Hi all. I am fairly new to peacocks, though I often came here to read advice, I've never needed to start a topic until today.
I've hatched eggs for a couple years now. The first few years were uneventful. Last year I encountered something I had never seen before. Chicks about 7 to 14 days old were dying. They would be fine one minute and then trembling and weak the next with their body feeling cool compared to a healthy chick. Some would have what seemed like a spasm or seizure periodically. Then they would be dead. I wasn't sure if it was a viral or bacterial component or something else, like vitamins.
Sure enough this year I have eggs hatching and a 7 day old chick went from being healthy and active to tremoring, sitting down on legs and weak within 24 hrs. Still hungry and eating a mash of water and feed from the end of a shishkaboob skewer.
Parent birds are all healthy, adult birds - no sign of any disease. I feed the chicks a high protein, amprolium medicated turkey crumble. I disinfect brooder bins with bleach and spray down the incubator with hydrogen peroxide. Only set clean eggs.
What in the heck could be doing this?
I've hatched eggs for a couple years now. The first few years were uneventful. Last year I encountered something I had never seen before. Chicks about 7 to 14 days old were dying. They would be fine one minute and then trembling and weak the next with their body feeling cool compared to a healthy chick. Some would have what seemed like a spasm or seizure periodically. Then they would be dead. I wasn't sure if it was a viral or bacterial component or something else, like vitamins.
Sure enough this year I have eggs hatching and a 7 day old chick went from being healthy and active to tremoring, sitting down on legs and weak within 24 hrs. Still hungry and eating a mash of water and feed from the end of a shishkaboob skewer.
Parent birds are all healthy, adult birds - no sign of any disease. I feed the chicks a high protein, amprolium medicated turkey crumble. I disinfect brooder bins with bleach and spray down the incubator with hydrogen peroxide. Only set clean eggs.
What in the heck could be doing this?
