FIRE ANT HAZARD TO HATCHING PEACHICKS -- Peafowl Talk

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Subject:

FIRE ANT HAZARD TO HATCHING PEACHICKS

Author:
D C T--friendly poultry orthopedist

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Date Posted: 20:15:13 07/05/09 Sun

Today I sprinkled permethrin powder around a peahen that is
setting on eggs due to hatch soon. Fire ants can enter a
pipped egg and murder the chick before it can get out.
I learned this the hard way years ago when Mother had some
ring necked pheasants that were incubating eggs on the
ground.

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Replies:

[> Subject: Re: FIRE ANT HAZARD TO HATCHING PEACHICKS
Author: helen [ Edit \| View ]	Date Posted: 02:53:13 07/06/09 Mon Yow! fire ants! i remember those things from when i lived in Texas. We don't have them in the UK and i remember one of the first days i was in Texas laying out in that gorgeous summer sun on the grass ............yow! those things BITE!!!!! I can imagine what they would do to a chick in the egg.

[> Subject:

CRUSHED HOPE

Author:
D C T--friendly poultry orthopedist
[ Edit | View ]

Date Posted: 08:03:47 07/08/09 Wed

Malpo had four eggs in her nest when she began incubating.
After more than a week went by I noticed only three eggs--
and a bad smell. The remains of the broken egg were near
but not in the ground nest. There was no evidence that life
had begun in that egg. When more than half of the 26 dsy
incubation period was over I found a broken egg on the far
end of the peafowl pen containing a dead peachick. I
candled the remaining two eggs and found that one had a
live peachick inside. I returned both eggs to Malpo and
she continued incubation. This morning I checked and found
the worst news--a crushed eggshell with a dead peachick
under Malpo. This peachick was fully formed except for the
closing of the naval. I removed the dead baby to wash and
examine it. I also removed the bad egg. Poor Malpo
returned to the nest and sat there with head under her
wing. Then Firestone (peahen that has NOT layed any eggs
since her first breeding season years ago) drove Malpo off
the nest. Perhaps Firestone caused some of the problem--
or all of it.