First peachick hatched. Guesses on color?

[QueenMisha]

I just hatched my first peachick, out of my single pair who I bought last year. I should have 3 more eggs hatching sometime in the next week.

Mom was a white and dad was a pied with not a lot of white (just some on the wings, neck, and a fist-sized patch in the middle of the train). This is the chick. I was told that offspring would be 50% pure white and 50% pied. I'm guessing this guy is the latter (unless white ones have color as chicks?) Can anybody more experienced tell me roughly what s/he'll look like as an adult? My first impression was that s/he had a LOT of white! At least, compared to the dad. Does this mean that s/he could end up looking similar as an adult?



Also, is it true that they should be kept on medicated feed for 6 months? And do they really need to be brooded for 8 weeks or more? I usually turn my chickens and turkeys out in my grower/bantam pen at 4 weeks, but it seems that peafowl grow much, much slower than other birds. I'm thinking of keeping them in a 10x4 and 6-ish foot tall dog run in the front yard until 6 months, since I can't put them out with the big flock while they're still on medicated. Will this be big enough for around 4 peas?

Thanks for the help guys! I'm really enjoying keeping these beautiful birds, even if my current male is kinda a total jerk sometimes.

 

[KsKingBee]

Looks like a Pied chick to me. Part of the fun of raising peachicks is watching them change color as they grow, and it doesn't stop as chicks. They will even change at three and four years and older in some cases with White Eyes. My Pied Piper is an IB Pied White Eye split Cameo split Black Shoulder and he had less white eyes this year than he did last year. Next year he may have more, only time will tell. Pieds are so much more fun than a plain old White, blea... may as well have a dirty chicken.

 

[DylansMom]

I just hatched my first peachick, out of my single pair who I bought last year. I should have 3 more eggs hatching sometime in the next week.

Mom was a white and dad was a pied with not a lot of white (just some on the wings, neck, and a fist-sized patch in the middle of the train). This is the chick. I was told that offspring would be 50% pure white and 50% pied. I'm guessing this guy is the latter (unless white ones have color as chicks?) Can anybody more experienced tell me roughly what s/he'll look like as an adult? My first impression was that s/he had a LOT of white! At least, compared to the dad. Does this mean that s/he could end up looking similar as an adult?



Also, is it true that they should be kept on medicated feed for 6 months? And do they really need to be brooded for 8 weeks or more? I usually turn my chickens and turkeys out in my grower/bantam pen at 4 weeks, but it seems that peafowl grow much, much slower than other birds. I'm thinking of keeping them in a 10x4 and 6-ish foot tall dog run in the front yard until 6 months, since I can't put them out with the big flock while they're still on medicated. Will this be big enough for around 4 peas?

Thanks for the help guys! I'm really enjoying keeping these beautiful birds, even if my current male is kinda a total jerk sometimes.

Your chick is a pied that will very likely end up being very "showy" because of all that white. My most popular bird with visitors is my showy loud pied Harley. If it's a boy he may look like this. I don't really have a hen marked like that to show you, but the yellow will be white and the brown will be brown on a hen.



Peachicks should be kept on wire until they are 8-12 weeks old, 12 weeks for the medicated feed. Heat needs to be 95 the first week and lower by 5 degrees each week after that. It is not that they grow slower it is more that their immune systems develop slower, I wouldn't even consider putting mine on dirt at 4 weeks, I've lost too many to cooci because I rushed things. Your pen should be fine for 6 months, but after that get them in something bigger or they will be crowded and probably feather pick each other or worse.

 

[QueenMisha]

Looks like a Pied chick to me. Part of the fun of raising peachicks is watching them change color as they grow, and it doesn't stop as chicks. They will even change at three and four years and older in some cases with White Eyes. My Pied Piper is an IB Pied White Eye split Cameo split Black Shoulder and he had less white eyes this year than he did last year. Next year he may have more, only time will tell. Pieds are so much more fun than a plain old White, blea... may as well have a dirty chicken.

"Dirty chicken" haha that's completely true. The mama of this chick is always covered in red dirt from taking dust baths in the clay soil... she's more of a wheaten color than anything most of the time.

It's interesting to know that they'll change color. We've only had our adult pair for around 10 months now, so they've been the same color pretty much the whole time. The male was just growing his train back when we bought him, he looked so little and sad lol... I'm excited to collect all the feathers from him when he drops them this year though! (They do molt the train yearly, don't they? I remember reading that somewhere).

 

[QueenMisha]

Your chick is a pied that will very likely end up being very "showy" because of all that white. My most popular bird with visitors is my showy loud pied Harley. If it's a boy he may look like this. I don't really have a hen marked like that to show you, but the yellow will be white and the brown will be brown on a hen.



Peachicks should be kept on wire until they are 8-12 weeks old, 12 weeks for the medicated feed. Heat needs to be 95 the first week and lower by 5 degrees each week after that. It is not that they grow slower it is more that their immune systems develop slower, I wouldn't even consider putting mine on dirt at 4 weeks, I've lost too many to cooci because I rushed things. Your pen should be fine for 6 months, but after that get them in something bigger or they will be crowded and probably feather pick each other or worse.

Whoa, so that's what people mean by "loud" pied. Your boy is gorgeous! Ha, I thought my guy was handsome. Mine's only got white on the neck/breast/wings and a tiny patch on his train.

Do you think the wire's really necessary? Right now I've got the single chick on towels in a makeshift brooder, heated by a large heating pad on the ground; I can probably change the brooder to put raised wire on the floor, but it's gonna take a couple days, and I'd need to figure out how to heat him without the pad (cause all my heat lamps are on other chicks).

Would 6 months be an OK age to let them free-range, then? I'd be putting them out with the big flock - it's not really free-ranging, just a 4,000 sq. ft. fenced area, but the fence is only 5 ft., so if they wanted to fly out they could. The parents stay inside the run pretty much all the time, but who knows if the young ones will.

 

[DylansMom]

Whoa, so that's what people mean by "loud" pied. Your boy is gorgeous! Ha, I thought my guy was handsome. Mine's only got white on the neck/breast/wings and a tiny patch on his train.

Do you think the wire's really necessary? Right now I've got the single chick on towels in a makeshift brooder, heated by a large heating pad on the ground; I can probably change the brooder to put raised wire on the floor, but it's gonna take a couple days, and I'd need to figure out how to heat him without the pad (cause all my heat lamps are on other chicks).

Would 6 months be an OK age to let them free-range, then? I'd be putting them out with the big flock - it's not really free-ranging, just a 4,000 sq. ft. fenced area, but the fence is only 5 ft., so if they wanted to fly out they could. The parents stay inside the run pretty much all the time, but who knows if the young ones will.

When I say keep them on wire, what I really mean is keep them OFF the SOIL. A brooder lined with towels is fine. You just want to keep them off dirt until their immune systems can mature. Dirt is full of little nasties like, cocci, blackhead, worms, etc........ 6 months should be fine to start free ranging, just start slowly, 1 or 2 at a time during the day, back in at night. They get bold if they are all out together and will be more likely to wander, best to do one or two and keep them close to home until they learn the lay of the land. Youngsters like to strtch their wings and are quicker to fly than older mature ones.

 

[strawn28]

I'm curious I just lost a peachick so I'm hoping to prevent it again. I have a cedar box with chips and heat lamp for brooder. I do have a baby chicken chick in there. Do I need to move chicken is box ok for peachick?
Is medicated feed better than the medicated water? What kind do I use?

 

[new 2 pfowl]

@strawn28 - I don't know anything about this myself, but I have seen peapeople here saying that cedar chips can be toxic. I think @zazouse mentioned, in particular, that they are dangerous when used in a confined space. Anyone know about this?

 

[strawn28]

Oh geez really? What should I use?

 

[KsKingBee]

Do not use cedar chips! Also do not use the small pine chips, use the large pine shavings only. Change them for every batch of chicks, feed medicated chick starter, I use 23% medicated chick starter with no problems. Having a baby chicken chick in there will help a lot in teaching the peachicks to eat and drink. Part of feeding of medicated starter is the 'recycling' of the medication as the chicks eat their droppings. My label says to use as a sole source of amprolium and not to change the litter while feeding it unless absolutely necessary.