1st time peachick mom...lots of questions, help......UPDATE

[RubyNala97]

this will dulute the medcation in the food and your babies could go unprotected IMO you could add corrid to their driniking water to compinsate but i do not know how much because i do not use medicated feed or corrid. the wee peas need at least 24% protine for the first 6 weeks of life for proper muscle growth if not they will be thin at least that is my findings.

Thank you! Do you recommend not using a medicated feed? Why don't you use medicated? I'm just trying to decide if they need mediated starter.

 

[GitaBooks]

OK. Thank you! I'm a bit worried because the two hens are still on the eggs and I have only seen the chick once. I have just not had time to worry about it too much, due to the Holiday weekend and on top of that I have a friend who is critically ill in hospital, plus work, it's just been crazy the past few days and we haven't done anything besides feed the flock. Tomorrow should be better so I will read the link more thoroughly and see what we can work out. That's what I was planning, is just trying to coax them into a pen to eat, I've been working on that off and on with the two peahens, and they sometimes cooperate, so hopefully it won't be a problem. Six months! That's a long time, but that's ok. Will give the family time to enjoy the baby, if it lives. I'm pretty sure it's just one.

I'm sorry to hear about your difficult week.

I hope your friend gets better soon.

 

[chicknmania]

Thank you.

I'm sorry to say that the peachick has disappeared. Both hens got off the nest temporarily yesterday and my son said there was no chick in sight. When I went out to help look, Snap was back on the nest. No chick anywhere.

She was turning the remaining 5 eggs.

 

[GitaBooks]

I'm sorry to hear that.

 

[chicknmania]

My son found the chick yesterday. Outside the barn, minus it's head.

A rat would be my guess. Or there are other possibilities..we have a skunk problem and it could always have been a hawk, that's usually what they do with the bigger birds, is just take the head, if it's a hawk. And this is why we always put our mother chicken hens and their chicks in a pen until the chicks are several weeks old. For protection, and reduction of stress on the mother. I don't think the hens would have let a skunk near, but they would run from a hawk, and if it was a rat they probably didn't even realize what was happening. Weird that a hawk wouldn't take the whole thing though, it that's what it was. We do have barn cats so we don't have much of a rat problem, and I am sure the cats didn't get the baby, no way would they interfere with a peahen. So it's a mystery.

Anyway, the problem remains that both hens are now still setting on the eggs which at this point are definitely unfertile. I hate to take the eggs away as the hens get so upset, but is there any other wway I can break their broody cycle? And in future do you think we should try to move mother and chicks into a pen first thing, as we would the chickens? I dread the thought of that battle....

 

[chicknmania]

She is cute. I told the story last year of Sweetpea, after I mistakenly took her eggs, freaking out for two days. Eventually she discovered our four newly-released pullets, who were about eight weeks old at the time. They didn't have a mother, so Sweetpea took over that role...she guided and protected them for weeks...it was a win win for both sides, and so cute to see.

 

[GitaBooks]

Could you try giving them a few adopted babies? Even just some chickens? This might make it easier to take their own eggs away.

 

[chicknmania]

Yes, that's what I thought I would try. I'm planning on getting some pullets in mid July, so hopefully the same trick will work as last time. It's still a couple of weeks....but they do get off the nest to eat, drink, take a walk, and dustbathe, so they are ok for a little while longer, I think.

 

[casportpony]

When my hens successfully hatch babies, and they are on the ground from day one. I not only feed the Amprolium medicated starter, but also add the preventative dose of Corid to the drinking water. I know our soil is Cocci heavy and the peahens like to feed their babies all kinds of stuff besides just starter, so I want to make sure they get enough Amprolium. We did not lose any chicks to Cocci last year following this regimen.

That sounds like a solid plan.

-Kathy

 

[chicknmania]

OK, but I read recently that Amprol is so overused that it is beginning to lose it's effectiveness....last time we had a fecal check done, cocci was negative.