Peacocks losing voice?

[chicknmania]

We've had some warm wet weather, followed by cold. Both peacocks sound like they have laryngitis. They are acting fine, eating, drinking and running around all day. We've had roosters with this condition before, and we treated with Cipro, but I am reluctant to use it on the peacocks, I don't want to over use it. I think they may have been inhaling mold, I read something about this causing paralysis in their vocal mechanisms, which is supposed to be temporary. Has anyone experienced this?

 

[MinxFox]

What noises are they making? I know to the end of the breeding season the peacock's voices start to crack and sound bad because they have been calling so much. Also, young peacocks voices sound bad in general. They always sound strange until they get older.

 

[casportpony]

Vocal changes *could* be sign of a bacterial or fungal infection, but I would not medicate unless I knew for sure what, if anything, it was. If it was fungal, antibiotics would probably make it worse.

 

[chicknmania]

These guys are both almost three years old. Yes, I know it might be fungal. Just kind of hanging out
to observe them for a few days. They are both acting perfectly fine.

 

[chicknmania]

What noises...well, the one in question screams, but then it sort of turns into a honk instead. I've heard them honk loads of times, but never scream-honk.

Just doesn't sound quite right.

 

[casportpony]

It's possible that your peas caught what your rooster has.

 

[chicknmania]

Yes, I know that too. But only one pea has it now, and he seems to be getting better. I tapped the horn to make him call this morning, and he's just a little hoarse. Other one is fine.
Sapphire, the hoarse one, is out there displaying and dancing on our deck right now. I think there's a good possibility that it was a case of inhaling mold; I read somewhere that that can
cause a temporary voice loss in peacocks.

 

[Frosty]

Mine have done a scream honk type noise before... it almost sounded like they were saying 'Helll -oh'. The first part sounded like a scream, the last part was more of a honk. I would call back to them saying Hell-oh, and they would do it again. I thought it was a normal variation of noises they make? They also do the other normal calls, and seem to only do the scream honk type in the fall and early spring. My older male will be 4 this year and started that when he was 2, then last fall he and his 2 year old son were taking turns doing it. So it might be normal...

 

[chicknmania]

Hmm, maybe! I hope so. I've never heard them make that particular noise, they'll either do HONK-AAAAAaaah, HONK, scream, or HAAAhahahahahahaha!

(Somebody started a chicken noise thread once..

) But when I tapped the horn this afternoon, they both screamed, and it sounded dead normal..

Lets hope
it stays that way! Thanks, everyone.