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Green Peafowl, Pavo Muticus

 

 

 

Hatching and Breeding

 

 

 

 

Hatching:

There are three options to incubate the eggs:
- natural incubation through the peafowl hen
- incubation with a chicken hen as foster mother
- or artificial incubation (additional information for artificial incubation)

In general, the animals need a balanced diet and be free of internal and external parasites. Only healthy animals also lay good and viable eggs.

The nature of green peafowl are much more vivid, which can quickly end up in stress between the animals. In order to successfully hatching hens an undisturbed hatching place is absolutely necessary. It may also not be kept too many animals in one group, because they interfere with each other. More than two, max. three hens in a breeding group cannot be kept, otherwise it will interfere with each other when the hens are hatching. If these conditions are met, green peafowl hens are hatching safe and reliable.

However, there are many breeders who hatching the eggs in an incubator. But this happens mostly to increase the number of chicks, because if you take away the eggs the hens are laying much more than they lay 5-6 eggs. Green peafowl are endangered and we should take care,  that the natural breeding behaviour is not lost, because otherwise it is no longer possible to release them back into their habitat.
In case of artificial incubation you have to ensure that the incubation temperature is not too high, otherwise there is danger that the chicks will have deformities of the feet after the eclosion.

After eclosion of the chicks it is important to consider some issues otherwise many chicks and young animals will die soon. In the first weeks of their life, the chicks are very sensitive to cold and wet conditions. Therefore you must ensure that they do not freeze or getting wet.
We have seen that old, experienced hens do know exactly what they can expect of the chicks. As soon as the weather is too bad for the young, they disappear immediately with their chicks into the protective cot. Once the chicks freeze in the outlet, they notify it and then the hen put them immediately under their warm wings. But that should not rely on it in all cases, especially when you have a young inexperienced and overstrained hen.

 

 

 

 

Hygiene:

Just like the blue peacock chicks, green peafowl chicks are in the first few weeks very sensitive and vulnerable. So you have to pay attention to hygiene.

The room in which they will reside after hatching, should be thoroughly cleaned and fresh sprinkled. Our peacocks are always de-wormed before breeding period, that the chicks can not be infected in the first few days after eclosion. An infection with worms may have a negative effect on the growth of young animals or weaken their immune system. Often, a worm infection remains undetected for long periods and the chicks die because of a subsequent infection, due to a weakened immune system.

It should also be avoided, that the peafowl chicks will get in contact with chickens or chicken excrements. Chicken often are transmitting coccidia or histomoniasis (blackhead).
Our experience shows that green peafowl chicks are much less sensitive respond to stress, but they are more susceptible to coccidiosis and histomoniasis.
If the young will get ill on it within the  first two months, there are in most cases no chance to help them even if you will react immediately. When the symptoms begin to appear they are already severely damaged and weakened.

Once the young are two to three months old, the risk that they will die is then greatly reduced, because the immune system is much more stable then.

 

 

 

 

Outlet:

The chicks are in the first two months are very sensitive to moisture, cold and hypothermia. They should be in the outlet only during dry weather. You should also make sure that the grass is no longer wet with dew in the morning.

In the natural incubation the hen already provides sufficient heat. The chicks show her exactly when they have cold. The hen lays down immediately and takes her chicks under her protective wing. With an experienced hen it is starting from the third week no problem, as long as there is no cold rainy weather.

With artificial incubation this is much more difficult. You can offer chick with a red light enough heat, but if they are in the outflow it is not necessarily the case that they will use it. This is the breeding of chicks from artificial incubation much more complicated, because mistakes are punished with losses.

Due to the aviary are house cats and other predators are not a problem.

 

 

 

 

Forage:

The protein content of the forage should be very high in the first few weeks. The best way to feed the chick at the beginning is to give a special pellet forage for chicks. Our experience has shown that they take the food in the first two weeks, much better if the pellets are broken.
This is especially problematic for artificial incubation, here you have very often to baiting the chicks because they do not begin to take the forage by themselves. We feed in the first weeks Show 1 of Versele Laga. It is a special starter feed for the pheasants, etc. which is already broken.

In addition, we always give some flour-worms. But it is important to note that these may be fed in the first two weeks, only dead. It should not be exaggerated. As I said, it is only a supplement and not for a complete feeding.

If the chicks due to bad weather can to be outside, we feed dandelions leaves which we slice in small pieces.

 

 

 

From hatching to the adult animal

 

Below are the different stages of development from the hatching to the adult animal documented.

 

muticus_0_00_01

muticus_0_00_02

muticus_0_00_03

muticus_0_00_04

muticus_0_00_05

muticus_0_00_06

muticus_0_00_07

muticus_0_00_07

muticus_0_01_01

muticus_0_01_03

muticus_0_04_01

muticus_0_05_02

muticus_0_06_01

muticus_1_00_01

muticus_1_00_02

muticus_1_09_01

muticus_1_09_02

muticus_2_00_01

muticus_2_03_01

13_kueken_1woche_001

13_kueken_1woche_002

13_kueken_1woche_003

13_kueken_2woche_002

13_kueken_3woche_001

13_kueken_3woche_003

13_kueken_5woche_001

13_kueken_5woche_002

13_kueken_5woche_003

13_kueken_schlupf_001

 

 

 

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