ALL ABOUT PEAFOWL

GENERAL INFORMATION - VARIETIES - BREEDING INFORMATION - EGGS - PEACHICK INFORMATION - FEED - GENERAL CARE - A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR PEACOCKS

PEAFOWL ARE MEMBERS OF THE PHEASANT FAMILY, AND IF PROPERLY CARED FOR MAY LIVE UP TO 50 YEARS. WHILE COLLECTIVELY KNOWN AS PEAFOWL, THE SPECIFIC TERMS ARE PEACHICK, PEAHEN, AND PEACOCK. NOT UNLIKE MOST BIRD SPECIES, THE MALES ARE CONSIDERED MORE BEAUTIFUL AND COLORFUL. IN PEAFOWL, THIS IS MOST NOTABLY DUE TO THE LONG, COLORFUL TRAIN OF THE PEACOCK THAT IS FANNED OUT AND SHAKEN (KNOWN AS TRAIN RATTLING) AS PART OF THE MATING RITUAL TO ATTRACT A PEAHEN. PEACOCKS WILL GROW THEIR FIRST FULL TRAIN FULL OF EYES AT AGE 3, AND WILL MOLT THAT TRAIN ENTIRELY EACH YEAR AROUND AUGUST.

THERE ARE AROUND 250 VARIETIES OF PEAFOWL, AND THEY ARE BROKEN DOWN INTO COLORS AND PATTERNS. THERE ARE 15 KNOWN COLORS WHICH INCLUDE BLUE, GREEN, WHITE, PURPLE, CAMEO, CHARCOAL, OPAL, BRONZE, PEACH, MIDNIGHT, JADE, TAUPE, SONJA’S VIOLETA, HAZEL AND INDIGO. THERE ARE 5 DIFFERENT PATTERNS WHICH ARE WILD TYPE/BARRED WING, BLACK SHOULDER (BS), PIED, SILVER PIED (SP) AND WHITE-EYED (WE). THE MOST POPULAR AND WELL KNOWN COLOR IS INDIA BLUE (OFTEN REFERRED TO AS IB). THEN FOR EXAMPLE THERE IS INDIA BLUE BLACK SHOULDER (IB BS) IN WHICH THE COLOR IS INDIA BLUE (IB) AND THE PATTERN IS BLACK SHOULDER (BS). THERE CAN EVEN BE INDIA BLUE BLACK SHOULDER SILVER PIED WHITE-EYED (IB BS SP WE) WHERE THERE ARE MULTIPLE PATTERNS.

PEAFOWL ARE TYPICALLY FERTILE AT AGE 2, BUT SOME MAY NOT REACH FERTILITY UNTIL AGE 3. BREEDING SEASON FOR PEAFOWL IS TECHNICALLY APRIL - AUGUST, ALTHOUGH MANY TIMES IT WILL START EARLY AND/OR END LATE. PEAHENS ARE TYPICALLY NOT GREAT AT BROODING, BUT IF THE EGGS ARE LEFT FOR HER TO SIT ON SHE WILL HAVE A CLUTCH OF ABOUT 6 EGGS. HOWEVER MOST PEOPLE WILL EITHER USE AN INCUBATOR OR SLIP THE EGGS UNDER A CHICKEN BROODY HEN. IN THIS CASE OF THE EGGS BEING TAKEN AWAY FROM THE PEAHEN, SHE WILL ON AVERAGE LAY AN EGG EVERY OTHER EVENING OF BREEDING SEASON, BUT DOES TAKE A BREAK HERE AND THERE. THE EGG TAKES 28 DAYS TO INCUBATE BEFORE HATCHING.

IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THE EGG HATCHING, THE PEACHICK WILL ABSORB THE YOLK. BECAUSE OF THIS, THE CHICK WILL NOT REQUIRE FOOD OR WATER FOR IT’S FIRST 3 DAYS. IT TAKES A FULL 4 MONTHS FOR A PEACHICKS IMMUNE SYSTEM TO DEVELOP, AND CONSEQUENTLY DURING THESE 4 MONTHS THEY ARE HIGHLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO ILLNESSES, SPECIFICALLY PROTOZOANS (COCCIDIOSIS, HISTOMONIASIS/BLACKHEAD, HEXAMITIASIS, AND TRICHOMONIASIS/CANKER). THESE ILLNESSES OFTEN BECOME FATAL, THEREFORE IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT CERTAIN THINGS ARE DONE DURING THIS TIME TO ALLOW THE CHICKS TO GROW UP HEALTHY AND STRONG. CHICKS SHOULD BE HOUSED ON RAISED WIRE SO THAT THEIR FECES CAN FALL THROUGH, PREVENTING THEM FROM PECKING/INGESTING IT. THE 3 LETHAL PEAFOWL INFECTIONS ARE PROTOZOAN, RESPIRATORY, AND WORMS, AND YOU WILL SEE BELOW WHERE TO LEARN ALL ABOUT THESE INCLUDING SYMPTOMS, TREATMENT AND MORE. THEN THERE IS FEED…

PEACHICKS SHOULD ONLY EVER BE FED PURINA START & GROWN MEDICATED CRUMBLES. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THEIR ABILITY TO GROW PROPERLY, STAY HEALTHY AND DEVELOP IMMUNITY TO DEADLY ILLNESSES. THEY WILL ALSO REQUIRE FRESH AND CLEAN WATER AT ALL TIMES. WE INCLUDE PROBIOTIC AND ELECTROLYTE ADDITIVES IN THEIR THEIR WATER OCCASIONALLY, WHICH WE THINK REALLY HELPS THEM IN MANY WAYS. THESE ARE ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT DURING AND AFTER TREATING A SICK BIRD, WHEN THERE ARE DRASTIC WEATHER CHANGES, AND AFTER THE BIRDS HAVE BEEN TRANSPORTED TO A NEW HOME. COLLECTIVELY, THEY PROMOTE DIGESTIVE HEALTH BY SUPPORTING A MORE DIVERSE POPULATION OF BENEFICIAL BACTERIA IN THE DIGESTIVE TRACT, AND SUPPORT HYDRATION AND BIRD HEALTH DURING PERIODS OF HOT WEATHER, AND HELP DURING DIFFERENT TYPES OF STRESS THE BIRD MAY ENDURE.

FOR ADULT PEAFOWL, THEIR FEED DEPENDS ON THE TIME OF YEAR. WHEN IT IS NOT BREEDING SEASON, WE FEED THEM PURINA FLOCK RAISER CRUMBLES WHICH IS A 20 % PROTEIN NUTRIENT-RICH RATION PROVIDING OPTIMUM NUTRITION FOR HEALTHY FLOCKS WITH PREBIOTICS & PROBIOTICS TO SUPPORT DIGESTIVE HEALTH AND IMMUNE FUNCTION. DURING BREEDING SEASON, WE FEED THEM PURINA LAYENA WHICH IS A 16% PROTEIN, HIGH CALCIUM RATIO FORMULATED FOR HEALTHY LAYING HENS AND STRONGER EGG SHELLS WITH PREBIOTICS, PROBIOTICS AND YEAST. THESE ARE BOTH AVAILABLE IN PELLETS AS WELL, BUT WE’VE LEARNED THAT MOST PEAFOWL PREFER CRUMBLES. WE ALSO ADD IN A LAYER OF DRY CAT FOOD WITH EACH OF THESE (PROTEIN AND IT’S ALSO VERY YUMMY), AND DURING BREEDING SEASON WE ADD CRUSHED OYSTER SHELLS WHICH HELP WITH STRONGER EGG SHELLS.

NOW, CALL US SUCKERS BUT WE LOVE TO GIVE OUR ADULT BIRDS TREATS OCCASIONALLY, KEY WORD BEING OCCASIONALLY 😂. THESE TREATS CAN BE BLACK OIL SUNFLOWER SEEDS, MEALWORMS, CRACKED CORN, RAISINS, WATERMELON, CANTALOUPE, SEEDLESS GRAPES, STRAWBERRIES, BLUEBERRIES, BANANAS, PUMPKIN, LETTUCE, FRESH SPINACH, KALE, CABBAGE, SCRAMBLED OR BOILED EGGS… DON’T EVEN SAY IT, WE KNOW! 🤣

THERE IS A TON MORE INFORMATION TO KNOW ABOUT THE CARE OF PEAFOWL; THE ILLNESSES YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT, THEIR SYMPTOMS, THINGS TO WATCH FOR AND EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS, MEDICATIONS TO KEEP ON HAND BECAUSE WHEN YOU LEARN YOU NEED IT, YOU NEED IT RIGHT AWAY, PROPER DOSAGE, INCUBATION AND HATCHING TIPS, HEAT LAMP IMPORTANCE, WORMING (WHEN, HOW AND WITH WHAT), HOW TO FIX SPLAYED TOES AND DISLOCATED TENDONS, AND JUST GENERAL WHAT TO DO AND NOT TO DO. ALL PEAFOWL OWNERS EVENTUALLY COME TO KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EDUCATED ON THEM, LEARNING AS MUCH AS THEY CAN, AND BEING PREPARED, PLUS IT’S ALSO VERY INTERESTING AND FUN TO LEARN. THERE IS 1 PERSON THAT WE TRUST COMPLETELY AND CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON WHEN WE NEED AN ANSWER, AND THAT MAN IS DOUGLAS BUFFINGTON. DOUGLAS HAS COMBINED HIS VAST KNOWLEDGE AND WEALTH OF WISDOM FOR THE PEAFOWL COMMUNITY AND WROTE AN EXTREMELY VALUABLE AND MUCH NEEDED BOOK TITLED “PEACOCKS ONLY: A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR PEACOCKS”. WE GENUINELY BELIEVE THAT EVERY SINGLE PEAFOWL OWNER NEEDS TO OWN THIS BOOK. IT IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON IN BOTH KINDLE FORMAT AND PAPERBACK, YOU CAN FIND IT BY CLICKING HERE.