Resolution, should peafowl even be fed layer pellets? I've been told by so many people they even feed them to the males. Thanks.
Of course they can. I can't think of a single farm that keeps both chickens and peafowl where the peafowl don't steal as much layer pellet as they can get their beaks on.
Juveniles and subadults -especially males, I would not use this as a maintenance diet. It appears as if the birds were maintained on layer pellet as their sole maintenance ration.
Supplements were evidently vegetable and seeds. There's no way to really know what went wrong- so many factors - and it's just a tragedy really.
I suspect that having lay pellet as the primary ration and insufficient supplementation around that may have been problematic- and aspergillosis came on rather rapidly- a secondary infection that came in after systematic renal infection. But again- I haven't seen the birds or the set up they were maintained in. This is however, according to all data, the most vulnerable life stage of peafowl. They are vulnerable because this is the age that they require complete amino acids- and at specific rates- specific vitamins and micro nutrients.
The experts will wave off over-thinking these things because with decades of experience they've learned that peafowl are easy enough to raise-
provided you know what you are doing. They're generally not around after the bird dies.
I do hope that every death of a young peafowl is being recorded in the notes of serious peafowl hobbyists- and really any fowl.
There is a real need to help birds boost their immune systems - and food is medicine. Wormers are pesticides and should never be administered to birds unless they are in the best possible condition. That's a bit of a catch 22. People feel the need for a panacea and it would appear from this forum( and others) that wormers serve as that cure all.
However, parasite load is not a given. Do you cure a small parasite load with enough to make the birds sick - or just enough?
Sometimes I've failed to take worming as seriously as I should - I'll forget all about it and every once in a while and a bird will falter. That's about the time the horse wormer paste is made ready. The birds go into a large dogcrate -
Having a careful look at their droppings meanwhile- under the microscope comes next.
The bird is then put on a special diet that is rich in fatty acids -krill oil specifically- gel caps tucked down the gullet at the first sign of distress- cranberry gel caps the same- and a special custard -72 hours at the minimum -afflicted birds- afflicted with anything- are held in a large dog crate and fed this special custard. Their water will have electrolytes mixed and may include a bit of unsweetened cherry concentrate.
Wormers are administered only when I know what I'm treating for (generally- there have been times when I'm at a complete loss what to do- call a friend with the same stock and they remind me to horse paste them and there I'm at it.) But it doesn't end there. After worming the birds should be kept off of certain foods. That special custard is all that should be fed for a week after worming.
Back from the Brink Custard:
Canned Pumpkin
Canned Sweet Potato
Cooked Rice OR Cooked Bulgar OR Cooked Oatmeal
Peanut Butter
Turmeric Powder
Cardamom Pods
Walnut Flour
one tin of canned Tuna
frozen or canned berries
mix accordingly- there is no wrong way- just try and get all the ingredients and make sure that cooked rice/bulgar/ oatmeal- this is at least 50% of the recipe.
The custard should be firm enough to pick at with a fork- not a gooey dough.
The birds need to be fed twice a day- old soft bananas fed out every evening.
