To quarantine or not to quarantine...

[MontserratChick]

We have lots of chickens, pigeons and several peafowl freeranging on our land (wild woods and meadows) and they all choose to hang out together during the day but sleep separately at night. It's a bit wild and woolly round our way so we sustain plenty of losses to predators and disease but try as we might we can't control and restrict any of them without making them utterly miserable. We've had a dire year with our peafowl and are down to just two males. We have found a pair of females to buy but do we need to quarantine them when they arrive? Various of the birds of all species have come down with coccidiosis and blackhead in the past year so it seems to be latent in our soil - we're just vigilant about early treatment now. Does this mean that there's no point in isolating new arrivals for a long period? We guess keeping them in for a little while is important for them to get used to their new home but aren't for how long. Is there a risk of them transmitting Marek's? That's the only thing I'm really worried about with our birds. Thank you in advance for your advice!

 

[Midnightman14]

I would not think about purchasing new birds until you get the problems you've mentioned under control. Sorry to say but the blackhead is probably re-appearing because it's circulating in your chickens which are then infecting the peafowl. Chickens will carry it without getting sick but peafowl will often contract it if they are kept in close proximity to chickens and if they are not wormed regularly. I would suggest giving any pens you have a thorough cleaning and keeping the birds confined along with setting up a regular worming schedule. There wouldn't be much use in getting hens when you're struggling with birds dying or getting picked off.

 

[new 2 pfowl]

I'd agree with @Midnightman14 , and I also have to wonder about introducing new birds into such a predator-filled environment...

 

[KsKingBee]

Blackhead is carried by cecal worms, control the cecal worm and you control the blackhead. Cecal worms and roundworms are the easiest worms to control with good deworming protocols. Never use Safeguard in the water, if you want to use a water soluble dewormer use Valbazen at 1/2 ml per bird in an amount of water that the birds will consume in a day or put it in the feed that they will also eat in a day. Be sure to treat again in ten days to get the newly hatched eggs. I do a two day treatment to be sure but a one day treatment is all that is needed if you are sure to get all then medication in the bird.

If you are comfortable doing an oral dosing use Safeguard at two ml per peahen or three ml per peacock and repeat in ten days.

Mature peafowl rarely have issues with coccidiosis and do not require treatments unless kept in crowded pens. I ran a fecal exam on our three free-ranging peacocks just yesterday and found no worm eggs and only 12 cocci, an insignificant number that requires no treatments. If you can find a vet in your area that will run fecal float exams for you at a reasonable cost, around $20, have the chickens and peas tested and see what the issues are that you may have, then you will know what to treat for and not just guessing.

 

[KsKingBee]

When bringing in new birds I ALWAYS isolate and give a full round of medications to make sure that I am not bringing in anything to my flock and to give the new birds a new orientation to learn where food and home is.