What are the key management points during the brooding period of peafowl breeding

1. Breeding eggs should be given priority    

Medium size, normal egg shape (average 90g), smooth and clean surface, no wrinkles, cracks, stains, etc., storage time not exceeding 15 days, storage temperature 18°C, relative humidity 70%-80%, good ventilation. Before incubation, breeding eggs should be disinfected, and can be soaked in potassium permanganate solution.

2. Chicks should be carefully selected

Selecting strong and healthy chicks is the prerequisite for raising peafowl well, so chicks must be strictly selected. Healthy chicks show good body condition, glossy feathers, and strong struggling. Those chicks that are underweight, weak and powerless, or deformed should be culled.

3. Brooding is divided into indoor and outdoor

Brooding areas are divided into indoor brooding and outdoor brooding. For indoor brooding, use angle iron and other materials to first build frames, each frame 250cm×120cm, bottom height 80cm, surrounding height 60cm, with 1.5cm×1.5cm welded wire mesh, or plastic mesh or fishing net, and it can be used for raising chicks before 20 days of age. For outdoor chicks, the pen area is 5m×10m, half indoor and half outdoor, indoor height 4m, covered with asbestos tiles on top, with bamboo frames evenly set up below for peafowl to perch on, and it can be used for raising chicks from 20 to 60 days of age.

4. Density should be reasonable

For chicks within 20 days of age, about 15 per square meter is appropriate. For chicks from 20 to 60 days of age, they should be moved from indoors to outdoors for rearing, and 5X8 per square meter is appropriate. At the same time, it should be flexibly controlled according to temperature changes to prevent chicks from piling up due to high temperatures and dying from stuffiness.

5. Grouping should be appropriate

In chick rearing, due to differences in chick constitution, quality, and sex, chicks often vary in individual size, strong chicks snatch food, weak chicks do not get enough to eat, affecting balanced weight gain of the group. Female and male, strong and weak chicks should be promptly grouped and raised separately to facilitate feeding management.

6. Temperature and humidity should be moderate

The temperature should be higher on cloudy days and lower on sunny days. At the beginning, it is 34°C, and thereafter lowered by 0.3°C per day. Relative humidity should be controlled between 60% and 70%. The principle of adjusting temperature according to the chicks is that the chicks are lively and active, evenly distributed, have a good appetite, drink an appropriate amount of water, have uniform and smooth down, and rest peacefully.

7. Feeding should be scientific

In view of the chicks' small gastrointestinal capacity and tendency to become hungry, drinking water and feed supply should be sufficient. Complete feed must be provided, fed 5 to 6 times a day, and the amount fed should be just enough to be eaten up without a large amount left over. This prevents residual feed from being contaminated and spoiling.

8. Air should be fresh. Because chicks have vigorous metabolism, they produce more harmful gases such as carbon dioxide, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. Indoor brooding must both keep warm and ventilate, so that people do not feel stifled when entering the room.

9. Lighting and drinking water should be hygienic     

In the early brooding stage, natural light is appropriate. After 1 week of age, under suitable temperature, let them get some proper sunlight to promote bone development. For drinking water, first give 0.1% potassium permanganate solution. After starting feed, provide clean drinking water, and the water temperature should be around 25°C. Drinking water should be changed frequently, and once a week give a 0.1% Baibingqing and other solutions. Water containers should be frequently washed and disinfected.