Do I HAVE to worm my peacocks?

[NateinFL]

I have 2 males and a female, they get penned up at night, have a big back yard to roam during the day, I read all the time on here about worming peafowl. Can anybody with experience tell me if its absolutely necessary to worm them, would I be a bad owner if I didn't? They are very healthy and the peahen is the only one who I've clipped the wing on. There's feral populations in neighborhoods not far off from here I know they arent getting dewormed. Thanks for any info! -Nathan

 

[chickenzoo]

You don't have to do anything.................... but prevention is better than a cure, or how ever that goes.. LOL Feral birds can get what they need from the environment lots of times, but remember that life expectancy in the wild is less too. If your birds seem healthy, aren't losing weight and don't have lice and mites etc... than there is not a need to worm. If you notice somethings up though, with peacocks it's normally already been going on awhile before they show signs.....

A word of caution - be careful free ranging peafowl within 3 miles or so of any other peafowl or someones going to go visiting................

 

[NateinFL]

Great, thanks for the info Chickenzoo!...

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Chickenzoo's right on.
I might add, most breeders do it 2 times a year, once around now, and again a little before breeding season, as many wormers can sterilize fertility in eggs, so it's best to do it a few week in advance of that time.Aslo, most rotate out brands too each go round. The most common being Safeguard and Ivermectin. If you just have 3, it would be very easy, and cheap, so I would advise to it, as she said, once they SHOW signs, theres already a problem. Here where we live, in the hot humid south, we all have to be very diligent with this kind of stuff, you can believe, if they are on the ground here, they have been exposed to some for of parasite....
Aubrey

 

[deerman]

Yes best to worm them, worms can be host to blackhead and cause other problems.

I alway worm with ivomec before laying season, it has been said it will affect fertile

Think the safe guard for goat is fine anytime. The only two I use. These kill different parasites.


One point to remember about wild birds, they dont raise all their young.

Like peafowl only need to produce about 2 young every 15 to 20 years to replace the wild breeders. Nature has a way of controlling numbers. Sad but parasite do kill many wild birds.

I do everything I can to hatch every egg and raise everyone hatched.
Cant do this if you let nature that its course.

Cant you raise them that way, sure but you will lose ALOT

 

[NateinFL]

Very good points here. I'm more of a person who would prefer to keep "tough" peacocks, ones that can put up with and rid themselves of worms, since I only have 3. If I lose a couple of babies, well then that's just natural selection, right? But then again maybe I just need to get on ebay and do the ivomec and safeguard purchase if I can find them at a decent price...ahh so confused!

 

[deerman]

Quote:
Any farm store should stock them, TSC is where I get mine.

Welcome to the world of Peafowl

 

[deerman]

Just about everyone with dogs, would never think of letting their dog live with worms. Same should be true for birds also.

 

[NateinFL]

Yes I just checked TSC they have what looks like a generic version of Ivomec called IverOn 250ml cattle pour on medication for $14.99 and 100ml Safeguard Goat Wormer 100ml for $17.99 if they have it i'll just get them both just to have them around.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

That would be the best way to go, "let nature take it's course" really doesnt apply to birds on a farm not in a natural environment. They are way more susceptible to parasitic infestations solely because of the amount of animals on one confined area. It's a little different in the wild where they have to hole world to roam around in. Free ranged or not, on farms, eventually most all the ground gets pooped on, then they peck over that same dirt eventually, poop or not, parasites are in that ground now, so, like Deerman said, you wouldnt want to just hope your dog could get rid of it's own worms...most times they cant,, neither can your birds..
Good luck with them, as you've seen, it's not expensive, and makes for much happier , and HEALTHIER birds, you'll be glad you did it in the long run....