I hope you don't get sick of me. *Update- mysterious illness?*

[Peafowlssssssss]

Our cats are so friendly with us and with our adult birds, but they will attack our chicks even if we were there

, but now all our chicks are penned!

 

[Peafowlssssssss]

Also keep in mind that cats can climb the fence!

 

[DylansMom]

We have lots of cats at the farm. Some of them friendly and some not so much so (true barn cats). I seriously doubt that any of the cats could take a chick unless it was a sneak attack. Our cats spend as much time in the pens as outside the pens as they are truly mousers. The peahens do not pay them any attention normally as they are no threat and if you have ever seen a cat fight a peahen there is only one outcome, near dead cat. When we occasionally let the hens hatch late in the season they become way more attentive around the cats. Even the most wary barn cat would not try.

I wish my hens were more attentive. I have watched the cats stalk the chicks and the hens never noticed them. And it would probably be a sneak attack, they will lay in wait between hay bales and try to snatch starlings and swallows that get too close, it would be the same with chicks I think.

 

[casportpony]

My cats leave the chicken chicks and ducklings alone, but there's something about the way peachicks flutter that they can't resist.

-Kathy

 

[AugeredIn]

I guess mine get enough mice to pass on anything else. And if you have eve seen a barn cat eat a mice it is quite disgusting and I have seen some bad stuff. They eat it whole, head first, crushing the bones as it goes down, just like a snake.
Full of mice, down for the count in the grow out pen.

 

[furbabymum]

Also keep in mind that cats can climb the fence!

I've found tons of cats in the barn so I know. Stupid akbash won't go after them and he is the only dog that is poultry acceptable.

 

[MinxFox]

Well I had a peafowl breeder tell me this year that rats will kill ducklings, chicken chicks, peachicks, etc. I know that peafowl seem to be afraid of hawks and sometimes when they hear a big hawk call they will honk and sometimes run for cover. I am sure hawks could swoop in and get a peachick. I have had issues losing peachicks that were in the pen. I think they were going through the fence and wandering off too far from their mom and then got eaten. I found some inside the pen dead with no apparent wounds so I have no idea how they died. I like letting the peahens raise their own chicks so I will have to make some improvements if I ever want to get lots of peachicks to survive INSIDE the pen. The first time I had a peahen hatch peachicks all chicks survived to adulthood but something about one year was different. Two peahens in the pen hatched out lots of peachicks around 6 for each hen. Both peahens ended up with one peachick each. I have no idea how all but one survived for each of them but it made me only sell eggs this year and not let them hatch anything.

Once I found a peachick stuck in some grass in the pen. It had rained and the peachick's leg had grass wrapped around it which was kept it from following the mom to head for cover. I found it when I went to feed and noticed a peachick was missing and found it in the grass. I took it and dried it off. It was hard re-introducing it to the peahen and she pecked it a lot before she accepted the chick again. She didn't realize it was hers. Then Zazouse on here told me to re-introduce peachicks at night by slipping them under the peahen. The next time I had to re-introduce a peachick (this chick needed its toes fixed) I tried that and it worked.

Some people who let the peahens hatch and raise peachicks seem to keep the peahen in an indoor area and let the peahen and chicks out during the daytime for a bit (maybe with supervision) then they put them back into the indoor area. A small indoor area might be a good idea if you really want to have your peahens raise a lot of peachicks.

 

[furbabymum]

Well I had a peafowl breeder tell me this year that rats will kill ducklings, chicken chicks, peachicks, etc. I know that peafowl seem to be afraid of hawks and sometimes when they hear a big hawk call they will honk and sometimes run for cover. I am sure hawks could swoop in and get a peachick. I have had issues losing peachicks that were in the pen. I think they were going through the fence and wandering off too far from their mom and then got eaten. I found some inside the pen dead with no apparent wounds so I have no idea how they died. I like letting the peahens raise their own chicks so I will have to make some improvements if I ever want to get lots of peachicks to survive INSIDE the pen. The first time I had a peahen hatch peachicks all chicks survived to adulthood but something about one year was different. Two peahens in the pen hatched out lots of peachicks around 6 for each hen. Both peahens ended up with one peachick each. I have no idea how all but one survived for each of them but it made me only sell eggs this year and not let them hatch anything.

Once I found a peachick stuck in some grass in the pen. It had rained and the peachick's leg had grass wrapped around it which was kept it from following the mom to head for cover. I found it when I went to feed and noticed a peachick was missing and found it in the grass. I took it and dried it off. It was hard re-introducing it to the peahen and she pecked it a lot before she accepted the chick again. She didn't realize it was hers. Then Zazouse on here told me to re-introduce peachicks at night by slipping them under the peahen. The next time I had to re-introduce a peachick (this chick needed its toes fixed) I tried that and it worked.

Some people who let the peahens hatch and raise peachicks seem to keep the peahen in an indoor area and let the peahen and chicks out during the daytime for a bit (maybe with supervision) then they put them back into the indoor area. A small indoor area might be a good idea if you really want to have your peahens raise a lot of peachicks.

So last night I saw one of the peachicks just not acting right and I brought it inside and cared for it. It died. I've no idea of what. It was walking around just fine the day before but yesterday it just wasn't right. So now I'm wondering if the 2 missing peachicks might not be somewhere dead from who knows what. I'm going to get some medicated feed and offer it up. Maybe it will help. I'm not sure. Very depressing!

 

[furbabymum]

Bumping

 

[DylansMom]

Bumping

Do you have any Corid? I would treat for coccidia as quickly as possible. Cocci will kill very quickly and often they don't show signs of illness until 24 to 36 hours before they die. At least that's how it was when I lost some to it last year. You may also need to tube feed them as cocci will cause them to quit eating and drinking, so medicated feed doesn't help, since they are not eating it.