large male found dead

[crazygoatlady]

The original two babies I got are doing well…there didn't appear to be any fighting amongst them. The pair I picked up in September I believe or Oct time frame. The guy was selling quickly. Said they were two, but for all I know, they are 12! The babies get away from the male (which is the one who died). Previous owner never told me what he wormed them with, and I assumed that it wasn't really a big deal. (WRONG) Younger babies examined by vet and said there wasn't high levels of anything in particular, but we wormed and gave an antibiotic (baytril) in water. Young birds are doing very well and come to me when I go and sit in the pen daily to feed and watch. (fascinated by these guys). But the big ones are still skiddish, so I don't spend a lot of time so they can get their fresh share of meal worms. Their diet consists of the following:
Game Bird maintenance (TSC), Scratch and BOSS (one large horse size scoop filled with equal thirds of this). One large drinking glass size of kitten chow by purina and four large handfuls of dried meal worms.

Today, as a preventative, I am worming with wazine and also have a probiotic in another bowl of water.

I am new to peacocks…do you recommend any good books?

The top of the kennel is sheet metal. The dog that killed poultry has been rehomed and I am considering allowing these guys to run free, but I don't know if that is the right thing to do for them? Cant exactly doctor an injured animal if it roosts in 25 foot high trees. I hate to sell them to save them, but I need to educate myself much more. This is so frustrating.

 

[crazygoatlady]

Taking male to vet on monday for necropsy…but his neck was kinda crumpled backward with feet out to side and wings spread. The spooking episode may be realistic possibility. I found a pair for sale cheap and bought and got rid of the dog that killed one of the peafowl. Would free ranging be better health wise for them?

 

[Garden Peas]

Taking male to vet on monday for necropsy…but his neck was kinda crumpled backward with feet out to side and wings spread. The spooking episode may be realistic possibility. I found a pair for sale cheap and bought and got rid of the dog that killed one of the peafowl. Would free ranging be better health wise for them?

Well, not if they fly away or get eaten by predators... You would need to assess safety hazards carefully, being aware that you would probably lose some, and possibly all of them.

However, a sheet metal roof is dangerous, particularly if it is only 6 ft high, if that is the height of your dog pen. A 10x10 dog pen is just too small for that many peas to live in. Can you buy a second pen and use it to expand the first one? That gives you 20x20 (or some other configuration if you prefer) and increases your square footage of pen space from 100 sq ft to 400 sq ft for the 20x20 configuration, a huge increase in the area.

From your description, yes, it sounds as though the broken neck may well be the likely scenario. That's a hard way to learn about peas spooking into things overhead and breaking their necks. But now you know, so you can take action to fix the living conditions.

There are members who free range their birds, and who have extremely healthy birds, and there are members who have penned and extremely healthy birds. The health of the birds is not measured based solely on confinement or not confined. It depends on the living conditions, including the safety of their housing and pen, the appropriateness of their diet for their needs, and regular health care and preventative medicine.

There are lots of experienced folks here who are glad to help. Start by reading the peafowl stickies, and then ask questions about anything you don't understand. There is a vast amount of information contained in threads on this forum, so use the search button as part of the educational process.

Good luck! I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[casportpony]

Taking male to vet on monday for necropsy…but his neck was kinda crumpled backward with feet out to side and wings spread. The spooking episode may be realistic possibility. I found a pair for sale cheap and bought and got rid of the dog that killed one of the peafowl. Would free ranging be better health wise for them?

Necropsies are very helpful. FWIW, often part of the dying process includes lots of flapping and convulsions which could explain the position you found him in (I've had chickens die from various ailments end up like that). Not saying that it wasn't a head or neck injury, just that body position doesn't mean anything.

Are you close to here?
Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory
Oklahoma State Univ.,College of Vet. Med.
Farm & Ridge Road
Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078
Phone: 405-744-8808 Fax 405-744-8612
http://www.cvhs.okstate.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=17&Itemid=158

OKLAHOMA

Dr. Rod Hall
Title: State Veterinarian
Agency: Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry
Department: Animal Industry Division
Office Address: P.O. Box 528804
Oklahoma City, OK 73152
Mailing Address: 2800 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73152
Permit : (405)522-6141
Website : http://www.oda.state.ok.us/ais/oair.pdf
Office Telephone No: (405) 522-6141
Fax No: (405) 522-0756
E-mail : [email protected]

Some states do them for free, others have grants to assist those that cannot afford necropsies, so ask.

-Kathy