1st time peahen hatching her eggs and inexperienced owner

ronzxcvb

Songster
May 6, 2017
102
63
116
Chester South Carolina
Saw 1 chick this peek out from under her this morning she was sitting on 4 eggs
How long should I wait to check the nest?
For chick feed would a mixture of 24% chick starter (non medicated) mixed with game bird crumbles work? Or should I get medicated?
I also used some to try to make fermented feed but seems too watery
 
Thanks
Think I will pick up a bag of medicated feed tomorrow
Already had the non medicated and read that medicated don't work with fermented feed
so will feed a little of both
Already changed out the water dishes yesterday
A lot of the info I can find is for chickens not peafowl but am going to check the nest late tomorrow morning if she isn't off it by then (will be little over 24 hours)
Think we would be less nervous if our first hatch would have been with the chickens or guineas
And she only raised up once so we could see the chick which was in the morning
We kept on checking but she never got up again while we were there
 
I've heard that the eggs hatch at different times because she laid them at different times and, unlike a chicken, she started brooding with the first egg. However, I could have read that wrong. : )
 
Hello. It would be best to leave her alone as she will know when it is time to leave her nest. If you are going to allow her to walk her chicks around on the ground you should also consider adding either Corid or Di-MethoX to their drinking water. Both of these meds have their plus and minuses but failing to prepare the chicks for a cocci infection will only result in a dead chick or all dead chicks. Also if you are going to let her and the chicks mingle with chickens you will need a black head prevention. If it were me I would put the bag of unmedicated feed away as mixing just dilutes the cocci meds. Good luck. FC
 
I've heard that the eggs hatch at different times because she laid them at different times and, unlike a chicken, she started brooding with the first egg. However, I could have read that wrong. : )
she didn't sit until all 4 were in the nest

If you are going to allow her to walk her chicks around on the ground you should also consider adding either Corid or Di-MethoX to their drinking water. Both of these meds have their plus and minuses
They will staying in there coop
Have corid going to have to read up on using it as a preventive med
I have been reading about fermented feed
Its supposed to be better for starting chicks on
was thinking about using both having the medicated chick starter available all the time and feeding the fermented 2-3 times a day
 
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Made her back off a little so I could see in the nest and saw there was 1 dead chick
got her off the nest and saw she had 3 chicks so cleaned up the dead 1 and the shells
as soon a I got out she led them back to the nest
Within about a hour she had them off the nest and was loosing up the dirt with her beak and having them eat some
It really seemed like she was waiting for a response from the 4th chick and once it was gone started to care for the 3 chicks
 
I'm sorry about the chick you lost, but it sounds like she's a wonderful mother! Congrats on three babies! : )
 
She was incubated and raised in a brooder who knows how many generations it has been since a hen in her line has raised her chicks
But she still knows what to do

The fermented feed didn't go over very well the peacocks wouldn't touch it
The cock looked closely at it and walked away
Waited a half hour and gave it to the chickens some tried it and walked away
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added some scratch grain going to try again tomorrow with the chickens
I did get a supplement for the chickens (haven't used yet)
would this be good to put on the peachicks food?
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Too bad they put soy in it, but that was to boost the protein level. The rest of the ingredients looks good but it really isn't much better than a good chick starter. If you want to look for a really good feed try to pass up the ones with soy in them in favor of animal by-products which are much better for pea health.
 

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