Some questions kindly need answers :)

[Vitoria]

hello. hope everyone is doing fine.
i have a few questions. i hope you guys could help me out.

1- WINTER IS COMING. i live in Islamabad (Pakistan) and its 16C here already! How harsh a winter can peacocks tolerate?
Nights are harsher here, My 2 1/2 year old peas roost on their perches out in the pen. they rarely go inside their coop, only when it rains. If we forcefully usher them in, they come back out.

which brings me to the fact that when it rains at night, they stay on their perches and get wet. especially in this winter (raining a lot), will they get sick? what measures should we take?
we feed them half a boiled egg each the morning after though.

2- FEED. we used to feed them chicken feed from a local shop here. someone told us not to since there are some things in it that may harm the peacocks. And there are no one here who makes feed for exotic bird around here. since then, we have been feeding them cracked corn, pearl millets, oats and wheat grains all together as the feed.
Anyone here may suggest a homemade feed recipe? anything else we should add?

3- FREE RANGE: My peacocks are pretty familiar with our home (or their home ) and we let them out for three four hours everyday (except wet days) to scavenge. there are plenty of greens and bugs and insects here.
I wa wandering, should we give them something a little extra for the winter?

4- DOG FOOD: i heard they love dog food as a treat? should we get some?

5- PTSD: Do peacocks suffer from any post traumatic stress? i have one who suffered from blackhead back in june. he seems quite shy since. Seems like he cant think clearly and gets frightened when we even come inside the coop. he used to be quite a fighter before
he was fanning a few days ago and seemed like he couldnt balance himself on his feet. should i take him to a vet?
I will post his photo in the next message.

6- GARLIC:
They get crazy for garlic! is it normal?!

7- i have a peachick. three months. someone gave her to us. she eats everything mind you! like, everything! she's always hungry!
anyways, how do i make her and them familiarized without them pecking her ( which hasnt really happened yet, only once maybe, they seem to be quite understanding towards her).

8- FEATHERS: is it okay if a peacock is shedding feathers at this time of the year? They both are getting their eye-feathers out! but one of them shed about six small feathers during the night (i saw beneath his perch place) is it okay? normal? is he like cutting off his old feathers or something?

these are all the questions for now.
Apologize for the long message.
will appreciate all the help
Thank you.

 

[Vitoria]

This is him today. Is he standing alright? He just came back from outside. My other one stands straight and tall but this one does that sometimes with his burnt orange wings showing. But not all the time. Today however, whenever he stood, he stood like this.

 

[KsKingBee]

Hi Victoria, and welcome to the peafowl forum.

At the top of the peafowl forum page there is a tan colored banner that has in it a note that says "Peafowl Stickies". These are links to threads of particular interest about basic care of peafowl, answers to most of your questions can be found there.

As far as feed goes, you should try to provide a balance of protein in the 20% range with what is available locally. Chicken crumbles are ok in moderation, the concern is that providing too much soy is not healthy for the birds and that it is not high enough in protein. To boost the protein people will add things like dog, cat, or fish food. If you do this look at the ingredients and try to find one that is animal byproducts and not soy based. These feeds are usually around 32% protein so you can mix them to balance the amount that you are feeding. Whole grains are good, especially oats and barley. In the states some people are cautious of using corn as they believe that GMO is a concern, I do not believe in that media hype, however you may not even have GMO in your country. Most grains are around 6% protein so they alone do not provide the needed level you are looking for. The greens are very much needed in their diet, I don't know what is available to you but just about any type of fruit or vegetable is good for them. If it is fresh and hard it will need to be chopped up for them, but over ripe is what they crave.

It does appear that your cock is feeling under the weather, the droopiness and tucked in head is a very good indication of that as you pointed out. Diagnosing from a distance is not easy, it could be a lot of things affecting him. How did you treat for the blackhead? Do you deworm them regularly? If so with what and how? Many questions raise even more questions. Are you able to take a stool sample to a vet for a fecal float exam? That would tell you what is the base problem and then we could tell you how to go about helping him.

 

[KsKingBee]

Yes, WINTER IS COMING! I can't wait for Game of Thrones to start again either.

I have no idea what your winters are like but the Blues like you have are very tolerant of the cold as long as they have flat roosts so they can keep their toes covered they will not freeze off. If you really think they need to be inside, (and they don't), you can remove the outside roosts and they will roost inside.

 

[Dany12]

Islamabad ... record low :
November ► 30.9
December► 27
Januari ► 25

It's nothing for the peacocks !
They are some wild peacocks in the Thar desert in Pakistan .... they die of Newcastle disease (2012) or lack of water (2015) but they do not freeze!

 

[Birdrain92]

hello. hope everyone is doing fine.
i have a few questions. i hope you guys could help me out.

1- WINTER IS COMING. i live in Islamabad (Pakistan) and its 16C here already! How harsh a winter can peacocks tolerate?
Nights are harsher here, My 2 1/2 year old peas roost on their perches out in the pen. they rarely go inside their coop, only when it rains. If we forcefully usher them in, they come back out.

which brings me to the fact that when it rains at night, they stay on their perches and get wet. especially in this winter (raining a lot), will they get sick? what measures should we take?
we feed them half a boiled egg each the morning after though.

2- FEED. we used to feed them chicken feed from a local shop here. someone told us not to since there are some things in it that may harm the peacocks. And there are no one here who makes feed for exotic bird around here. since then, we have been feeding them cracked corn, pearl millets, oats and wheat grains all together as the feed.
Anyone here may suggest a homemade feed recipe? anything else we should add?

3- FREE RANGE: My peacocks are pretty familiar with our home (or their home ) and we let them out for three four hours everyday (except wet days) to scavenge. there are plenty of greens and bugs and insects here.
I wa wandering, should we give them something a little extra for the winter?

4- DOG FOOD: i heard they love dog food as a treat? should we get some?

5- PTSD: Do peacocks suffer from any post traumatic stress? i have one who suffered from blackhead back in june. he seems quite shy since. Seems like he cant think clearly and gets frightened when we even come inside the coop. he used to be quite a fighter before
he was fanning a few days ago and seemed like he couldnt balance himself on his feet. should i take him to a vet?
I will post his photo in the next message.

6- GARLIC:
They get crazy for garlic! is it normal?!

7- i have a peachick. three months. someone gave her to us. she eats everything mind you! like, everything! she's always hungry!
anyways, how do i make her and them familiarized without them pecking her ( which hasnt really happened yet, only once maybe, they seem to be quite understanding towards her).

8- FEATHERS: is it okay if a peacock is shedding feathers at this time of the year? They both are getting their eye-feathers out! but one of them shed about six small feathers during the night (i saw beneath his perch place) is it okay? normal? is he like cutting off his old feathers or something?

these are all the questions for now.
Apologize for the long message.
will appreciate all the help
Thank you.

Some peafowl love dog food to get extra protein. My peafowl like Garlic and onions. Just keep a moderation on it since it has lots of sulfur which just like anything else too much can hurt them. If he's eating a lot of garlic or onion I don't know if there would be worms since they both contain sulfur which parasites can not handle at handle. It could be that he has too much sulfur in his diet making him like that. Though I don't know what sulfur would do to a bird but I'm sure it's not good. Peafowl tend to know when to stop unless they don't have enough variety for nutrition. Your Black Shoulder peacock looks like he has something wrong with him or he's still trying to recover. I would take him to a vet. Can he get out of the weather? If he can get out of the weather the cold shouldn't bother him too much if any. Peafowl need an average of at least 20% protein. I say average because peafowl eat many things some high in protein and some low in protein.

 

[Vitoria]

@KsKingBee Thank you for your reply. I would buy some dog food now.

I dont know if you remember but I pm'ed you regarding my pea about two months ago concerning his eye... Well, if you do remember, I must say that his vision seems to have returned. But, his timidness and misbalance remains.
He was treated with Metranidazole for about five days. Only 50 mg each day. And, no we havent dewormed them recently. Is that bad? As for his stool, its blackish green and solid [partnered with round white solid bits some days].
My dad suggested one of his leg might be injured. We checked him but there were none external wounds whatsoever.
If you need any more pictures or information, do ask please.

@Birdrain92 Thank you for your reply. Should i take their love for Garlic as malnutrition? O.O If so, what measures should i take to buffer up the amount of nutrition they receive?

I think from what you both have told me, I should consult a vet. Although I must say, there arent many EDUCATED vets here in Pakistan. As much as I hate that. All they do is misdiagnose and demand wads of cash. Word of experience. Lost three of my peas to blackhead when the vet said there is nothing you can do, they have newcastle, just keep them in a cool place :/ [brings back memories i dont want to have].
Anyways, i will have my father find a good vet
any help from you people would mean the world. Thank you!

 

[Vitoria]

As for the winter, I think thats not to worry about.. I see. Thanks!

 

[Birdrain92]

@KsKingBee Thank you for your reply. I would buy some dog food now.

I dont know if you remember but I pm'ed you regarding my pea about two months ago concerning his eye... Well, if you do remember, I must say that his vision seems to have returned. But, his timidness and misbalance remains.
He was treated with Metranidazole for about five days. Only 50 mg each day. And, no we havent dewormed them recently. Is that bad? As for his stool, its blackish green and solid [partnered with round white solid bits some days].
My dad suggested one of his leg might be injured. We checked him but there were none external wounds whatsoever.
If you need any more pictures or information, do ask please.

@Birdrain92 Thank you for your reply. Should i take their love for Garlic as malnutrition? O.O If so, what measures should i take to buffer up the amount of nutrition they receive?

I think from what you both have told me, I should consult a vet. Although I must say, there arent many EDUCATED vets here in Pakistan. As much as I hate that. All they do is misdiagnose and demand wads of cash. Word of experience. Lost three of my peas to blackhead when the vet said there is nothing you can do, they have newcastle, just keep them in a cool place :/ [brings back memories i dont want to have].
Anyways, i will have my father find a good vet
any help from you people would mean the world. Thank you!

I don't know if it's malnutrition. How small are the white bits in the stool? Because those could be parasite eggs or it could be segments of a dying or dead tape worm. I think peafowl can get tape worm since you can find tape worm in all sorts of species.

 

[KsKingBee]

If you don't have a bird vet don't waste your money. All you really need is for a stool exam. Call around and ask for pricing on a Fecal Float Exam, the same one vets to determine whether your dog or cat has worms. Should only be a few dollars and it will tell you and us what you are dealing with. Then we can tell you how to treat the bird.