peafowl feed....

[PeepsCA]

What kind of leg problems exactly? Hock issues? Toes issues? Something else bone related? Guess I got lucky with my 2 girls, cuz they are fine... whew!
FYI...everybody's crests are fine, they just don't show up well in some of these pics):

 

[critters]

PRETTY PEAS PeepsCA!

you mentioned their crests were fine.....I have noticed that several of my peas crests are not ok...
the little 'bob' on the end are missing and or their crest is very short??
could they have been just broke back/off when I got them?

 

[PeepsCA]

Thanks critters

I can only take credit for the 2 young Peahens tho (since I raised them from 2 days old), I bought the handsome 2+ yr old Peacock from a fellow BYC'r that came to buy Guineas from me, and my older Hen was given to me... she was feral, but luckily healthy. I just finally integrated her with the others after keeping her quarantined for 30 days and she's settling in. She's made it clear she'd rather be feral tho, lol.

From what I've read... usually over crowding leads to Peas pecking the crests off each other (as well as other areas of feather mutilation), so if they came from a crowded pen, that's a possibility. And sometimes it can be from lack of protein in their diet. Another possibility is that they could have been continually bumping/rubbing their heads on the coop ceiling, top net covering of the run or on the coop entrance doorway and had just rubbed or broke them off. They grow back tho, if the causes are alleviated.

 

[deerman]

Avg life of india blue hens 8 years.....WOW....i had many live to high teens even 20s. except for charcoal never had a peahen die at 8 yrs for age.

sounds like the zoo need to check with peafowl breeders....if their avg is 5 yrs and 8 yrs. because checking with most peafowl breeders bet most avg like 20 yrs

 

[JP101010]

We feed a 50/50 mix of Purina layena and Turkey Starter mix.. with lots of fresh bugs/fruits/ veggies daily....
Our Blue India Peahen is Growing like a monster , although i have nothing to compare her growth with this is out first peafowl experience ..maybe im just used to chickens...
sometimes i say to hubby:
(particularly when she bashes me in the face on accident with her gigantic terradactyl wings)
"what did we get our selves into"

 

[deerman]

One thing i would like to point out about feed. Man made mix blends of feed if pellet or mash. Doesn't look natural to peafowl, If you have the best feed,and you give them junk feed like scratch, which is alot cheaper....they will eat the scratch like candy, but doesn't mean that the best for them.

Scratch or other treats, are ok ,just don't feed to much that they don't eat the feed mix.

again lay a pellet with a blend of everything the bird needs, and a pcs of corn or other grain. they will take the grain over the pellet.

 

[MinxFox]

Here is an article on talking about peafowl diets.
http://www.peafowl.org/ARTICLES/19/

My bird's main feed isn't the same as what most people regularly feed theirs. I feed them what they like and what in my opinion seems to keep them nice and healthy....I know everyone says you can feed them sunflower seeds as a treat, but I feed sunflower seeds to my birds as a main food. They also get lettuce and other greens every now and then and peanuts several times a week. I do feed the peachicks the medicated starter but even the peachicks like to eat the sunflower seeds. They gobble the sunflower seeds down and they eat the whole thing shell and all unlike small birds like cardinals who crack the shell open to eat the seed inside.

I don't know if that is bad that I am mainly feeding them sunflower seeds but it doesn't seem to be bad for them and since I got into peafowl about 3 years ago that is what I have been feeding them. I tried some 5 way mix with bits of corn and small little seeds and other things and the peafowl only picked out the sunflower seeds in the mix and didn't touch the rest so of all the food I have tried sunflowers work the best.

 

[Tikkajazz94]

Question..... I've been feeding my peafowl (male #4years, female #2 years, 4 (male and female) #1ish) Turkey grower..... half way through the bag, found out its medicated.... pay is saturday, what should I feed my birds???? they all seem okay with eating....

 

[deerman]

Here is an article on talking about peafowl diets.
http://www.peafowl.org/ARTICLES/19/

My bird's main feed isn't the same as what most people regularly feed theirs. I feed them what they like and what in my opinion seems to keep them nice and healthy....I know everyone says you can feed them sunflower seeds as a treat, but I feed sunflower seeds to my birds as a main food. They also get lettuce and other greens every now and then and peanuts several times a week. I do feed the peachicks the medicated starter but even the peachicks like to eat the sunflower seeds. They gobble the sunflower seeds down and they eat the whole thing shell and all unlike small birds like cardinals who crack the shell open to eat the seed inside.

I don't know if that is bad that I am mainly feeding them sunflower seeds but it doesn't seem to be bad for them and since I got into peafowl about 3 years ago that is what I have been feeding them. I tried some 5 way mix with bits of corn and small little seeds and other things and the peafowl only picked out the sunflower seeds in the mix and didn't touch the rest so of all the food I have tried sunflowers work the best.

Suprise but alot of that link is about pheasants........like the feed made for large breeders with thousand feet pens where breeders are replaced every year (ringneck pheasant my guess), This is true. Peafowl breeders don't do all this. Guess best way to tell is check and see what has worked , for breeders of peafowl.

 

[MinxFox]

Yeah then I guess the best thing would be to look at peafowl breeder websites.