Peafowl Worming

[Bailey1204]

I am very new to the world of peafowl. We are getting 2-3 of them soon and I was wondering some things about worming.
1) Is it absolutely needed to de-worm peafowl? If so, how often?
2) What kind of de-wormer should I buy and where do I buy it? (specifics please)
3) What dosages should be used?

Thank you for any info,
Bailey1204

 

[barkerg]

I am very new to the world of peafowl. We are getting 2-3 of them soon and I was wondering some things about worming.
1) Is it absolutely needed to de-worm peafowl? If so, how often?
2) What kind of de-wormer should I buy and where do I buy it? (specifics please)
3) What dosages should be used?

Thank you for any info,
Bailey1204

Bailey,
Great question, this subject always lends itself to debate. First lets talk about the accommodations meaning the size of the potential flock and how will they be kept, free range, penned or a little of both. If you already have birds such as chickens, turkeys etc... Then your probably ahead of the game and just dont realize it yet. In my opinion all birds should be dewormed even the free range birds which some say on the free rangers that it is not needed or is less frequent but, I feel that if the penned ones can get worms then they can and will be passed back and forth and deworming is pretty cheap if done on a schedule so why take the chance? As for the meds, I would suggest speaking with some in your area as the type of worms that can be found because some regions have more of a threat of certain types of parasites than others and vice versa. I myself use ivermectin 1% injectable mixed 3cc per 1 gallon for 2 days and repeat 10 days later as a general parasite control. I also use fenbendazole which can be found in safe-guard goat dewormer and before I forget both of these can be found at your local feed/coop store there is no dewormer that I know of made specifically for peas so over the years pea people have derived the right amounts needed and believe me they work. Now back to safeguard as stated is a goat dewormer and I mix 3.5 cc per gallon for 3 days and with this med I suggest that you mix it daily as it is kinda pasty like mylanta and settles pretty quick, I also repeat after 10 days, the reason for repeating is because neither of these meds kill the eggs so a repeat helps to stop the cycle. These are the basics I use, there are other remedies and other parasites but, my fingers will fall off if we go there so someone will chime in here to cover what Im missing. Neither of these meds are deadly and are pretty friendly but an overdose could occur but it would take a bunch for that to happen. I would not mix both at the same time and many will tell you to treat pre and post egg laying season due to some studies that have suggested the meds could affect fertility I am still in the air about this but take no chances there either. Some will tell you to not eat the eggs (chickens) because the meds could be passed to you and I also take no chances there either as walmart always has eggs

. Again, this is the basics as done by me and yes this was long winded. There are many subject matter experts on here and you will not be disappointed. This sounds odd but, you will learn how to read your birds poo and be able to tell if they are getting sick before they do, peas are the worst for looking great today and then tomorrow they can go downhill fast. I hope this helps.

Gerald Barker

 

[Birdrain92]

I am very new to the world of peafowl. We are getting 2-3 of them soon and I was wondering some things about worming.
1) Is it absolutely needed to de-worm peafowl? If so, how often?
2) What kind of de-wormer should I buy and where do I buy it? (specifics please)
3) What dosages should be used?

Thank you for any info,
Bailey1204

I might get in trouble for saying this but it's not that you have to worm them; I've seen free range peafowl do just fine without ever being wormed. But it is advised to worm them to try and prevent diseases. I use Safeguard horse paste. Casportpony has that last question down to a science. If I'm remembering correctly it's around 2.5 cc orally for an adult. In my opinion if you're going to worm them do that best you can to get it in their mouth. You will worm for 5 days, skip 10 days, and then worm again for another 5 days. That way there won't be any parasites left. If you only do the first 5 days you only killed the first generation. Worm eggs tend to be immune to wormers. That's why you wait the 10 days for them to hatch but not long enough for them to mature. Also this way it kills all of the worms. I buy mine at a local feed store. If not try and contact a local vet to see if they know.

 

[Bailey1204]

Thanks so much! I'll take that into consideration. Also, we were planning on having the pea's in a pen directly next to our ducks, will that be okay? They aren't going to live with the ducks just next door. I was wondering...
1) Will they get along?
2) Will the ducks affect the pea's health at all?

 

[barkerg]

Thanks so much! I'll take that into consideration. Also, we were planning on having the pea's in a pen directly next to our ducks, will that be okay? They aren't going to live with the ducks just next door. I was wondering...
1) Will they get along?
2) Will the ducks affect the pea's health at all?

Another heavily debated subject. Waterfowl tend to dirty the water and they can in most cases handle more than peas. As long as they are not sharing water and a regular worming schedule is kept then you should be ok. Keep an eye on the peas, if their wings start to droop or they stand by themselves while others are roaming then you may have to make your schedule more frequent. Monitor and let us know if there are issues and if you need help. I pm'ed my number if you have any questions, call me.

Gerald Barker

 

[Bailey1204]

Thank You!!

 

[Birdrain92]

Thanks so much! I'll take that into consideration. Also, we were planning on having the pea's in a pen directly next to our ducks, will that be okay? They aren't going to live with the ducks just next door. I was wondering...
1) Will they get along?
2) Will the ducks affect the pea's health at all?

Being separated so they can't get in contact with each others water, feed, feces they should be fine for the most part. They may attack at the fence but there's not much they can do to each other. They could possibly hurt themselves doing so but not a huge problem with most peafowl. The big reason is because waterfowl are very hardy and can spread diseases without showing symptoms. If you practice healthy biosecurity you have almost nothing to worry about.

 

[Bailey1204]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Bailey1204]

Sorry to keep bothering you... I just have one more question: How much room do they need? We have this area between the end of the duck run and another building that is about 9x5 feet. Is that big enough for 2 pea's? They would be outside maybe one-two hours per day- free range I mean.

 

[barkerg]

Not a bother at all thats what we are here for, its a passion for us and education. To be honest, if they could free range all day and just have that as a roost at night it would be ok, but still to small for even 1 pea. At a minimum for IB's I would try and give them 100sq ft per bird and thats still pushing it. They can get stressed very easy and that will cause health problems. If its all you got for now just keep an eye on them and the first sign of trouble separate or medicate if needed.

Gerald Barker