eggs

RobPage · **Joined:** Fri Jan 07, 2011 2:09 pm **Posts:** 3

I had no luck hatching my Peafowl eggs in my incubator this year, not one hatched but most were fertile. I have been reading on the forum its common to use an incubator and that most have good success so can I ask you peafowl experts for some tips on what to do and not to do PLEASE.

andre · **Joined:** Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:21 pm **Posts:** 612

Hatching Peafowl can be a bit hit and miss with an incubator. Assuming you have a good incubator, then set it a fraction lower than for chickens. I set mine at 37.8.Also take care to keep humidity levels around 40% for setting then 60% for hatch.

Some questions:

At what stage are the embryos when they die?

And my pet peeve... how closely related are the parents? I'm suspicious that many peafowl in Australia are quite inbred. This can be a serious cause of embryo death.

bluepeafowl · **Posted:** Sun Jan 09, 2011 7:08 am

The most likely cause would be incorrect temperature or humidity or both.

Here is some information http://www.peafowl.org/ARTICLES/4/

parvo · **Joined:** Sat Jan 02, 2010 7:39 pm **Posts:** 735

Nice link Bluepeafowl.

How important is the turning mechanism when incubating peafowl eggs?

I know in some bird species that early embryonic death can be brought about by excessive vibration during turning.
I assume also that setting the eggs upright at an angle, airsac up and turned 90 degrees as used with ostriches is not recommended for peafowl eggs.

Thanks for any comments

Parvo

andre · **Joined:** Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:21 pm **Posts:** 612

Bluepeafowl, thats a great link. I must try incubating them at closer to 60% and doing the 180o turn described in the article. I'm sure it can do no harm and might actually help.

Pea-Goddess · **Posted:** Sun Jan 09, 2011 12:05 pm

NATURE knows best sometimes. It s out of the question to leave the mothers to sit/raise them? Is it too cold where you are?

Incubator seems so touching where as mother's heat can go up and down a little because they are outside.

RobPage · **Joined:** Fri Jan 07, 2011 2:09 pm **Posts:** 3

Thanks for all the replys nice to know there is good help out there. I want to use the incubator becuase I can hatch more eggs at the one time far more than a peahen can

RPoultry · **Joined:** Thu May 27, 2010 9:40 pm **Posts:** 933

yes, but you arn't hatching any :roll:

(jokes)

what i mean is if you put 25 eggs in the 'bator and 8 under a peahen and non hatch from the 'bator and 5-7 hatch under the hen, then really your getting more from the hen :!:

ps all of this message is written light-hartedly :-D

bluepeafowl · **Posted:** Mon Jan 10, 2011 7:12 am

parvo wrote:

Nice link Bluepeafowl.

How important is the turning mechanism when incubating peafowl eggs?

I know in some bird species that early embryonic death can be brought about by excessive vibration during turning.
I assume also that setting the eggs upright at an angle, airsac up and turned 90 degrees as used with ostriches is not recommended for peafowl eggs.

Thanks for any comments

Parvo

Parvo, I have not found the vibration to be of issue but perhaps some of the cheaper incubators would use a less fluent mechanism and that could kill the embryo especially in the first 7 to 10 days.
As in the article my incubators have automatic turners which tip 45 degrees in either direction every 2 to 3 hours the air sac is slightly up. I also turn the eggs 180 degrees twice a day by hand.
I will add that peahens do not turn egg as smoothly as some may believe especially when there are several eggs and they always turn them by lifting each egg and rotating sometimes breaking them in the process.

bluepeafowl · **Posted:** Mon Jan 10, 2011 7:17 am

andrewschooks wrote:

Bluepeafowl, thats a great link. I must try incubating them at closer to 60% and doing the 180o turn described in the article. I'm sure it can do no harm and might actually help.

The most important points I can make is temperature both outside and in and humidity at 60% you will have more success as I do. Setting up the incubator days before setting eggs and making sure the temperature and humidity is correct is so important I cannot stress that enough.

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