Worming Peafowl

 

Worms:

 

There are several types of worms that can be contracted by Peafowl these include Tapeworm, Hookworm, Roundworm, Gapeworm, Cecal worm & Capillaria Worm. All these worms can cause serious health problems with Peafowl but special attention should be paid to Cecal & Capillaria Worms.

 

Worming Treatment:

 

There are many brands of Bird & Poultry wormers on the market today so the question is which should you use? Firstly you should only use a Wormer that is specially formulated for Poultry. Secondly you should make sure it covers all the worm species you want treat your peafowl for, paying special attention to Cecal & Capillaria Worms. Thirdly you will need to decide on how you are going to administer the wormer, i.e. Water, food, orally. Fourthly you will then need to decide on the type of wormer depending on what method you have chosen to administer i.e. Liquid, Gel, and Tablets.

 

Liquid:

 

This can be very affective but there are some issues, Peafowl can be very fussy and if they detect the wormer either through smell, taste or colour in the water then they may not drink it. In addition you cannot be sure all the birds have consumed the correct dose rate or if they have had any at all. With some wormers you can descries the taste with Sugar, Sweetner, or cranberry juice. Check with your local Vet or the manufacturer of the product you are using for suitability.

 

Gel:

 

This can also be very affective but has more limitations than Liquid. Gel Wormer can be administered in water but it has an alcohol additive to help the dilution process which in turn gives off a strong odor. It also colours the water Yellow which may deter the birds from drinking. Gel wormer can be placed directly onto food for example 1ml spread on bread then broken up and fed to the birds. Gel wormer can be given Orally which is by far the best way of ensuring each bird gets the wormer and the correct dose, but this will mean you have to catch each and every bird to administer which in turn will cause your birds stress which should be avoided.

 

Tablets:

 

This also is very affective, but cannot be administered in water. The tables can only be given in food or orally which means like the Gel you will have to catch-up every bird to administer, or the tables can be fed in food. For example in bread, break the tablet into two and roll each piece in a small piece of bread and feed, making sure every bird gets two pieces of bread totaling one tablet or the correct dose rate. This method is only affective to hand feeding and hand tame birds but is very affective.

 

Summary:

 

So which is best? we will leave that up to you, we use Liquid & Tables and find both work very well. In 2005 we used more Tables than Liquid and this may become our preferred method. We do not catch-up the birds, we feed the tables in food such as Bread, Watermelon ECT. In controlled conditions, which is very important? You must worm your Peafowl at least twice a year or more, we cannot emphasize this enough as they are a ground dwelling bird they are very susceptible to Worms and remember prevention is better than cure.

 

Article by Peacocks Australia / January 2006

 

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