Peaches is a beautiful 2 yr. old peach peahen.  She has laid a few eggs this summer I was really looking forward to more next summer.  I had to be gone for 4 days and had a friend care for my flock while I was away.  When I got home I began the routine of checking on all the birds in each pen making sure all were ok and that they had food and water.  When I got to Peaches’ pen, she seemed ok the first evening home but was on the ground so not sure if she was starting in her struggle.  The next day I was feeding and was concerned when I found her stumbling about.  I quickly scooped her up with out a struggle.  Anyone that has ever handled a peafowl knows that when they don’t struggle there is something very serious going on.  I made Peaches a cage with food, water and bedding.  I let her rest quietly and kept her near other birds where she could see and  hear them but not where she could be pecked at since she was obviously very weak.  That afternoon I checked on her again.  She looked worse.  Her head was tucked under her body like she had neurological damage.  Her wings were spread out and I actually thought she  had died and was ready for a body bag.  When I opened her cage to confirm her passing I realized she was still with me but failing quickly.  HE  neck was at a very odd angle, her wings were spread like she had flapped her last but she was still blinking and breathing.  I wondered what had happened for her to take a nose dive like this.  I wondered if she might have a tumor pressing on her spine. I wondered if she might have gotten an injury. I didn’t have any clue as to what  happened but hoped to figure it out in time to save her. I would have taken her to my avian vet but, I had just returned, the schedule was booked, the weekend was starting and I couldn’t leave the farm to make the 2  hour drive over to see him.  I thought if she didn’t recover by Mon. then I would make the journey.   I had just completed a 5 day deworming before I left so knew that worms were not an issue.

As I pondered her worsening condition, I remembered several years ago I had a full grown white peacock that spooked and tried to fly through a small door that was for walking through.  I had witnessed Whitie slamming into the sides of the small door cutting his wings down to the bones.  He lay on the ground on his side scooting in circles trying to stand.  His neck was bent at a funny angle and I thought, he’s dying.  There is no way he will ever recover.  But after a few days to rest and recover he was still with me.  I fixed him a sling were I could suspend him from a low tree branch and help him learn to stand again.  I harnessed him in the sling for 30  min, then 45 min. and gradually built it to an hour then two.  I kept food and water for him within easy reach.  After his balance improved and he’d had time to heal partially, I helped him learn to walk again.   After several weeks he made a slow but complete recovery.

With these thoughts in my mind I decided to begin support treatment for Peaches thinking that when she was stronger I would make her a sling and help her learn balance again.  She hadn’t eaten anything for more than a day possibly longer. I knew she would die if she consumed no food or water.  I soaked a cup of good quality cat food that is round in shape rather than the X shaped kibble in water.  When it was soft I started dropping the hydrated kibble down her throat.  This solved 2 issues she would get food and water in one dose and it would slide down her throat easily.  If I syringed water into her I would run the risk of her aspirating so with the well hydrated cat kibble she ate greedily and got liquid at the same time.  At first I was dropping them in her beak and pushing them down her throat past her trachea then I realized she was happy to gulp down what ever I cold drop in her mouth.  I did this morning and night until I could see her slowing down on swallowing the food.  On the day after I began feeding her she showed  signs of gaining strength. She was more alert but still unable to stand or  hold her head up. Two days later she was starting to hold her head up.  Three days passed and she was beginning to stand, a bit wobbly but she was definitely improving.  Her improvement was rapid after that.  By day 4  she was beginning to self feed which freed me up to just observe her progress.  It  has been more than a week and she is ready to return to her pen.  Hopefully her recovery will continue to be strong.  I shared this short story to say, often times we give up too soon.  Sometimes we need to give our birds time to heal, give them support therapy, a safe place to rest, and see what happens.  With out the support therapy and the removal from the flock she would have most certainly died.  She is alive, healthy and even a bit spunky again.  Happy endings are always my favorite.  If you have questions or concerns give me a call, text or even email but that is the slowest response since I am always in the barn or on the road.  Hope that you and your peafowl are all well.  I’m off to start the morning chores.

Blessings,

Loretta Smith