peacock issue

[Snowball271]

Not sure if it is poultry related, but we have a peacock that is sick. Looking for advice. So our mistake we fed the chickens and peacocks some lobster shells. One of the peacocks had a small piece of the lobster tail stuck in its mouth. Managed to get that out but it is still shaking its head like something else is in there.(Can't see anymore though) Also one of its cheeks is swollen. We have been giving it an antibiotic (Duramycin-10) and trying to feed it some softer food. Any suggestions?

 

[Marigold]

Hi Snowball and welcome to the forum.
I have no experience of peacocks but I feel it would probably be a good idea to take your bird to a vet (I don't know how you get a peacock in a car, though!) it does sound as if a piece of the lobster claw has got stuck further down his throat, out of sight, and may cause big problems with eating, apart from probably being painful to the bird.
Not sure why you are giving antibiotics at this stage - really these should only be given on a vets prescription and as it seems that this is a flesh wound of some sort rather than an infection, there seems little point in using the Duramycin at this stage.
Do let us know how you get on. It seems to be a law of nature that these emergencies always happen on a Friday or a Bank Holiday, doesn't it?

 

[chrismahon]

Hello Snowball and welcome to the forum. I wonder if trying to close its beak on the shell has strained or damaged the jaw muscles and if a piece of shell has scratched the throat? As Marigold says a vet needs to have a good look down there if possible and antibiotics are best only given if there is an infection. Problem with antibiotics is that they kill the gut flora so then digestion is inefficient. We use multi culture probiotic natural yoghurt 48 hours after antibiotics to help restart the gut. Good luck with this one -very unusual problem without doubt!

 

[Marigold]

I expect your problem is made worse by the fact that peacocks have such comparatively long necks, although the neck is a very sensitive area in any bird. There's another thread running at present in the General Chickens section about a hen who is recovering from a neck injury after a fix attack, with some interesting observations by Chris about neck injury to one of his hens.
How is the peacock this morning? I forgot to ask how long ago this happened, and I wonder if you are giving antibiotics because you feel infection has had time to develop over a few days. Unfortunately, it's quite hard to find a vet who knows a lot about chickens, let alone peacocks, so good luck and do let us know how you get in.

 

[Snowball271]

Thank you for replys. It has now been around two weeks ago we pulled the shell out. My wife has tried to call many different places but as one said it is hard to find someone to look at a peacock. We started to give antibiotics because we think the shell scratched the inside of his throat as I pulled it out. We think this because when the shell came out it felt like it was scraping side of throat. Also the cheek being swollen on the side it seemed to be scraping makes us think if it is a cut on the inside of mouth antibiotics would help. He also does seem to be eating and passing what he eats. Hopefully he makes it.

 

[Marigold]

Sounds as if he's in with a chance, if he's managed 2 weeks and is eating enough to survive. I think its good that you're feeding softer food. I don't know what peacocks eat but most injured hens like a soft warm mash of their pellets soaked in hot water until crumbly, perhaps with extra nourishment such as mashed-up hardboiled egg, mealworms, or sunflower seeds.