Help with Peachicks Please

[Waterfaery]

I have 10 peachicks being raised naturally by two peahens co-mothering them. They were two weeks old yesterday.

I noticed today that they're trembling a bit. It's sort of like a whole body quiver. I don't think they're cold because they're under the peahens on and off all the time. When they're out and about they're all full of energy as usual. I've noticed them doing this trembling a couple of times before but they seem to be doing it a bit more today. They're not trembling all the time, just on and off. Can the trembling be normal if they're acting otherwise normal, eating, drinking, flying around, displaying their tails, having dust baths etc? Or is it a sign they're unwell?

I also noticed some poo today from my peahens that I don't know if I should be concerned about. There is one runny, white poo and some dark black, solid poos. I don't know if they are from the same peahen or if both are pooing like this. I'll attach photos. Can anyone please advise about these?

I've been trawling through other posts about these sorts of things and I read advice about weighing them daily. I haven't weighed them until today so I have no baseline data but do these figures look normal for 2 week olds? The majority of them weigh between 125-135g but two are much smaller.

There is a little one that weighs 110g who also has some issues flying. I have a series of platforms / steps leading up to the roost. When the others started roosting, the little one couldn't get up there, even with the platforms. Now all of the others are flying straight to the halfway platform and then straight to the top but this one is struggling to get up via the platforms. She made it all the way up for the first time last night. At first I thought my non-flyer was one of the bigger ones but it is actually one of the little two. I noticed that her wings look a bit different and at first I thought she just had some different colouring but now I think she might have something stuck on her wing. She's had it since she hatched. I'll attach a photo of her which hopefully will show the white on her wing. Can anyone advise what to do with her?

The other little one only weighs 102g and she has had a funny looking eye since she hatched. I thought it might be some sort of deformity rather than an infection but maybe someone can advise? She can close it fully but she doesn't seem to be able to open it fully. I have a feeling she may be blind or partially blind in that eye because when she wants to look at something closely she turns her head all the way around to use the other eye. She's just as active and eating, drinking and pooing normally like the other peachicks. So far, there is no strange peachick poo, only the ones from the peahen(s) today.

Even though the funny eyed one weighs the least, she seems to have a relatively high position in the social order and is nearly always first to the treats. The non-flying one on the other hand, is always last and I have seen her being picked on a little bit by some of the others.

I was planning to start worming them in another couple of weeks. As for coccidiosis, they are on a medicated chick starter containing monensin as the coccidiostat. I was also planning to buy some coccidiosis medication to have on hand. I'd rather not dose them with preventative medication but I want to have the right thing on hand and be vigilant so I can treat quickly if I need to. Do any of these symptoms suggest I need to do either a worming or coccidiosis treatment now? Or any other treatment?

If anyone can help with any of these issues, I'd appreciate it.

 

[KsKingBee]

This is good to know. I have been using Corid but will try the Pantatex in the future. Should I treat monthly as a preventative like I have been doing with Corid? Or is this just
when I have an already sick bird?

You have two choices, one you can give preventively and stay ahead of the cocci, or two, wait until the cocci does damage to the organs, that is when the bird starts showing signs of being sick. As you know, I do my own fecal exams but I can't always keep up so we opt to treat the chicks on a regular basis. Losing birds to something that is so easily controlled is heartbreaking.

 

[KsKingBee]

You must keep an ever-vigilant eye on those leg bands especially if the chicks are hard to catch. As the bird grows the bands will get tight and possibly cause damage. We use colored zip ties and find that we have to replace them three to four times from the time they hatch to the time they are four months old. Once they are old enough and we decide they are keepers we will apply a metal band with our name and ID number.

 

[KsKingBee]

Treat the chicks as soon as you get the Pantatex and do not allow any other water for the two-day treatment. Use 3.0 ml per quart of water and make fresh both days.

 

[Waterfaery]

I don't worry about their actual weight as much as I worry about lack of weight gain.
View attachment 2804523

View attachment 2804524

Thanks. I found a post of yours in another thread mentioning at least 7% gain daily. I checked them today and they've all gained at least that or more, including the littlest ones. I'll start charting it like you have.

 

[KsKingBee]

Perfect! I just ordered another liter yesterday too. That is going to last a long time for only a couple of chicks. Put 12.0 ml in a gallon of water but as I explained earlier do not make a whole gallon as its effectiveness expires the second day. Just make an amount they will drink in a days time.

 

[KsKingBee]

Baytril 100 is the 10% and really should be given per weight of the bird. I would not trust putting it in the water, sick birds do not drink so they may not get any let alone how diluted it would be. It can be given via injection or direct drench but I would never trust it being diluted.

 

[Waterfaery]

Baytril 100 is the 10% and really should be given per weight of the bird. I would not trust putting it in the water, sick birds do not drink so they may not get any let alone how diluted it would be. It can be given via injection or direct drench but I would never trust it being diluted.

Thank you. I thought so.

I'm not sure what to do now because my local vet seems to have changed their mind about helping me get what I need. I'd love to ask them about getting the 10% but they've been a bit difficult about getting it for me at all and I'm still waiting for it to arrive. I also asked them about sending in faecal samples and they have quoted me €100 per sample.

I posted some new poo pictures in the poo thread and I also posted here in the main forum about some issues I'm having with the chickens. Do you think I should pursue getting the Baytril even if it is 2.5% and adjust the dosage? Does it seem like I need it now based on the symptoms and everything that's going on with my birds? The peafowl are all still acting well.

I appreciate your help so much. I really do feel alone otherwise. I'm so anxious it's hard for me to tell if I'm dealing with an emergency or panicking over nothing at all.

 

[KsKingBee]

I would be looking for another vet, perhaps one more rural that works with livestock and not the pet vets in the city. Our country vet charges $16 to do a fecal on any animal and even taught me to do my own at home. There are some online sources for meds you may want to try to find in your area. Birds have an amazing ability to fight off infections and as yours seem to be normal they may be fine. We try to recognize when birds need help and try to get ahead of potential problems. Try looking for potential sources for meds in case your vet has given up on you.

 

[Waterfaery]

I would be looking for another vet, perhaps one more rural that works with livestock and not the pet vets in the city. Our country vet charges $16 to do a fecal on any animal and even taught me to do my own at home. There are some online sources for meds you may want to try to find in your area. Birds have an amazing ability to fight off infections and as yours seem to be normal they may be fine. We try to recognize when birds need help and try to get ahead of potential problems. Try looking for potential sources for meds in case your vet has given up on you.

Thanks. We are extremely rural and they are really the only vet around unless we tried somewhere very far away. They have been very nice and helpful up until now. They did ring me back since my last post and seemed very helpful again so I don't know what to think. Medications are very heavily regulated here, especially antibiotics, so I suppose they were being wary. They had previously said they would source things for me but maybe they take the antibiotics more seriously.

I doubt I'd be able to buy antibiotics online. Unless you have any links? There are EU regulations and then the Irish regulations within that which are very strict. I don't want to do anything that's not allowed but I do just want to keep my birds safe.

They said the Baytril is 2.5%. Do you know what the dosage would be for that? Or even for the 10% and I can multiply it.

Also, they are going to be dispensing me a small amount, not an unopened bottle. Will that keep for a while if I wanted to wait and see if I actually need to use it or not? I've read that the oral one expires quickly once opened but I don't know if that's true. If they have a small infection I would like them to fight it themselves rather than medicate if I can but I'd like to be able to treat them quickly if they started showing signs of illness other than the poo.