What am I doing wrong?

ash1 · **Joined:** Sun Jul 01, 2012 10:25 pm **Posts:** 94

This is my first season trying to breed my peafowl. I have one white male with one white hen and two blue hens, in the other side of the pen I have one blue male with two blue hens. Getting at least one egg every second day from both sides.

Taking the eggs straight to my 'bator, doing everything by the book, but after almost two dozen eggs I haven't managed to hatch one single chick. All the eggs without fail are fertile, develop well, then die very well developed in the shell. The latest one tonight actually pipped into the air sack, but got no further (didn't break the shell). The dead chicks all look as though they have died in the last week of incubation, often maybe with just a day or two to go.

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? [smilie=a_damnit.gif]

I am so terribly disheartened.

I would have left the eggs under the females, but until today none of them have been broody, just laying the eggs and leaving them scattered all over the pens. Today a hen finally started sitting on a nest that she has laid two eggs into, so I have left them be - she most surely can't do a worse job than I have been doing.

PSHFarm · **Posted:** Fri Jan 04, 2013 8:37 pm

Are ALL the chicks fully formed? Sound to me like your humidity is too low

What temp is your bator at?
What humidity?

ash1 · **Joined:** Sun Jul 01, 2012 10:25 pm **Posts:** 94

Hi PSH,

Yes, all of the chicks are fully, or almost fully formed, I would estimate the least fully formed would be at minimum three weeks development, the most developed was the one that pipped into the airsack and then died.

The incubator is running at 37.5 C with humidity between 45-55% and then into the hatcher for the last three days, 37.5 degrees and humidity around 70-80%.

oozcorpse · **Joined:** Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:15 am **Posts:** 2715

being the 'dummy' that I am with Pea Fowl

question to Admin and all who have had Pea Fowl for ages
and reason for question

in chooks it is recommended that eggs be allowed to 'stand' for 24hrs (being turned every few hours end to end) to allow the eggs to dry properly after being laid, giving a better chance for the egg to breathe during incubation (for want of an 'indepth' explaination of the process)

so my question =
would this help in Pea Fowl?

PeacockNSW · **Posted:** Sat Jan 05, 2013 7:46 am

ash1 wrote:

Hi PSH,

Yes, all of the chicks are fully, or almost fully formed, I would estimate the least fully formed would be at minimum three weeks development, the most developed was the one that pipped into the airsack and then died.

The incubator is running at 37.5 C with humidity between 45-55% and then into the hatcher for the last three days, 37.5 degrees and humidity around 70-80%.

The humidity level in the incubator plays the biggest part in successful incubation of peafowl eggs. Humidity level MUST be at 60-65% then 85-87% in the last 5 days. Your humidity is far to low and thats the cause of your troubles. Run the temp at 38c and you must raise that humidity to 65% is idea

PeacockNSW · **Posted:** Sat Jan 05, 2013 7:53 am

soozorps wrote:

being the 'dummy' that I am with Pea Fowl

question to Admin and all who have had Pea Fowl for ages
and reason for question

in chooks it is recommended that eggs be allowed to 'stand' for 24hrs (being turned every few hours end to end) to allow the eggs to dry properly after being laid, giving a better chance for the egg to breathe during incubation (for want of an 'indepth' explaination of the process)

so my question =
would this help in Pea Fowl?

Admin won't answer he don't have fowl. I never set eggs that are laid today I use the laid today set tomorrow rule. No I don't turn the eggs unless the are kept a few days before setting then I will but only twice a day. Peahens don't turn the eggs until they start incubating and that can be 7-10 later or longer. Pea eggs are tough and built to withstand the elements unlike chicken eggs.

Good question soozorps [smilie=a_goodjobson.gif]

ash1 · **Joined:** Sun Jul 01, 2012 10:25 pm **Posts:** 94

Thank you so much PeacockNSW, clearly I had the settings very wrong!
I have been running a mixed incubator of chook, guinea and peafowl eggs, looks like I'll have to get a separate 'bator for the Peafowls. Mind you nothing has been laid for the last few days and I finally have a broody peahen, so have let her keep her last few eggs, no doubt she will do a far superior job to what I have been doing!

Soozorps, I had never heard of the laid today/set tomorrow rule, so another thing I've learnt (I'm very new to all this business, but very addicted already!).

* Runs off to change all 'bator settings and re-cross all fingers/toes/legs for next lot of eggies *

Peahen · **Joined:** Sun Jan 06, 2013 10:43 am **Posts:** 1

I had no luck the first time I tried but once I got the hang of the temp and humid things I had success with the second lot but not 100% it was 60% but still happy I got any after the first disaster

Potters Peafowl · **Posted:** Mon Jan 07, 2013 7:38 am

Practice make perfect :-D

one thing I learnt was run the incubator for 24 hours EMPTY to make sure its temp ect.. are right before you put the eggs in makes all the difference I can tell you.

ash1 · **Joined:** Sun Jul 01, 2012 10:25 pm **Posts:** 94

I GOT ONE!!! I GOT ONE!!! I GOT ONE!!! wee.

Very first peachick ever hatched an hour ago. woohoo4

Looks absolutely GIRNORMOUS compared to my chicks and guinea fowl keets :lol:

Now, he had either a straight Indian Blue mother/White father or an Indian Blue mother with a tiny bit of white feathering (only a couple of white feathers on her neck)/White father, so what is he called please? I get so confused between splits and pieds.

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