Baby Peacock "Peachick Rescue"

July 27, 2005 This little baby peacock called a "peachick" was in need of a safe home. It's mother was hit by a truck and the other babies were taken by osprey or hawks. The farm owner couldn't keep it because she was afraid her new barn cat might get it. So I took it in.

Peachick is brought to me for rescue!

They told me baby peacocks will eat egg yoke and cat food, but that didn't go over too well the first night. I didn't know anything about how to care for a baby peacock and most of the sites online were written by breeders who want to sell peachicks.

Peachick needs chick starter to eat!

I decided "chick starter" would be the best idea. Had to go to a few places before I could find it. I named the little peachick Sylvan.  As I researched peachick care I found out that peachicks like it hot the first 6 weeks of life. 100°-95°  to start,  then dropping the temperature 5° for each week they age.  I put a towel in the dryer and wrapped him up and placed him in the glass tank. We kept him in a warm closet with a light on him all night. Surprisingly, Sylvan survived!

He seemed very alert and healthy his first few days.

Baby peacocks know how to fly at just a few days old. The mother will roost on a tree branch at night and if the babies want to surive and keep warm under her wings, they have to fly up to her. Sylvan can fly really well.

Peachicks can fly! They are all wings.

Sylvan will follow you anywhere.

Peachicks are not born knowing how to eat like baby chickens or ducklings, they have to be taught.  We had to peck our fingernails in the food and water and make a "weep weep weep, bup bup bup" noise to get Sylvan interested. He really liked those noises. Basically you are the momma and have to show the peachick where and what the food is.  Sylvan  has excellent eyesight and will follow the movement of your finger.

Sasha Rae likes teaching Sylvan

The species of this birds are referred to as "Peafowl" and the adult birds are not as finicky about what they eat as the chicks. This is how we got Sylvan to eat the first few days.

We put the chick feed in our hands like this..

Sylvan is hungry, look at him go for the food!

Sylvan likes to eat it from under our fingernails.

At this age it's hard to for us to tell if Sylvan is a male or female. The male is called a "Peacock" and the female is called the "Peahen."  With proper care these birds can live to the age of 40-50 years.  Birds under one year of age are called "Peachicks"

Our peachick peeps loudly when he is lonely and knows you are there. When Sylvan settles downs he coos softly and then finally, he is quiet.

July 31, 2005 We've had Sylvan for a few days now and he seems to be doing fine so we decide to take him outside. Sylvan loves the heat of the sun and sits down and tries to take a nap.

Sylvan enjoys the warmth from the sun.

On the grass it was difficult to even take a photo of him because he wanted to be right on top of us and he kept running back to where we were.

Sylvan is really fast!

He starts looking for food.

We sure weren't worried about Sylvan running away, he followed us everywhere, peeping the whole time and then he followed us right back inside.

Ready to go back inside.

When we gave Sylvan hardboiled egg yoke he loved it! He also liked lettuce. Both are good for his digestion, but too much can give him runny poop.

Sylvan loves hardboiled egg yoke.

Sasha is a good Momma Peahen.

As the days pass, Sylvan is growing.  His wings are getting stronger.  He likes to perch on things and he can fly from the floor to the couch or even across the room.  He really likes to sit on my shoulder and walk around with me.

My old cat won't bother with him.

Sylvan likes to perch.

8-3-05 Sasha says goodbye to Sylvan, she was a big help in his survival!

Sylvan would much rather be out of his house. We put corn cobs on the bottom for litter. He can fly right out of this, so we keep a lid on it to keep him safe and contained.

8-5-05 We keep fresh food & water.

Sylvan continues to grow. Look at that long neck and feathers. In my research I read from a peafowl breeder that a peachick can drop dead for no reason at anytime within the first 3 years of life.  After that, they are very hardy.

August 7, 2005 Sylvan has been very fun to care for so far.

"Peafowl come in a wide variety of colors including blue, green. white. light brown. and purple. These colors and many other colors which were not mentioned have come from selective breeding done by people all over the world. The India blue and the green peafowl are the two most common colors of peafowl found in the wild. India blue peafowl are by far the most common peafowl in captivity and they are what most people are familiar with from visits to zoos and parks." Source

August 12, 2005 I decided today is the day that Sylvan will be brought to the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary. in Indian Shores, FL   A Non-Profit  Wild Bird Sanctuary And Rehabilitation Center. I called them and they said they would take a baby peachick.  Sylvan needs a place to spread his wings and roost. Experts there will continue with his care and survival. Hopefully Sylvan will be released when he is able to care for himself.

8-12-05 This is my last morning with Slyvan after 3 weeks of caring for him.

He looks sad to leave me doesn't he?

This nice guy who works at the sanctuary said he would take good care of Sylvan. Right behind him is the door to the Avian Hospital where he took Sylvan inside!

I looked around the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary.   Seemed like a great place for Sylvan to grow and hopefully be released.The Sanctuary is open all year and free admission. They had all kinds of birds there, not just sea birds.

These are the pelicans

Raptors

Even free birds stop in here.

Different kinds of owls.

I'll call back in a few weeks and see how Sylvan is doing there, I'm sure he will be fine! It was certainly a wonderful learning experience to care for him for 3 weeks.

Here are some photos of adult peafowl.

Mother peahen with her chicks

Photo source

Peacocks get their long trains when they are 3 years old.

Photo source

White peacock, majestic!

Photo source

Full train

Photo source

If you'd like to learn more about these beautiful wild birds, click here.

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