharge. Skin around wound sites may be red or swollen if there is infection. Unhealthy chicks may not be eating or drinking properly. If you see any of these signs, or anything not mentioned but which does NOT resemble a healthy chick, there may be something wrong.

Medication/Vaccinations

Coccidiosis and Amprolium - Coccidia are single-celled protozoa which act as parasites and which infect the intestinal tract of some animals, including birds. Young birds, especially new chicks, are most susceptible to death from this infection because their digestive systems are not strong enough to combat it. Adults which carry the protozoan are usually strong enough and will not show symptoms even if they are infected. The symptoms include lethargy, loss of apatite, dehydration, loss of balance, and blood in the stool. Coccidiosis is common enough that most medicated starters include amprolium, a preventative medication. When purchasing a medicated starter, always check the back for the ingredients as some starters do not include this, but can still be considered medicated because they have other medications in them. Click here for an excellent page about Coccidiosis in birds. If your chicks DO have cocci, your medicated starter WILL NOT be enough to treat it. Instead you will want to treat it with something like Corid or Sulmet (see medications below).

Marek's Disease
This seems to be an issue in chicken chicks, but from what I can find, this is not contagious to your peachicks, nor should they arrive to you with this or contract it in any way from the environment. If someone can cite differently, please let me know.

Dehydration
Dehydration can occur in chicks which are shipped or which haven't figure out how to drink quite yet, or which are afflicted by some other problem. You will most likely not be able to tell by the amount of water difference in the waterer (they spill, and they don't drink a lot to begin with... my single house yearling drinks less than 8oz in a day). If you think your chick may be dehydrated, you can attempt to pull a flap of skin away from the body (pinch a little bit of skin, over the shoulder perhaps) and observe how quickly it returns to the original form. When properly hydrated, the skin will return to normal almost instantly. In a dehydrated bird, the skin will sink slowly back to place, or maintain the pinched form briefly in severe cases. Dehydrated birds may appear lethargic, wobbly, or be cold to the touch. When you receive new birds through hatching or shipping or pick up, ensure that they are drinking before leaving them alone, even if it means sitting by the brooder for a while or "pecking" at the water with your fingers to help them. You can also provide electrolyte water (such as Pedialyte) to new birds.

Vaccines
As discussed above, your peachick should be on some form of medicated starter. However, unless something worse is going on immediately, or your flock has had a previous infection of something and become carriers, most would advise against giving vaccines to your chicks. If your flock is clean and unvaccinated, and you vaccinate a chick, it can actually contract what you were vaccinating against and become a carrier. When it comes to vaccinations in birds, it is usually the whole flock or none of the flock.

Antibiotics
Most of the time, the only antibiotics your peachick will need will be in their medicated starter. If something major occurs, you may have to see a vet or use a smaller dose of the adult versions of medications that will be discussed below. Two of the main medications you may have to give are Corid in case of a cocci infection and Sulmet for the same. Sulmet can also be used to treat other diseases in adult birds.

Common Injuries
There are not many chances for a peachick in a brooder to injure itself. More commonly you may see chicks bullying one another- picking head feathers, grabbing wings, pecking at exposed feet. Some of this is them exploring, sometimes it is something into which you need to intervene. If anyone draws blood, they should be separated. If you notice a chick is being kept away from food or water, it should be separated.


Hatching Deformities & Care

Spraddle Leg
Spraddle leg typically occurs (but is not always a result of) when a chick does not have enough purchase/traction in the brooder, as in cases where something slippery like newspaper has been used as bedding. The best known way to treat spraddle leg is by using hobble braces. This basically binds the two legs together at the appropriate distance until the chick has gained enough muscle and bone strength to keep them there. For an example of a hobble brace, please visit the peafowl.org orthopedics page. There was also a good thread here about using a pizza box in therapy for spraddle leg. Anything that will consistently hold the legs in the proper position without damaging the chicks should work.

Deformed or Missing Toes
Sometimes birds hatch missing toes or toenails, or with bent toes that look broken or are facing the "wrong" direction. Sometimes it is genetic, in which case there is nothing you can really do but try not to breed this into further generations. Sometimes it is a result of conditions in the egg during development- if a foot got twisted, or a toe caught just wrong and grew in funky. These sort of deformities, unless they are affecting the bird's ability to perch, are good to note but aren't something most people treat. If you feel obligated, sometimes bent toes can be straightened with popsicle sticks, tape, and time.

Crossed Beak or Under/Overbite
This is where a bird's upper beak does not rest evenly upon their lower beak. An overbite would be where your bird's upper beak extends far past the lower, an underbite would be where your bird's upper beak does not quite reach the edge of the lower beak. A crossed beak will typically have the end of your bird's upper beak to one side or the other of your bird's lower beak. In most of these cases, you will simply not be able to fix it, and so you must be prepared to trim the beak so that the bird can eat. You can use a file, if your birds are patient and friendly, or else obtain a pair of beak clippers. These closely resemble dog or cat nail clippers, and should not hurt your bird. When you clip, make sure that you are taking off only a small amount at the very tip of the beak at a time, so that you do not hit any vessels. If you are uncertain about your ability to perform a beak clipping, you may want to speak to a veterinarian.

Curved Neck
Sometimes a chick hatches with a neck that curves funny, or is bent back toward their back or is otherwise oddly held. These are most often in-egg growth or hatching issues. A chick who has had a particularly difficult hatch may be more susceptible to having weaker muscles on a side of the neck, cause the head to not sit quite right. There are some cases, less commonly, where a curved neck is a genetic problem and it will not improve. You may attempt to strengthen the muscles on the long side of the neck (the side the head curves away from, where they would be weak) with exercises and massages. This won't be cured overnight, and may not improve at all ever.

Air Bubble In Throat at Hatching
I have encountered this personally a few times, where a chick appears to have an air bubble beneath the skin of their neck. Do not attempt to remove this or pierce it in any way. More often than not, this will dissolve or disappear after the first day and the chick will be fine.


Adults overview
-behaviors (normal vs abnormal)
-Basic safe care

Prevention
-Medication
--Worms
--What not to give
-Environment/ hazards to avoid
-Food/water/treats

Common Illnesses and Treatment

Respiratory distress/infection
If your bird is gasping, wheezing, has a swollen face, has nasal discharge or discharge in their eyes, is coughing, or sneezing, it may be in some sort of respiratory distress ("gaping" as opposed to gasping may be a result of worms, specifically gapeworm, see below). Most of these symptoms can be treated with Tylan 200. A 1cc dose can be injected subcutaneously (under the skin, above muscle) between their shoulders. Give this dose once a day for three days.

Pneumonia is usually put into the same category as respiratory illness, as it presents with a lot of the same symptoms. They may sneeze, cough, shake their heads, produce fluid/discharge from the nostrils or mouth, breathe with their beak open, or you may hear a rattle in their breathing. Vets may sometimes recommend this be treated with a regimen of Baytril (an antibiotic) tablets. For one of the members here, a vet prescribed precisely: Keep bird indoors for 7 days, give three 22.7mg tablets of Baytril twice a day for seven days.

Worms
Common signs of worms are gaping, worms in the poo, irregular poo, listlessness, and loss of body weight.

Worms can be gotten in a variety of ways and it is safe to assume that at some point your birds will pick up some form of worms. They may not even always show signs, but that does not mean you can just not worm them. Typically worms are picked up via your birds eating bugs that are hosts to eggs/larvae. They can also be gotten when your bird picks at the droppings of other birds (particularly your chickens if you have them together) including wild birds. They may also pick them up from the soil or from food that you give them (a good reason to NEVER feed them raw meat), or from small animals they may eat (such as small rodents that get into their pen, snakes or lizards they kill, etc).

The trickiest thing about worming your birds is going to be picking the wormers and the schedule for worming. Some wormers work by adding them to the birds water, some are injections, some can be mixed with their food or given orally. The method you have to use is going to determine which wormer you use. The schedule is going to be what you consider to be appropriate, but should be at least twice a year, though some people do this more often and of course you would treat if you noticed symptoms of your birds having an infestation. The twice a year worming is preventative and "house cleaning" in nature, not a restriction. It is usually recommended that you alternate wormers so that no worm builds a tolerance and so that you are sure to get all the kinds of worms you bird may be subjected to. If worming only twice a year, most people will do this at the start of the breeding season (spring) and at the end of the breeding season (late summer/fall).

Important Note- It is very important to note that most wormers are anthelmintics or antihelminthics (also called vermifuges or vermicides). They are drugs which stun or kill parasites and allow them to be expelled from the host. When you worm your birds with most wormers, you are NOT preventing them from getting worms, you are preventing them from getting a heavy enough load of worms to kill them. If you have wormed them, this does not mean they are absolved of getting an infestation that you will have to treat, it means their current load has been treated. Please always be vigilant in looking for signs of illness or infestation.

Types of Worms
There are two types of worms, roundworms and tapeworms. Most of the worms your birds can get belong to the roundworm group.
-gapeworm: These roundworms make their home in your bird's throat. Most common symptom is your bird "gaping" their beak as if something is lodged in their throat or mouth.
-Capillary worms: Also known as thread worms, these infest the intestinal lining and shed their eggs in your bird's stool, which then becomes infectuous to any other birds you have. Egg production and growth may decrease in affected birds, sometimes death in the case of heavy infections.
-Intestinal worms: These roundworms may appear in your bird's dropping as stringy white worms and infest your bird's intestinal track. They can completely block the intestines, but usually stick to affecting egg production and food-to-energy conversion for your birds, which will cause them to thin and appear listless.
-Flukes: May cause "inappetence, droopiness, weight loss, calcareous cloacal discharge, depressed egg production, and an increase in soft-shelled eggs."
-Tapeworms: Tapeworms are another intestinal worm your birds can pick up. These are segmented worms and may look like grains of rice when portions of them shed off in your bird's droppings.
-Caecal worms: Also known as blackhead, this can be deadly to your birds. There are not really symptoms, but post mortem you would be able to find the worms in the caecal contents.

-Hookworms

An informational page about worms.
A site about treating blackhead disease.

Infection (Wound)
In the case of a wound becoming infected, you may see green, yellow, orange, or red discharge, or reddened skin around the site of the injury. White discharge is normal and usually indicates healing. Black usually indicated necrotic skin or flesh, and should be removed before it can infect surrounding area. You can re-clean the wound with fresh water and a soft cloth. While peroxide is safe to use in diluted form (30% diluted from the bottle), be aware that peroxide will also cause skin/flesh to become necrotic as it fights infection, and so should be avoided for any major infection. Neosporin (or other triple anti-biotic) WITHOUT PAINKILLERS can (and should) be safely used in small wounds to keep them from becoming infected.

Infection (Body)
Infections may occur on the surface level, as in the case of an eye or ear infection, but can also occur on the interior as in the case of a cold or other bacterial infection without injury. These can be treated with most anti-biotics safe for fowl, including Baytril and Amoxicillan, both of which can be obtained from a vet.

Infection (Respiratory)
Respiratory infections can display in varying ways. Birds may cough, sneeze, gasp, or have mucus discharge from the nose, mouth, or eyes. In some severe cases, you may see swelling of the nasal cavities or the area around the eyes (making it look as if their eye is swollen, when in fact it is their nasal passageway). Respiratory infections are generally treated with a dose of 1cc Tylan 200 given subcutaneously when possible. This should not be given for more than once per day and not for more than 5 days in a row. If your bird's respiratory infection does not improve, you may want to take it to a vet.

Fowl Pox

Ticks

Mites
-feather
A note about Sevin Dust- While sevin dust is great for getting rid of mites and lice and other bug pests, it can be devastating to honeybee populations in your area. If you garden/farm/tend an orchard, you may want to choose a different treatment.

Lice

Common Injuries and Care
Foot Injuries
-Frostbite
-Broken Nails
-Bumblefoot

Bleeding
There are two sources of an injury which has caused bleeding and one of the biggest things you need to know is which is responsible. If the injury was caused by another bird, you can attempt to identify the aggressor and separate them after you've cared for the injured bird. If the injury is environmental (either an object or a predator), the cause should be identified and removed following care (or if it is dangerous enough another bird may become injured while you are stopping the bleeding of the first, try to get someone to remove it while you care). Often times birds become injured by objects in their pen, such as sharp protrusions (nails, branches, glass, fencing). They may have gotten something caught in an area of the pen, and torn a nail or pulled out feathers or something of that nature. There are different names for different sorts of bleeding injuries, and I'll go over each and their care.

Stopping the Bleeding
For a serious wound, the first thing you must do is stop the bleeding. To do this, apply gauze with firm pressure and wait at least 2-3 minutes before removing. If the gauze become soaked, fold a new piece of gauze, and apply it over the top of the soaked piece. NEVER remove gauze that has soaked through! Removing the gauze from the a still bleeding wound also removes the platelets and other particle clotting agents the bird's body has produced toward scabbing the wound. Removing those things will almost certainly start the bleeding anew. When you are sure the bleeding has stopped, either bind the gauze to the wound for a day, or be INCREDIBLY careful removing it. If the wound is sticky and it looks like removing the gauze would peel away coagulated blood at the wound site, it is a much better idea to bind the gauze to the wound and leave it, rather than start the process over again.

Applying a Dressing/Bandage
Anyone that's ever tried to keep a band aid on an animal knows this can be a difficult procedure. A dressing for birds can usually be made using gauze and brown cling gauze/vet wrap. Brown cling gauze sticks to itself but is not very absorbent. They will pick at anything on their bodies, so you may have to replace the wrapping daily (which is advisably anyway as it allows you to monitor the wound site). Make sure that any time you dress a wound that the binding is secure/firm. It should not be tight enough to inhibit circulation but should also not be loose enough that the bird will wiggle out of it.

Shock
Another important aspect of bleeding birds is that, depending on the cause and severity of the bleeding, the bird may be in shock. It should be moved someplace quiet and when you are finished with care, placed someplace quiet and dim- not dark- to reduce the stresses it is going through. It should have access to fresh water and food, though it may not eat or drink immediately. The most important information contained below is how to stop bleeding.

Here are a few links to first air care. The sites go over human-based first aid, but bleeding skin is bleeding skin. Most techniques can be adapted for use on birds. I would suggest taking a first aid class by the Red Cross if you're able, as even just going once you will learn a LOT about first aid that can be useful both for your birds and the people in your life.
American Red Cross First Aid Training
Step by Step Controlling Bleeding from About.com
Mayo Clinic's Severe Bleeding First Aid


Here are a few products used to stop minor bleeding.
QuickClot
Kwik Stop Styptic Powder
Gold Medal Styptic Powder

Abrasions
Abrasions are also called scrapes and they are where the skin has become roughed up across a surface and may be bleeding (think: skinned knee). These are usually shallow and easy to treat. You can clean the wound with fresh water and a soft cloth, running water over it and brushing softly until any contaminants (dirt, plant matter, insects, skin flakes) are washed away. You can apply a thin coat of a topical gel antibiotic like Neosporin- but do not use the kind with painkillers. Any plain triple anti-biotic should do. In the case of most abrasions, due to their shallow nature, they should air dry and heal fairly quickly. For deeper abrasions, a dressing may be used.

Cuts
Cuts are typically minor lacerations where skin has separated but would not require stitches. It is important to thoroughly clean cuts with clean water to be sure that no debris has entered the wound. Bleeding may be stopped with gauze and applied pressure. Typically cuts do not need to be dressed with gauze an wrapping.

Puncture Wounds
A puncture wound is when an object pierces the skin and is removed (see embedded foreign object if the object has not been removed), leaving a hole (sometimes deep). It is most important in this situation to keep the wound clean and uninfected. Cleaning can be done the same as abrasions, with running water and a soft cloth, but be aware that debris may have gotten deep into the wound and cause infection. It is best in this scenario to cover this wound. You can also apply a triple-antibiotic to the wound.

Embedded Foreign Object
An embedded foreign object injury is when an object has punctured the skin and did not exit again. This could be perhaps a thorn or a nail or typically some other small, sharp object. The most important thing to remember about this situation is that removing the object is NOT the first thing you should do. You should first have on hand material to stop the bleeding, and depending on where the object is lodged and how large the object is, you may have to seek professional care. In most minor situations, prepare gauze or other clean, absorbent material, and use a clean pair of tweezers or other instrument to remove the object. You will most likely have to staunch the bleeding which will start fresh when you remove the object. Now that the object is removed, you can treat the wound as a normal puncture wound.

-Torn Skin /w skin attached
-Laceration
-Gouge
-

-Cleaning wounds/ care

Plucked feathers
-self vs harassment

Broken bones
--wing
--leg
--tail

Sprains
Slipped tendon (leg)
Egg Bound/Soft Eggs
Predator attack
-torn skin
-puncture wounds

Infection in wounds-


Medications and Their Applications
Some of the standard medications are as follows:
Tylan 200 (NOT 50) - Used typically for respiratory infections/problems. Available without prescription.
Ivermectin - Wormer (Ivomec brand name wormer for goats). Available without prescription.
Duramycin - Antibiotic. Available without prescription
Fenbendazole - Wormer (found in safe guard for goats). Available without prescription.
Wazine - Wormer (for roundworms only). Available without prescription.
Meloxicam (Metacam) - Anti-inflammatory/Pain medication (Non-steroidal, most steroidal anti-inflammatory medications are only given in the event of emergency by a vet, as in cases where birds have gone into shock) Prescription needed.
Ammoxicillan - Anti-biotic (usually oral). Prescription needed.
Baytril - Strong Anti-biotic (usually oral). Prescription needed.
Flubenvet - wormer
Solubenol - wormer roundworms, cecal, capillary
Corid - Cocci. Available without prescription.
Sulmet - Cocci. Available without prescription.
Amprolium - found in medicated starter, preventative for cocci. Available without prescription.
Valbazen- wormer
Levamisole- wormer

Many medications can be obtained through your vet if you know the name of the medication. As many vets do not cover birds (or have zero knowledge of farm birds, especially peafowl), it's possible that if you go in knowing what you want, they can write you a prescription. They'll probably want to see your bird. Peafowl are considered "exotics" at my vet, and you may be able to find a vet that will take them if they take other exotics. Most vets that take exotics will jump at a chance for something unusual.

A Word on Injections- If you must give an injection to one of your peafowl, unless specifically directed to be a veterinarian, DO NOT inject into the breast muscles of your bird. If possible, subcutaneous injections should be given, and the best spot for this is between their wings along their back.


Deformities
-Abnormal toes
--frostbite damage
--twisted toes
-broken bones not healed
-spraddle leg not healed
-Crossed beak


Emergency Situations

Veterinary Contacts by State
A list of vets by state that will/have/can take peafowl. If your state is not listed (or your vet), please leave a response with their contact information (name, address, phone).

California:
Dr. Christine Sellers
Cat and Bird Clinic
101 West Mission Street
Santa Barbara, California
(805) 569-2287

Michigan:
Canton Center Animal Hospital
Dr. Moran and Dr. G
5900 Canton Center Road
Canton, Michigan 48187
(734) 459-1400


Off site links
A comprehensive list of peafowl diseases


Additional Peafowl School
Peafowl 101: Basic care, genetics, and answers.
Peafowl 102: Advanced Housing and Accessories
Peafowl 104: Anatomy, Motion, and Behaviors
Peafowl 201: Further Genetics- Colors, Patterns, and More



Ignore the below, it's copy/pasted from Peafowl 101 to get me started on this post.



Worm - Hosts
Cecal worms - Beetles, grasshoppers
Capillary - Earthworms
Gapeworm - Earthworms, slugs, snails
Tapeworm - Ants, beetles, earthworms, slugs, snails, termites
Flukes - Dragonflies, mayflies
THANKS SO MUCH!
IM COMPLETELY NEW HERE TO THESE BEAUTIFUL GIFTS! THIS HAS BEEN AMAZING!
 
Vets may sometimes recommend this be treated with a regimen of Baytril (an antibiotic) tablets. For one of the members here, a vet prescribed precisely: Keep bird indoors for 7 days, give three 22.7mg tablets of Baytril twice a day for seven days.
This is not how my vets would prescribe Baytril. Baytril should always be given by weight, so a large adult male will get more than a small adult female.
 
I have a peachick that my neighbor gave me to nurse back to life. The chick didn’t walk and was lethargic. It is now up, walking and eating on its own. It had splayed legs which I put a gobble brace on. After 48 hours I took the brace off, but it hobbles around still. It also seems to lean to one side. Any ideas on what I can do? Hard to tell in the photo but the right wing is kept higher than the left.
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I have a peachick that my neighbor gave me to nurse back to life. The chick didn’t walk and was lethargic. It is now up, walking and eating on its own. It had splayed legs which I put a gobble brace on. After 48 hours I took the brace off, but it hobbles around still. It also seems to lean to one side. Any ideas on what I can do? Hard to tell in the photo but the right wing is kept higher than the left.View attachment 2204604
Welcome to BYC. Can you take a video of your chick walking, upload it to YouTube or Vimeo then copy and paste the link here?
 

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