I'm new...

[LunasMom]

Our Peahen, Luna, has been with the family for 8 or so years. Sadly, had to cage her many years ago. Predators took her boy friends, or they found greener pastures. I felt sorry for her last year so brought in a young male. Luna hatched two babies last fall. They both died, and I suspected it was due to the cold...but they hadn't been eating the starter I had given them. I am not prepared to incubate eggs, and Luna is now sitting. I gathered her first batch of egg, which she left where ever she dropped them, but last week she started sitting, and now I don't want to be cruel by taking them away. I was told by the gentleman I got Larry from (that's Luna's fella) that the babies must be kept separate from the parents... HUH? He said if they stayed in the coop with the adults they would get Coccidiosis and die. I want to do right by the babies...and Luna too. Suggestions welcome. I am a senior, with limited funds, and husband has multiple illnesses. I love my birds and enjoy visitng and just watching them. Their home is too small right now, but our son has plans to build a flight cage...hopefully before winter. Until then Luna and Larry are in an 8 x 10 chain link covered cage, with a little house to keep them safe from weather.

 

[Kevin565]

 

[LunasMom]

I'm not sure if I'm doing this right. Am I replying to Kevin...the wolf dog person?

 

[Kedreeva]

When you hit reply, it will reply to the thread. If you want to reply to a specific person's comment, you can state it in the general reply, or you can click "quote" instead.

You can leave the babies with the parents, many people let their peafowl raise their own chicks. However, when they are raised on natural ground they are a lot more susceptible to disease. Cocci is actually the least worrisome on natural ground as long as you are giving them medicated starter ( and it has to be medicated with amprolium, as that is the med that helps to prevent cocci). The medicated starter is ok for mom to eat too, so don't give the little ones a choice about which food they eat. You can get medicated chick starter at any tractor supply, or order it online from the same if there is no TSC near you. Most farm type stores should have it.

The biggest concern with chicks raised on natural ground is actually worms- they can pick them up from the soil, wild bird droppings, insects... and they are deadly to them at that age, and sometimes even deadly to them as adults. With that in mind, you may be able to give them a dose of Ivermectin in their water, but this is pretty harsh on the system, so most don't give it until 3 months unless there's an infestation apparent... the other side of that coin is that they have to survive until 3 months.

So, in all, most people will say if you want the chicks to have the best chance, taking them and raising them off natural ground or in a protected building would be safest.