Help with peachicks

[Matt51001]

I am hoping you all can help me. Last season I hatched about 30 baby peafowl and only about 10 lived to over 3 moths old. Most died while 1-2 months old. Those were inside under heat lamps. Others died once I moved them outside or after a while of being out side. I live in southern Ca so it doesnt get very cold at night. Here are some things I might have done wrong.
I raised them with baby chickens and turkeys.
I fed them medicated food.
Maybe they were crowded?
Can you please tell me the basics to get them to 6 months old? When should I medicate?
What and how much should I medicate?
Is it bad to have them with chickens and turkeys?
Is there a special feed you recommend?
Should I keep them under a heat lamp even after they are fully feathered?

I appreciate any tips you can give me. Thank you very much

 

[Waterfaery]

You're right about some of the things you might have done wrong.

Don't raise them with chickens and turkeys. Free range peafowl can live with chickens but in confined conditions it's a bad idea because of disease transfer. I'm not sure about turkeys.

Don't feed them medicated food. They need higher protein feed than the medicated stuff aimed at chicken chicks and the medication is not useful for peafowl. I don't know what food is available where you are but a starter aimed at game birds would be best.

I don't know if they were crowded because I don't know how much space they had but it was certainly one of the first things I thought of asking you. 30 is a lot and if there were chickens and turkeys in there as well then you would need a substantial sized brooder.

Toltrazuril for coccidiosis monthly until their first winter, starting at 1 month.
Fenbendazole (Safeguard) monthly until 6 months and then every 6 months after that. Start a couple of weeks after the Toltrazuril so the two medications are offset.

Theoretically, they shouldn't need the medications if they are indoors but I have read several people's experiences of coccidiosis starting before birds went outside. Crowded conditions will definitely cause issues anyway.

I don't know much about heat lamps. My peachicks were raised by peahens and any chicken chicks I raise in a brooder always have a heat plate, not a lamp. The heat plate is very good for acclimatising them and it more closely mimics a hen because they can warm up when they need to but they're not kept warm while they're wandering around. That way you can more easily monitor when they're ready to come off heat because they stop going under it, just like they stop going under a hen.

Whatever way you do it, I would try a much smaller amount until you have more exerience.

Make sure to read through all the stickies at the top of the peafowl forum.

 

[Matt51001]

Thank you. I didnt have 30 hatch at the same time. they were spread out. I kept them in different brooders according to the sizes. I actually don think they were overcrowded. I think it is more of a feed/medicine issue. Or being raised with the other birds.