Patch on peacocks neck

[birdwedders]

Hi all, first post but I've been reading topics on here for a while!

So my work decided a few months back to get a pair of peafowl, and I somehow ended up their keeper... So much has happened since then, we now have 10 turkeys and 5 geese, and a little peachick scampering around (hatched about a week ago now).

They're all in less-than-ideal temporary pens at the moment, although they will soon be moved to another area of the farm on grass, with a much larger area. Amazingly we haven't had any health issues with any of the birds - I've been ACV'ing their water and giving the pens a quick clean with Vanodine every week, but that's about it.

Anyway, a week or so ago I first noticed a strange black spot on the underside of the peacock's neck, but thought nothing of it. This morning another staff member and I were watching the chick doing it's thing and we saw this spot on the peacock again. There now seems to be two patches... When he stretched and puffed his feathers a little you can see the black is just the lower layer of feathers, and you can see some bits of the blue feathers snapped and pulled off.

My only thought is it might be a tick or something similar that he's been pecking at, but I thought I'd come and ask if anyone had ever seen anything similar... Any ideas and tips for treatment if that's necessary?

(PS: Have attached a pic of hen and chick too, just for the cuteness)

​

 

[DylansMom]

Hi all, first post but I've been reading topics on here for a while!

So my work decided a few months back to get a pair of peafowl, and I somehow ended up their keeper... So much has happened since then, we now have 10 turkeys and 5 geese, and a little peachick scampering around (hatched about a week ago now).

They're all in less-than-ideal temporary pens at the moment, although they will soon be moved to another area of the farm on grass, with a much larger area. Amazingly we haven't had any health issues with any of the birds - I've been ACV'ing their water and giving the pens a quick clean with Vanodine every week, but that's about it.

Anyway, a week or so ago I first noticed a strange black spot on the underside of the peacock's neck, but thought nothing of it. This morning another staff member and I were watching the chick doing it's thing and we saw this spot on the peacock again. There now seems to be two patches... When he stretched and puffed his feathers a little you can see the black is just the lower layer of feathers, and you can see some bits of the blue feathers snapped and pulled off.

My only thought is it might be a tick or something similar that he's been pecking at, but I thought I'd come and ask if anyone had ever seen anything similar... Any ideas and tips for treatment if that's necessary?

(PS: Have attached a pic of hen and chick too, just for the cuteness)

​

Is he pacing along the fence at all? My fence pacers tend to rub that same area when they pace and turn and eventually it breaks off some of their feathers there and what you see is the dark colored down underneath the colorful blue. You can see this ones spot, and he is a serious pacer.

 

[zazouse]

Hi all, first post but I've been reading topics on here for a while!

So my work decided a few months back to get a pair of peafowl, and I somehow ended up their keeper... So much has happened since then, we now have 10 turkeys and 5 geese, and a little peachick scampering around (hatched about a week ago now).

They're all in less-than-ideal temporary pens at the moment, although they will soon be moved to another area of the farm on grass, with a much larger area. Amazingly we haven't had any health issues with any of the birds - I've been ACV'ing their water and giving the pens a quick clean with Vanodine every week, but that's about it.

Anyway, a week or so ago I first noticed a strange black spot on the underside of the peacock's neck, but thought nothing of it. This morning another staff member and I were watching the chick doing it's thing and we saw this spot on the peacock again. There now seems to be two patches... When he stretched and puffed his feathers a little you can see the black is just the lower layer of feathers, and you can see some bits of the blue feathers snapped and pulled off.

My only thought is it might be a tick or something similar that he's been pecking at, but I thought I'd come and ask if anyone had ever seen anything similar... Any ideas and tips for treatment if that's necessary?

(PS: Have attached a pic of hen and chick too, just for the cuteness)

​

Perhaps the hole in your fence is a clue

 

[MinxFox]

Sometimes my peacocks look like that when they are shedding neck feathers. Right now my boys are losing the neck feathers and look patchy.

This brings up a question I have though...

Peep has two bald patches on the upper part of his neck, one on each side of his neck and both are the same size, about half an inch maybe of just bare skin. I don't see any bugs on him and I have been wondering if perhaps where he sleeps the netting might be too low and his neck is rubbing on the netting? I should get a photo of it but it has been that way for a little white and at first I thought he was just shedding feathers but I should be seeing new feathers by now. All his other feathers are growing in normally.