First chicks = need advice

[chicken danz]

I hatch all kinds of chicks 52 weeks a year but this is y first experience with a peafowl. I tend to over obsess if it is something new. I'm hoping to hatch a couple more. My peahen never sat on her eggs this year because it got way too hot. So I purchased some. She had raised several peachicks at her previous owner's but none here this year, so I purchased eggs to get the experience.

 

[RedBrush Farm]

ChickSlick - Mine were born July 1

it was 108 degrees here in Mo that day. I have them in my living room and do not see them going out anytime soon. They are on their 6th day now and are still eating mostly meal worms. They do eat some starter but not a lot. They are growing so fast I can hardly believe it!! I think I will take them outside today for some fresh air. It is going to be another day over 100. They still want to be held constantly. If I do not, or if I leave the room they pace their cage and cry at the top of their lungs. What type did you hatch? I bought a black shoulder hen from a friend and he gave me 4 eggs he had gathered. He has over 100 peafowl and hatches all his eggs then waits at least a year before selling so he can see what they are going to look like. Because of this he did not know what he gave me. Of the four, one was not fertile, 2 hatched, and the other would peep but never hatched. I opened the shell and it was turned with the head in the small end of the shell? Of the two, one is yellow with a brown stripe down his back and the other one is all browns. It kind of looks like an India Blue chick, but not exact. Our friend has a pen of Java Green so I am hopeful that is what it will turn out to be. I will post pictures soon so everyone can give me an opinion! Please let me know how things are going with you and your new "babies".

Have a Blessed Day,
B.K.

 

[chicken danz]

This came from a mix of several kinds including whites, javas, india blues, etc. No idea what egg they were. The chick is solid yellow with no color so I'm hoping it is white or pied white. I only had one viable egg out of 6. Makes it a very expensive chick. I have two more pied eggs int he incubator but they've only been there a week. I tried giving my peahen's eggs to a broody hen but all three of them got broken. Not sure why. The chicken eggs were in tact. I live in Kansas so I am sweating along with you. This morning feels about the worst yet.

 

[Kedreeva]

This came from a mix of several kinds including whites, javas, india blues, etc. No idea what egg they were. The chick is solid yellow with no color so I'm hoping it is white or pied white.

Well, if it was white it'd just be white, since there is no pied white ^_^ Are the wing feathers all white or are the primaries a creamy white almost tannish color? If they are pure white then it's a white bird, if they have any amount of cream to the primaries, it's a BS.

 

[chicken danz]

I'm just learning. I meant a silver pied white. What feathers it does have on its wings are white. So I guess that gives me hope. What is a BS? Do you mean black shoulder?

 

[Kedreeva]

Yep, BS = blackshoulder. A solid wing bird as opposed to the wild type barred wing. There's also no silver pied white, unless you mean a white out of a silver pied pair (and I want one of those really badly!

) If it's white, it's just white.

Because I like sharing information: White's not actually a pattern or a color, it's a genetic condition called leucism (total leucism, as opposed to a pied bird who would be only partially leucistic). "Under" the white the bird is still a color, but the pigment cells that would produce color on their feathers fail to migrate from the neural crest during development; so the bird *makes* feather colors, but the bird's body doesn't deposit the color on the feathers. They're totally interesting genetically; while I don't like white peafowl in appearance, I love, love, love their genetics!

 

[chicken danz]

Well I am sure you are right, but everyone seems to call the white peafowl with the blue chest color a silver pied white. I couldn't even find a picture of one on the United peafowl Association site but it seems to be very popular and bring high prices. So what do you call that particular color combination. I like the all white peacocks because they are stunning when they display. I also love just the plain india blues and java greens as well.
I have a quad of india blues and a pair of white eyed. The white eyed are just a year old.
I never thought peafowl were my thing but I really can't stop looking at them. I live in the country so they can yell all they want out here.

 

[Mmmaddie13]

Chicken Danz, maybe you're seeing "silver pied white eyed," as all silver pieds are white-eyed. The silver pied is a combination of a white gene and a pied gene and a white-eyed gene working together. This site has good info on it: http://www.leggspeafowl.com/silverpied.htm

 

[Lil Zoo]

I hear you Red Bush, mine hatched July 1--4 of them. I am going through the same thing, eating, drinking and holding all the time. Let's stay in touch and give moral support to each other--I'm a newbie. Where yours hatched July 1 too!

Maybe they are a bit cold. Try a warmer heat lamp. It's hot now and I reduced mine to 75 wat cool bulb. Mine doesn't like the red heat lamp either go figure that one. I also put a mirror in the tote, marbles and a beanie baby. Mine likes when I hold him, but is quite content in tote. He/she coo peeps, rarely chirps angry and she's a one and only. I was lucky. I dipped her nose out of the incubator and he/she I don't think ate but sure had fun throwing the food out of feeder. I also read somewhere you should start with red feeder and water. I thought birds and animals were color blind, but I did it anyway. I have broodered chicks and always seemed to me when the made loud continuous chirps they were cold. Mine was born 6/28 been such a joy. He/she is almost walking into my hand when I stick it down now. Will be gone a couple days hope she/he doesnt forget. So cute to see her/him flop his wings at himself in the mirror. She/he loves those marbles. The beanie baby is the perch and nest. Also pulls ears on it all the time. Just love to watch how she/he cranks the old neck almost completely around and then tilts the head at the same time. I don't know if this will help as I am a newbie at this also.

 

[chicken danz]

Mine would cry all the time but now it seems very happy to be with other chicken chicks.My grand daughter is coming to stay and I figure she can spoil it as much as she wants although it seems to be doing really well now.