The news may be bad to hear, the illness can be fatal to birds, but identifying the issue means that they can be treated properly.
Volunteer Carlyn Cane said: “The babies became unwell with canker in November. We started treating them for that, but it wasn’t clearing up.
“We took them to the vet and they determined that they had a respiratory problem and that the canker was a secondary issue.
“It was quite difficult to find out exactly what was wrong. The vet sent some oral swabs away and they’ve came back as being E.coli.”
The peacock team believe that the illness could have been caused by something that made its way into the enclosure.
Carlyn said: “We had a roof on it but it was really dark, so we decided to take it down. Not long after that they became unwell, so we think it could be something that a bird has dropped, or water that was on the top that came in.
“They’re responding well to the antibiotics. They’ve got another 10 days to go and they’re all putting it away and doing well.
“Our volunteers are using the steamer every day, making the place as clean as we can possibly do it when you’ve got birds running around all over the place.
“It’s very challenging but we’ve got some great volunteers, so we’re managing to keep on top of it.”
Looking after the peacocks is something of a second job for Carlyn, who dedicates time every day to looking after the animals.
It’s not just the baby peacocks that are suffering from poor health right now either.
Carlyn said: “We’ve got Patsy who had to have surgery after she degloved her toenail. She had to have the nail amputated and we just removed the stitches the other day.
“She’s also developed a tendonitis injury. We think it’s because she’s jumped down off her roosting bar and hurt herself, so it’s just been one thing after another.
“She’s on twice daily injections for pain as well as anti-inflammatories. It’s been a tough few weeks, and we’re closely monitoring her weight because if they lose too much it can be life threatening.
Patsy’s health is being closely monitored (Image: Submitted) “The plan is that if she does we’ll start tube feeding her. We’re up there every day anyway but it’s a lot to take on.”
Looking after Dunfermline’s peacocks isn’t cheap, and Carlyn revealed that in the last three months between Louis, Patsy and the babies, around £2,500 has been spent on vet fees.
Luckily, local lad Harrison Richards is taking part in the New Year loony dook to raise funds which will help with costs. So far he’s managed to bag £450 with Hogmanay just round the corner.