New baby Peafowl & newbie needing help

[Trish44]

I just hatched a baby peafowl chick five days ago & this is a new experience for me with peafowl. I hatch baby chicks all the time, but never peafowl before. I only had one hatch, so I have had it in with my baby chicks in the brooder. My problem is that it is not learning from the chicks how to eat & drink. I brought it back in & put it back into my hovabator to watch it more closely & last night had a little breakthrough with it. I mixed some yogurt with oatmeal & it will pick the food off my finger, but still won't eat unless I have it on my finger. I have tried the pecking motion with my finger to try to show it how to eat, but it just pecks at my finger then. Does anybody have any ideas for me about how to teach this baby to eat? I'm planning to get a couple of month old peafowl chicks in a couple of days, but until then I need to get this little guy eating on it's own.

 

[Mmmatt13]

I've never had peas before (first ones are due the 13th!!!), but the times I've tried with chicks to get them to eat, I stuck my finger just under the food so they could still see the nailpolish on my fingernail (they love that), but when they peck at it they end up getting some chunks of food in their beak and eat it. Good luck!

 

[Lil Zoo]

I just hatched a baby peafowl chick five days ago & this is a new experience for me with peafowl. I hatch baby chicks all the time, but never peafowl before. I only had one hatch, so I have had it in with my baby chicks in the brooder. My problem is that it is not learning from the chicks how to eat & drink. I brought it back in & put it back into my hovabator to watch it more closely & last night had a little breakthrough with it. I mixed some yogurt with oatmeal & it will pick the food off my finger, but still won't eat unless I have it on my finger. I have tried the pecking motion with my finger to try to show it how to eat, but it just pecks at my finger then. Does anybody have any ideas for me about how to teach this baby to eat? I'm planning to get a couple of month old peafowl chicks in a couple of days, but until then I need to get this little guy eating on it's own.

I don't know if it will help but they say get a red feeder and water dish. When putting in brooder dunk nose in water and food. My little pea started throwing feed out of feeder first day. I also have marbles in water so he wouldn't drown. He likes to peck at those. I thought about putting him in with chicks but read it wasn't advised. I put a mirrow and stuffed beany baby in and a few marbles and he is a happy chick unless he thinks he needs more heat. I still have him under heat bulb on one end of tote. If it gets steamy I unplug a while.

 

[Trish44]

Well I've tried everything with this little guy, I thought I was making progress with it eating food off my finger, but now it's not eating at all & still won't eat or drink on it's own. It seems to be failing tonight, so I think I'm going to lose it. It just doesn't seem to be thriving at all, it's sad.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

Peas hatching is tough enuf,,,getting them to 6 months of age is the other 1/2 of the battle,,sometimes it makes you wonder how they ever managed to exist this long without humans interveening. But even with all our technology and studies conducted by scientists and universities,,,some things just have a natural selection process that man cannot change.It's still in the right season to try again with more hatching eggs or buying young peachicks.In a way I'm suprised prices aren't a lot higher for both,considering even under the best conditions,,,hatch rates vary so widely as well as how thrifty some peachicks are from hatch to hatch coming from the same parents.

 

[Trish44]

I did get two month old peachicks to go with the one I hatched yesterday & hopefully they will show the little guy the ropes. So far they are doing well together, they aren't picking on the little guy at all, they're more protective of it than anything. It's still going strong, although how I don't know, it really seems to have the will to live. Wish me luck!

 

[chickenlover237]

good luck!

 

[Lil Zoo]

I did get two month old peachicks to go with the one I hatched yesterday & hopefully they will show the little guy the ropes. So far they are doing well together, they aren't picking on the little guy at all, they're more protective of it than anything. It's still going strong, although how I don't know, it really seems to have the will to live. Wish me luck!

Is he still hanging in there? If so he must be a tough little fellow after all.
Betty

 

[NateinFL]

Is he still hanging in there? If so he must be a tough little fellow after all.
Betty

I was wondering the same thing...