Key points for managing peafowl during the laying period that farmers need to master
In May-June, peafowl that have started laying gradually enter the peak laying period, and the question of how to ensure that peafowl can lay as many eggs and as good eggs as possible during this period is placed before every peafowl farm. In order to reply to letters and calls from many peers, and to discuss this issue together with peers, I write this short article so that it may serve to offer a modest spur, so that we may improve and develop together.
1. Feed. During the laying period, peafowl need to consume a very large amount of nutrients (including multivitamins and minerals), so the amounts of protein, multivitamins, calcium and phosphorus in the feed must be sufficiently guaranteed, but the protein content must not be too high either. Whether animal protein or plant protein, during digestion, too much will produce urate deposition in the kidneys, causing pale and swollen kidneys; in mild cases it causes reduced or stopped laying, and in severe cases it leads to death from gout. The suitable protein content in feed is 20%. As for the amount of green feed, the quantity given should also be moderate, as this will help peafowl digest and supplement vitamins and other nutrients. However, if there is too much green feed, it will lower the blood calcium concentration of peafowl, cause calcium loss and lead to insufficient calcium absorption, producing thin-shelled and soft-shelled eggs and increasing the proportion of broken eggs.
2. Environment. As the season progresses, the temperature will become higher and higher, which will have a great impact on peafowl laying. It not only affects the number of eggs laid, but also affects the fertilization rate and hatching rate, and even affects the survival rate of the chicks after hatching. When the temperature reaches above 35°C, cooling work must be done well: install shade nets in their activity areas; at midday, spray water to cool according to different sites and facilities; at the same time, appropriately add baking soda or green tea water to drinking water to relieve heat and cool them down; adding a small amount of mung beans and other heat-clearing and detoxifying feed to the feed can achieve relatively significant effects.
3. Disease prevention. Because peafowl consume a large amount of energy during the laying process, their physical condition will decline to varying degrees, and the probability of disease will increase accordingly. Therefore, attention must be paid to environmental hygiene, and disinfectants with little irritation and high efficiency must be used regularly for sterilization and disinfection to reduce the chance of bacterial and viral infection. At the same time, appropriately add some safe and low-toxicity drugs for prevention and treatment (such as oxytetracycline). For individual peafowl that are already sick, they must be isolated and treated according to the symptoms to prevent cross-infection.