Peacocks are spectacular animals, suitable for a rural context. When males do the wheel they are a real sight to behold! Usually, it is the males who bear the title of “peacocks”, while the females are called “lapwings”. But many people call them "peacocks" regardless of gender.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Housing them
Step 1. Keep the chicks warm
Place them in a heated area for the first 4-6 weeks of life. It is usually good to start with a temperature of around 35 ° C and decrease it from the fifth week onwards. However, this may vary depending on the time of year and geographic location.
Keep an eye on the body language of the chicks to understand how to regulate the temperature. When they are cold they will tend to hang on top of each other. When they are hot, they will move as far away from the heat source as possible. The temperature is ideal when the chicks move freely, without showing any particular behavior
Step 2. Build a fence
It needs to be quite large if you want to prevent peacocks from flying away. It should be at least 240cm high for peacocks to open their tail feathers but not fly off. The poultry net is perfect for the sides and also for the roof. The cover should be domed, to have a higher point than the rest of the enclosure.
Make sure, in case you have a male, that the enclosure is large enough to allow him to properly spin the tail. Failure to do so could result in broken feathers and other wounds
Step 3. Provide a wooden shelter
Make it inside or attached to the enclosure so that the birds can nest there. Set up a warming light and a bed with straw. Create perches so peacocks can perch as well as stand upright. Make sure there are no spots for foxes, raccoons or other predators to enter.
If you have a predator problem, you can set up a radio near the fence, and keep it on all the time. Predators and animals in general tend to stay away from human voices
Step 4. Never let your peacocks go free
Even if you breed them as young and then get them used to not straying, they still have a tendency to become partially wild if left to fend for themselves. Keep the area where you breed them closed if you fear losing them.
Step 5. Never crowd the fence. Peacocks would be uncomfortable and unhappy, and you could also spread disease, which would turn into a financially disadvantageous decision for you. You will need at least 8 square meters of space per bird.
Part 2 of 3: Feed them
Step 1. Food and water
Use hanging feeders (chain cover) to prevent mice from getting to food. Also keep the water raised or protected in some way, for the same reason. Alternatively, you can use 10-15 liter buckets.
Step 2. Feed the chicks
As young, peacocks should eat a high-protein diet for the first three months of life. Look for a food that reaches 25-30% protein. As they grow up, you can wean them by decreasing the protein, as an excess leads to severe leg deformities..
Step 3. Wean the chicks from dry food
After three months, the chicks should be weaned from dry food or pellets (best choice for caged birds). Usually this is done following a six-week schedule, but you will need to pay particular attention to the response of your chicks. If they stop eating, continue with what you gave them earlier and try again. The six-week program is as follows:
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Week 1:
3 parts of dry food and 1 part of adult food
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Week 2:
2, 5 parts dry food and 1 part adult food
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Week 3:
2 parts of dry food and 1 part of adult food
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Week 4:
1, 5 parts dry food and 1 part adult food
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Week 5:
1 part dry food and 1 part adult food
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Week 6:
0, 5 parts dry food and 1 part adult food
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Week 7:
Adult food only.
Step 4. Give your peacocks some rewards from time to time
Too many can cause health problems, but occasionally they will be useful to prevent them from going into hiding (if free), or to make them swallow a drug. You can choose fruit, vegetables, bread, unsweetened grains, dog or cat food. Don't give them bones, which they might choke on instead.
Part 3 of 3: Treat them
Step 1. Keeping peacocks healthy
Chicks must already be healthy when you buy them (they need to be checked first), and every year you will need to check them to prevent the most common diseases.
Step 2. Deworm the peacocks
Those raised in cages should be dewormed at least once a month (even more often if necessary). Free ones should be treated at least once every three months. There is a variety of products suitable for this purpose. However, most are intended for dogs, cats, chickens, turkeys or cows. Here are some products suitable for peacocks:
- Piperazine. It is a generic dewormer in pills or liquid form. The liquid can be added to the water to have an effect on several peacocks at the same time. The pills must be administered individually.
- IVOMEC. It is a pretty effective dewormer. However, it doesn't work against the capillary. If you choose it, it is better to alternate it with Panacur (aimed precisely at this specific worm). Note that they should never be given together. Alternate them, when it comes to deworming.
- Ivermectin for cattle. It is usually used for herds. It can be hidden in a reward food or given to the peacock individually.
Step 3. Check for external parasites
In addition to internal worms and parasites, external ones like lice can also cause problems for your peacocks.
- Lice. They live on the host, feeding on skin, parts of feathers and scales. If you find even one, you'll need to treat all peacocks with a safe pesticide.
- Ticks. They are more resistant to pesticides than lice. If you find them, you will need to treat your birds every 10 days for 4-5 weeks. It is then recommended to treat them monthly until the total disappearance of the ticks.
- Thrombiculides. They stick on the thighs, chest, wings and anus leaving red spots that form a scab. You will need to treat the entire area where peacocks live.
Step 4. Protozoal diseases
Protozoa are single-celled organisms that cause infections and other diseases in many animals. Some of the most important ones to look out for are:
- Coccidiosis. It is usually found in birds between 3 and 12 weeks. It is not contagious. The most prominent symptoms are black, watery stools. To relieve it, treat birds with a coccidiostat or sulfonamide added to the food. It's best to add preventive medication to your diet as well, if your peacocks are of the right age.
- Histomoniasis. Chicks between 5 and 14 weeks are more susceptible. Symptoms include yellow, watery stools, sluggishness, and weakness. It is contagious. To treat it, use copper sulfate metronidazole.
- Leukocytozoonosis. It is a protozoan that attacks white blood cells. Symptoms include severe anemia, fever, weakness, loss of appetite, and difficulty walking. It is usually transmitted by black flies and sand flies which thrive in streams and rivers. It is recommended that peacocks be kept indoors during the active season of these insects. If you have a problem, you will need sulfonamide or clopidol.
- Pigeon malaria. Red blood cells are attacked. Symptoms include weakness and loss of appetite and generally leads to the death of the animal. Like leukocytozoonosis, malaria is transmitted by sand flies. To prevent it, always monitor your birds very well and give them a low dose of antimalarial medication such as Clopidol if you fear infection.
Advice
- Peacocks spin when it rains, so don't block rainwater by using perforated covers.
- Don't scare your peacocks. They are birds that snap and could harm themselves by flying against the walls and dome of the cage.
- Prepare the food yourself. If you can't find it or prefer not to use the one on the market, create the food for your peacocks yourself. Give them a mix of poultry and grain pellets (barley, wheat, and rice). Corn is also acceptable. You can also add dog food (large breeds).
- If you have a brooding female, provide her with a large, straw-filled tire in the center. Put it inside the log cabin: it will lay eggs there. Otherwise it would lay them on the ground, where they could be trampled on by other peacocks or eaten by any predators.
- Check that the cage is large enough for the wheel to work well and for the peacocks to fly. Provide them with spots to perch on.
- Beware of predators such as foxes and raccoons. They could kill peacocks and eat their eggs.
- Note that males can mount up to 6 lapwings in a mating season.
- When entering the enclosure, be careful not to let the peacocks out. Bring a broom if necessary. Find a keyless lock that closes automatically. If the peacocks get lost they will probably fly to a tree or far away. They may also be following a flock of wild turkeys, as they are distantly related.
Warnings
- Avoid giving peacocks chocolate, coffee, and alcohol, all of which are toxic.
- Since their wings are rarely sprouted, you will need to keep peacocks in a very large enclosure.
- The loud noises of peacocks can be a problem in urban areas.
- Lapwings are vulnerable to attacks from foxes, especially if they have chicks. Males can defend themselves and will fly over trees, which is why there are more males than females.
- Although peacocks can be kept with chickens, histomoniasis, caused by a bacterium transmitted by roundworms, is likely to spread. Better to keep the two species separate.
- Prevent peacocks from gaining access to metal objects such as coins, toys, nails, netting and loose metal wires.
- Do not keep two males in the same pen. They could fight and one of them will die.
