Nutritional needs during egg laying

[zazouse]

Besides eggs not having some things required by the birds not in an egg, you need several eggs to be digested to replace what is in one egg produced You need to have flock of chickens that you are maintaining to produce the eggs to give to the peafowl. Not incredibly efficient but you are right, eggs are good food.

Eggs are cheap here at the grocery store 1.59 per dozen large eggs that will feed 12 peafowl but i have year round egg layers so i don't have to worry about buying eggs anyhow.
a 20 pound bag of good quality cat food with meat listed first cost 27.99 here, i only have one cat now so i no longer buy cat food .but i would never feed them something that has grain listed first cause cats are carnivorous.

Flock raiser has 20% protein so i feed scrambled eggs as a treat for the most part and an aid in worming my flocks all at one time buy mixing them with oatmeal

 

[Garden Peas]

On the liquid side she has to consume and retain the liquid weight of the egg. On the non-liquid side she must consume enough protein to replace the protein lost in both the egg itself and the energy of the process. On the minerals side she must also replace the calcium in the egg as week as other minerals/vitamins.

If you maximize the egg production from a hen is is practically impossible for her to keep up. She will be lighter by the end of the year.

Do you find that the males also lose weight, or do they maintain themselves? My largest male has been so busy displaying that he doesn't seem to be eating as much as when he is less preoccupied.

 

[Birdrain92]

Do you find that the males also lose weight, or do they maintain themselves? My largest male has been so busy displaying that he doesn't seem to be eating as much as when he is less preoccupied.

They loose a lot of weight after breeding season loosing a train. My male kept falling off the door since he had no train and no tail feathers. It was kind of funny. They should keep the same weight just will be more exhausted. No way they will gain weight.

 

[casportpony]

Quote: My alpha male didn't lose any weight.

-Kathy

 

[AugeredIn]

Do you find that the males also lose weight, or do they maintain themselves? My largest male has been so busy displaying that he doesn't seem to be eating as much as when he is less preoccupied.

I think they pretty much maintain them selves. I have never noticed any weight loss. I do notice the increase and decrease in food consumption over the year though. The females during breeding season and the males from august through december.

 

[MinxFox]

The males probably just look like they have lost weight because during breeding season their feathers are held closer to their body. It makes them look skinny. During the winter they are all puffed & fluffed up.

AugeredIn told me last year the eggs he was getting from me needed more calcium. I had a bag of oystershells for chickens, but the peafowl never really ate those (the pieces were kind of big). I went to the pet store and got small grit with oysertshells in it for little parrots. The little grains are nice and small so it is easy to sprinkle it onto food.

Since Zaz mentioned eggs, I would also like to mention to save the egg shells as well, and crush up the shells and feed them to your peahens. During the breeding season my peahens knew they needed the calcium so they would run and eat crushed egg shell from my hands. I didn't even have to mix it in their feed. That definitely helped because after that I noted the peafowl egg shells felt thicker.

This is a good topic.

I saw something the other day that I copied that might help for the breeding season as well. It is a quote from Deerman:
Quote from Deerman: Pretty smart idea he had.

 

[zazouse]

many greens are also high in calcium, my birds eat winter greens things that grow low to the ground in the winter, when i checked have checked gizzards in the winter i found seeds greens and other stuff,

This photo was taken of the gizzard contents in early February .

Here is the contents of another gizzard in early January

 

[Garden Peas]

The males probably just look like they have lost weight because during breeding season their feathers are held closer to their body. It makes them look skinny. During the winter they are all puffed & fluffed up.

AugeredIn told me last year the eggs he was getting from me needed more calcium. I had a bag of oystershells for chickens, but the peafowl never really ate those (the pieces were kind of big). I went to the pet store and got small grit with oysertshells in it for little parrots. The little grains are nice and small so it is easy to sprinkle it onto food.

Since Zaz mentioned eggs, I would also like to mention to save the egg shells as well, and crush up the shells and feed them to your peahens. During the breeding season my peahens knew they needed the calcium so they would run and eat crushed egg shell from my hands. I didn't even have to mix it in their feed. That definitely helped because after that I noted the peafowl egg shells felt thicker.

This is a good topic.

I saw something the other day that I copied that might help for the breeding season as well. It is a quote from Deerman:
Pretty smart idea he had.

MinxFox, this is such helpful information, thank you very much! I've been worrying since the males are looking so sleek, and they are spending so much time displaying, I have been afraid between that and the cold weather that they might be losing weight from not eating enough.

Zaz, I love your ideas too. The peas were eating swiss chard from the garden all summer... it's loaded with calcium I think. It finally died with all the freezing weather.

Thanks so much to you both!

 

[KsKingBee]

I was noticing just yesterday that the Queen Ann's lace is getting about four inches tall but it is not close to where the flock forages. I may cut some for them and bring it up to them but I was wondering if it was safe for birds. I know cattle will eat it some years and not other years.

 

[Garden Peas]

I was noticing just yesterday that the Queen Ann's lace is getting about four inches tall but it is not close to where the flock forages. I may cut some for them and bring it up to them but I was wondering if it was safe for birds. I know cattle will eat it some years and not other years.

Hmmm, as I recall, it is in the same family as carrots, but for some reason I was thinking humans aren't supposed to eat it. I will look, because I am not sure.

There are some plants the horses will eat when small (like newly sprouted mustard weed), but avoid when the plants get tall because bitterness develops.