Molting question

[jdsgirl63]

Last fall my husband and I rescued 5 peafowl. 2 cocks and 3 hens. Everything was fine until they traveled to a neighbors yard and dug up their fall garden. Finding goodies there, they went back each day. Needless to say, the neighbors were not happy. We had to find a solution and contain them, so my husband built a 30 x 30 x 8 pen for them, he planted trees, installed several perches, etc... they seem happy in there.

The two boys are losing all of there big feathers over the last week or so. The girls are losing some, but not as noticeable as the boys.

Is it molting season? We really know very little about peafowl, we've done everything the previous owner told us to do, etc... but we want to make sure they're getting the best care possible. Hopefully, the molting is normal this time of year and it isn't from stress or anything like that.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Terri

Betty Lou Farm Alpacas
Grovetown, GA 30813

 

[MinxFox]

So the peacocks are already losing their train feathers (display feathers)?

That is strange normally they lose those feathers at the end of mating season and right now mating season is still going on I think for everyone in the US. I don't think it is that close to being over...

Peafowl don't really molt like chickens. They lose feathers, but they never lose a ton so you normally don't have to worry about the molt. The only big molt is like I said the peacocks will shed all of their train at the end of the breeding season. Then they re-grow their train and by next Spring their train will be grown out again and ready for displaying.

Have you been keeping a light on in their pen at night? I think I have read that a light can make them shed their trains sooner. I am not sure.

Keep an eye on the two peacocks. I have three peacocks in with four peahens and two of the peacocks are fighting. Generally during the breeding season people separate their peacocks so that they don't fight and also so that they can make sure specific peacocks breed, etc. One of my peacocks that is fighting is getting his train feathers broken and I am thinking it is from fighting.

 

[jdsgirl63]

There is no light at night, so it can't be that. The feathers aren't broken, they're in good shape. The two boys aren't fighting, when they were first in the enclosure the boys scuffled a bit, but that hasn't happened in a long while.

I'll keep a close eye, but my husband is out there most of the day 9a-6p and he hasn't seen any bickering in months.

If anyone can think of anything else it could be, I'm open to any suggestions!

We've got 5 total, 2 India blue (male & 1 hen) 3 white (1 male & 2 hens)

Thanks so much!

 

[MinxFox]

Hmm maybe they are just shedding their trains sooner than others.

 

[zazouse]

How old are these peas? my 19 month olds have quite a train for their age and one of them is molting his right now while my coming 3 and 4 year old still have every one of their train feathers.

 

[jdsgirl63]

They're rescues, but according to the original owner they're about 18-24 months old right now.

 

[zazouse]

They're rescues, but according to the original owner they're about 18-24 months old right now.

That is their baby train, photos of the birds would be helpful, peas do not molt body feathers like chcikens.

These are all baby trains around 15 months i think, the one in the upper right hand corner is an adult train

 

[jdsgirl63]

I've got a couple here is one, taken a couple of weeks ago.
I'll get better ones.