peahen and chicks

[peacockfarmer1]

if i let my peahen set on eggs will the chicks she hatch be ok on the ground
because some people say that they will get a disease

 

[MinxFox]

Well it depends. In the wild they do fine but that is because they are not penned where all there poop is. There have been people successfully have their peahens raise peachicks in a pen though. It all depends it probably would help to worm them as soon as they are old enough just in case. I am no expert on the peachicks though, so someone else can tell you something for sure.

 

[deerman]

If you do make sure to feed a medicated starter, you will lose some peachicks if you do ,

 

[MinxFox]

Okay so medicated starter...I am planning on doing the same thing so I need to think more about this too...
Is there a specific brand or something we need to look for or is it just any medicated starter you find at the feed store?

 

[deerman]

24 TO 28% Starter....things happen , watch water bowl , small size wire on the pens ,keep peachicks from getting lost from mom.

 

[MinxFox]

So I even have to have small wire? I thought that wouldn't matter because the peachicks would just stick near their mom so they wouldn't go out the fence and if they did they would walk back through. I did want to try hatching the first clutch, and letting the peahen incubate the second clutch, but now my mom says we should just leave the eggs alone and not intervine at all. I did want to hatch at least one on my own.

 

[deerman]

Quote:
Yes i would hatch the first ,and maybe 2 nd set. Remember if chicks are outside , predator can get them, and mother can't get to the chicks to protect them

 

[deerman]

Quote:
Yes i would hatch the first ,and maybe 2 nd set. Remember if chicks are outside , predator can get them, and mother can't get to the chicks to protect them

 

[featherhead]

Also, the chicks grow very quickly and like to test their wings. They can get through 2x4 welded wire very easily. When they are away from their mother, they sometimes panic and squawk and have difficulty getting back into the pen. Also, they will fly as soon as they can. Babies will start perching a foot or two off the ground when they are just a couple of weeks old. You might run chicken wire on the inside of your pens. If it's on the inside and a predator reaches in to try to snatch a baby, the wire will prevent their paw from getting all the way into the pen. (If the wire is on the outside, the predator can actually pull the wire away from the pen and still get your chicks.) Several years ago I was very surprised when my chicks were able to get to the 10' perch to sleep under their mother's wings. Two babies started walking the perch like it was a tightrope, and walked right outside the pen. This was a structural beam that the birds like to sleep on. Anyway, these two babies were clinging to the wire, screaming their heads off, unable to get back to mom. Mom was screaming HER head off too, because she couldn't get to her kids. From that experience, I ran chicken wire at the end of every horizontal beam in the aviary. Just in case.