Safeguard and Feather Damage While Molting

[casportpony]

There is a huge difference between could cause feather damage and will cause feather damage. I think most of us with peafowl are willing to take the risk.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Wormers during breeding season... I know that Safeguard is used in breeding horses, but Valbazen is *not* used in breeding bulls. Not sure how that translates to birds, but I thought it would b worth mentioning.

-Kathy

 

[Birdrain92]

There is a huge difference between could cause feather damage and will cause feather damage. I think most of us with peafowl are willing to take the risk.

-Kathy

If it means preventing my peafowl from getting sick and dying, I'm more than willing to sacrifice the feathers for my peacocks' life.

 

[casportpony]

There is a huge difference between could cause feather damage and will cause feather damage. I think most of us with peafowl are willing to take the risk.


-Kathy

If it means preventing my peafowl from getting sick and dying, I'm more than willing to sacrifice the feathers for my peacocks' life.

Exactly!

-Kathy

 

[Birdrain92]

Exactly!

-Kathy

Also on the topic of feathers. A couple weeks ago I went to a local fly fishing show to try and sell some feathers to the fly fisher people. Try and establish a better market than just neighbors. I have 209 train feathers, 333 neck and 349 train coverts that I've yet to sell, hoping to get some offers from fly fishers. Not one person bought any of my feathers. One person said I should hold onto them because fly fishers are going to stop importing and try to establish feather market with local breeders. Almost every time I asked someone if they wanted to buy peacock feathers I would get two responses. 1st response was that the person doesn't use peacock feathers for their flies. 2nd response was when someone would pick up a peacock carcass. The head, feet, and organs were removed but other than that it had the train, tail, and wings still attached. That wasn't the most disturbing part for me. The most disturbing part was that they had no idea that peacocks molt their feathers. They believe that they had to kill the bird to get their feathers. Each time someone said that I gave them some peacock education. I'm hoping that more fly fishers will turn to buying feathers from local breeders instead of importing carcasses.

 

[Trefoil]

Bird did you have a representative of the feathers there so they could see what you were offering? Also it isn't a matter of worming with safeguard or not, its just a matter of not using safeguard when the bird is in molt.

 

[Birdrain92]

Bird did you have a representative of the feathers there so they could see what you were offering? Also it isn't a matter of worming with safeguard or not, its just a matter of not using safeguard when the bird is in molt.

Yep I had some feathers with me. They commented on how that my feathers are the best quality they've ever seen but never bought any feathers.

 

[Argus]

Never really tried to sell feathers but was approached by an interior designer who wanted to buy some for displays in her clients homes. We already knew each other and she knew about my peacocks.

Might be an idea for you to try Birdrain92. I've also heard women use them to make jewelry, but I've never seen it.

 

[Birdrain92]

Never really tried to sell feathers but was approached by an interior designer who wanted to buy some for displays in her clients homes. We already knew each other and she knew about my peacocks.

Might be an idea for you to try Birdrain92. I've also heard women use them to make jewelry, but I've never seen it.

I've seen them use it in jewelry for earrings. One person bought some feathers from me to do so but she would only buy feathers that had eyes on them and a foot or less so she wasn't cutting off too much feather. That was like 10 or 15 feathers. I talked to a home décor place near me, it was before Christmas so she was changing everything to a Christmas spirit. She said to bring them back around Easter. Then she also asked since I raise peafowl if there is such thing as White peafowl and if possibly I had White peafowl and if the male had molted a train for me yet. I do have Whites but my male won't grow in his first train until this fall and then I have to wait a year so he will molt it. She said she would be more than willing to buy White peacock feathers. I was able to sell some at local floral shops as well. Lately there's been a trend of having a peacock wedding theme so the floral shops have been more than happy to buy feathers. I need to go see if the floral shops need more feathers. Also I sold some at my Orthodontist during one of my appointments. They heard I had peacocks and wanted peacock feathers. So far my market for people buy the most feathers at a time are floral shops. Past two times they would buy 20. Few years ago they bought 65 but now it's just been 20 feathers at a time.

 

[bdfive]

The 9 years I've had peafowl I've continued worming my peafowl with Ivermectin or Safeguard in water twice a year with no problems. I don't see any indication it's ever disturbed their molting or feathers growing back. I have beautiful healthy peafowl with gorgeous full feathering. Have lost none to worms or illnesses. Did loose a peahen in flight breaking her neck on a ceiling post, a male taken by hybrid red wolves and 2 peahens killed by predators while nesting on our 5 acres. Hens now go in a safe aviary during breeding season. I do feed them WELL giving them more then just the Purina Gamebird Feed (20% protein)..........healthy veggies and fruit, Audubon Supreme Birdseed Blend and Farmers Helper UltraKibble (read the ingredients in it). OH, they also get Purina Cat Chow once a week. The gamebird feed is available all the time with the others filling in as healthy treats. My birds are happy....not stressed in tight quarters. Maybe here in the Texas Hill Country with all the rocks and limestone we don't have the worm problem others do but as I dig rocks out and more mulch decays into dirt I am seeing some huge earthworms that makes me want to go fishing, LOL! Another thing that might help is I use seasoned cedar mulch on the ground in the open aviaries (bugs don't like cedar). Never in a closed area like the peachick house. The oil in cedar is not good for birds. We've used piles from mulching the cedar trees on out property so it's dried out a lot. If I purchase bags of it I dump them outside the aviaries and let it set there for a month or more airing/drying out before using.

If I weren't a senior woman taking care of my birds by myself I'd probably worm my peafowl orally but it would be very stressful for them and me. They don't like being caught and it's not an easy task. I read all the time to give the wormer on a piece of bread. Mine can taste it, they shake their head and drop it. IN A GRAPE? Please explain to me how you can add liquid to the inside of a grape full of juice. Which brings up another healthy treat my birds get....cooked sweet potato. That I can mix meds in. They love their sweet potatoes. Last year I had a White peacock attacked by a raccoon. Sweet potato was a Godsend to get his antibiotics in him. Have also used sweet potato to give peahens acting like maybe eggbound some vitamin E or fish oil.

OK, I've rambled on enough. Through years of reading and talking to people I've compiled the above that works for me. Can't say it will work for everyone. I also have a few pheasant and 2 Black Australian swans. I do worm the pheasant the same way. Have not as yet wormed Gracie and Gunther, not quite a year old yet. Some worm, some don't. I'd worm them if I were sure what and how but can't even find a local Veterinarian that knows for sure.

LOVE MY HOBBY, LOVE MY BIRDS!