1 week vs several weeks

[Artistickatt]

My chicks were picked up yesterday. Since I was in a serious car accident the day before and in the hospital, I could not go.

This is a pic, mine are the two brown and one of the whites. The rest are my friends with a farm already with birds. I had been told by the breeder they were only going to be a week old. So I was completely set up for younger ones :-/ How old are these?

My question is this: My plans were to socialize and interact with them (not to breed them or sell them later), am I going to have issues with them being older birds? These are my first peafowl, my experience is that the younger the bird (hopefully after hatching) the easier the socialization. Do I try to address this with the breeder? How old are chicks if they are mailed? Am I concerned over nothing, and just upset they are not younger, and dealing with a rough week in general. Not the start I wanted to have, 6 broken ribs, 3 peafowl, and 1 totaled jeep.

(on a side note, I am not against sponsoring/giving these guys to my friend who has a farm and a flock already, since she was not going to socialize them and see if I can find new chicks due about the time my ribs heal)

Thanks,

Katt

 

[Waterfaery]

It's a few years since my peachicks hatched so I don't really remember exactly but these look young enough to me. The india blue look slightly older than the whites. Maybe 2 weeks old? Definitely not old enough to be complaining to the breeder anyway.

Spend time with them and enjoy them. They might be good therapy for you after your accident.

 

[Waterfaery]

Have a look at this amazing photo database.
https://www.peafowldatabase.com/2-weeks.html

 

[KsKingBee]

I think you are on drugs, or should be. Your plans are still good and will work out. They are still at a very impressionable age and will be for a few weeks yet. I would get them all DNA tested and NOT imprint any males as that will not turn out well in a couple of years.

 

[Artistickatt]

It's a few years since my peachicks hatched so I don't really remember exactly but these look young enough to me. The india blue look slightly older than the whites. Maybe 2 weeks old? Definitely not old enough to be complaining to the breeder anyway.

Spend time with them and enjoy them. They might be good therapy for you after your accident.

Yes, I agree on the therapy. I had not thought about that.

I wasn’t sure if it was something I needed to be concerned enough about. And I had started to think not. I am usually not a complainer for sure, but it was a sudden change of plans for sure that left me bewildered in a rocky week.

I get them tomorrow from my friend and I am excited. Thank you for your thoughtful input.

 

[Artistickatt]

I think you are on drugs, or should be. Your plans are still good and will work out. They are still at a very impressionable age and will be for a few weeks yet. I would get them all DNA tested and NOT imprint any males as that will not turn out well in a couple of years.

You are very correct on the drugs . Nothing like pain and uncertainty to swamp your brain. I have continued to try to read as much as possible, change aviary plans based on the info you gave me, and not stress too much.

But you cannot imagine my mind, when I am in the hospital and find out “oh yea they are older than a week”. Sigh… most importantly I care deeply that they are well taken care of and I do everything in my abilities to give them the best life possible. I think they will like it here

Hopefully in a year, you will talk to me, and it will be “yeah, can you believe I was so worried”

Oh quick question - my book says leave them on medicated 18%, friend here (who has had them for 40years) says game bird starter 30% non-medicated. I was curious on you advise. I know you raise them professionally.

 

[KsKingBee]

For as long as the chicks are contained to a small area it is best to go with a lower percentage starter. Once they have plenty of room to run, jump, fly, and play then move to the high percent protein. High % is better for the birds but there is some concerns that if they can't run off the excess protein it can cause problems in the legs from rapid growth. I use non-medicated because of the way it works. It starves the cocci retarding its growth, but the problem is it also withholds those vitamins from the chick. We control cocci with monthly Toltrazuril treatments which actually kills cocci not just retard its growth.