Omg, omg, omg, they hatched! early!

[Sonia]

I had no intentions of making you feel like I threw you to the curb.I am sorry if you felt that way. You feel strongly about medicated feed, I feel just as strongly about it but on the other side of the issue. Rather than either of us getting hurt feelings over that may we please move on?

Do peachicks need a higher protien than chicken chicks? Ive heard both yes and no.

At what age might I be able to tell male from female?

 

[3BirdGirlz]

Congrats on your hatch! I have a single peachick i hatched from shipped eggs and I've read it can take almost 3 months to tell mak's from female...,but could be sooner. Females will loose the barring on their wings and they'll become a grey color. Males will keep the barring on their back.
As far as protein, what they're getting in the chick feed should be fine. Then switch to game bird feed. That's what I feed my yearlings along with a variety of treats....cat food, lettuce, fruit, etc. But your chick feed will be good for them the first 9-12 months. Thats how long i kept mind on it because the breeder I got them from advised this. I give my peachick mealworm treats and small bits of romain lettuce to pick at. As it gets bigger I'll keep adding treats.

 

[Yoda]

I feed mine layer pellets and corn off season and the breeders get just layer pellets during season. I also throw in mixed veggies, watermelon and other stuff LOL I give them whole wheat bread cut up into cubes for extra fiber

You can usually tell in barred wing birds early but by 5-6 months you will know for sure on most pea chicks.

Sorry I took it the wrong way. I just want your 3 birds to make it. Casportpony lost 2 of her 4 at 2 weeks old to blackhead and she really worked hard to save them. It is very sad to see them die when something so simple as a medicated feed could prevent it. I wish yours the best of luck. I would also suggest getting fish zole from your local aquarium just in case they catch blackhead.

 

[Sonia]

I will get the zole I also have corid in case I need it. These were surprise babies and I wasn't prepared for them at all. So far (knock on wood) they are doing wonderfully. They are even growing teeny tail feathers already. They are by far the friendliest baby chicks I have ever had. They do not fear 'The Hand' when I reach into the brooder they run TO me instead of away... so sweet and they lovelovelove to cuddle.

 

[msmolly]

I've used my chick starter in a pinch, but Game bird starter, or some times you find it under Turkey starter, is best. They need the higher protein but certainly will do fine on chick feed. This year my pea chicks are gobbling up the freeze dried meal worms, I usually save for treats, which are 51% protein. I'm using those to supplement their free range diet, since they are with the mother, and she rarely gives them time to feed from the feeder. In the winter, I was taught to supplement with dried Cat food for the adult Peafowl- to jackup the protein since they are eating more chicken food then and the free ranging is limited.

 

[Yoda]

Ok here is what was wriiten about feed. I do not mix 2 medicated feeds for example: I do not mix medicated chick starter with medicated game/turkey starter because each has a different medication. But I will mix medicated chick starter with nonmedicated game/turkey starter. Too much protein can cause leg issues as stated here on UPA http://www.peafowl.org/ARTICLES/17/

Chicks:
Peachicks should be fed medicated game starter (if you can find it) or medicated chick starter mixed with gamebird starter. Make sure to get the starter with amprolium for the prevention of Cocci and I believe Purina offers starter with AND without and both are considered medicated due to the medication included for other problems. Starter should have 20-24% protein, which is higher than chickens (For example, my chick starter has 18% protein, my game bird starter has 24%... I mix the two which should land them somewhere in the middle). Substituting their starter with other foods can be harmful. They do not need grit if they are only eating the correct starters. If you feed them nearly anything else (which you shouldnt do for a couple weeks at least) then they will probably need some grit sprinkled on their crumbles. Cleaned/baked sand works well for this.

Acceptable treats for chicks (that can be fed without grit) include yogurt, egg yolks or whites, and non-instant oatmeal. The instant sort has too much salt and sugar and is hard to digest.

Adults:
Adult birds can be fed gamebird maintenance crumbles/pellets. You can feed them normal chicken food but it will not have sufficient protein. We made up for this in the past by feeding them kitten hard food as a supplement/treat. If they are penned without access to dirt or pebbles, they may need supplemental grit.

Treats for adult birds can be: hardboiled eggs, melons (watermelon, cantaloupe, etc), squashes, tomatoes, greens (spinach, lettuce, etc), beans, crickets, wet cat food, pasta, rice, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries (etc), peas (har har, feeding peas to peas), cucumbers, bread (may want to moisten), peanuts, raisins, cooked meats (never raw or partially raw), grapes, corn well, you get the picture.

What NOT to feed to peas: never feed raw meats. Also be wary of what bugs you give your birds, as some can be hosts for other parasites/worms (and yes they will eat these insects anyway, which is why you worm your birds at least twice a year by a different wormer each time).

 

[Sonia]

+hank you for the info on feed. All I can get is 20% chick starter and I'm treating them with hardboiled eggs from my hens. So far so good.

 

[msmolly]

I'm a big proponent of hard boiled eggs to supplement and train. You can't go wrong. Castportpony mentioned live crickets in another thread. Creepy, but protein, and they'll probably have a ball catching them! Enjoy

 

[Yoda]

Just remember too much protein is not good for chicks. Here is something that was posted on UPA:

Each year I raise several young peachicks. At around 2 1/2 months old, a small number of these chicks develop some type of leg problem. In some it's one leg, in some it's both legs. It appears the knee joint turns inward and the feet turn out. They grow fine and are never sick, but they are crippled for life. I feed 30% quality game bird starter till 3 months old, then add grain and greens. Can you help?
Thanks, Ellis

Ellis, I think the problem you are having is something we have all ran into at one time or another and that is that the protein level is too high. This causes the young birds to grow too fast and their legs don't strengthen fast enough to support the extra weight. There may be other factors but I feel this is the major problem, you may want to consider trying 20-22% feed.

 

[Sonia]

Thanks. I'm using 20% starter and boild eggs as treats.