Disease control with peafowl/chickens...

[Morri]

I am planning on keeping my peachick with our 5 hens (chickens) when he gets older. At the moment they have 1/2 foot deep of woodchips in their pen and it gets cleaned out a couple time yearly. I am going to try and keep any diseases, mainly blackhead, as minimal as possible and was wondering could I put rubber mats in their pen, then everyday hose the poo off that way could keep droppings away?? plus worming regularly. WHat do other people put in their peafowl/chicken houses and how often do you clean it? Any pics would make it easier!! thanks

 

[Morri]

Please ANYONE??

 

[Soph xo]

well well well. look who it is. baha you said for someone to reply so HI THERE JUDE!! god i feel sick, i ate too much pizza. what have you been up to?

 

[Frosty]

I am rather new to peafowl, but will draw on my turkey experience for the blackhead issue... Do you know if it's a problem where you are? If you don't know, you can ask the ag extension or see if you have anyone in the area with turkeys or peafowl who would know. Just because you have chickens doesn't mean that you have blackhead there.

The next part, if it is there, it can be carried by earthworms. The chickens poop, the worms eat it, and now the worms are carriers. There is an interesting article on it here: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1285/control-of-blackhead-disease If it is a problem in your area, I would rethink keeping the peafowl with the chickens. I don't think trying to keep the droppings cleaned up would be enough.

Some folks with blackhead on their premisis periodically spread lime in areas where they keep turkeys and say that they have had good results. I think the theory is that it keeps the earthworms away from that area?