How to hatch peacock eggs

[WestKnollAmy]

I set eggs from the peas the first time this year. They would grow in my bator but none hatched for me. I cna hatch anything else I set though.
I started putting them under the Silkies and they hatched great! That is why I have Silkies anyhow, to hatch my chicks, ducks, poults and keets.

Meanwhile, my friends have a super duper fancy incubator, new state of the art and all that (nothing like my old Sportsman, which I love) and wanted to try their hand at it so I took 19 eggs to them. Five hatched and only one was in good shape, the others had cooked necks, legs, toes and whatnot. None of the 16 hatched under my hens ever had anything like that.

So what have I learned from my first year?
My broody hens will be doing all the incubating for me next year.

 

[goldenbuffies]

No i just have a incubator that i made my self. i do have a dimer, so i can turn it up and down.
I really like to keep my eggs in the house so i can watch the tem and when they are hatching so if they need help i am there.
Last year, i had 7 duck eggs and got 3 out of seven, but they took so long to hatch, i got one duckling on day 32 and the rest on day 28-30.
i really do like hatching chicken eggs better. I am new to hatching peafowl and really hoping that my egg has something in it

 

[Desert Springs]

No i just have a incubator that i made my self. i do have a dimer, so i can turn it up and down.
I really like to keep my eggs in the house so i can watch the tem and when they are hatching so if they need help i am there.
Last year, i had 7 duck eggs and got 3 out of seven, but they took so long to hatch, i got one duckling on day 32 and the rest on day 28-30.
i really do like hatching chicken eggs better. I am new to hatching peafowl and really hoping that my egg has something in it

Normally keeping the temp stable is a biggie for hatching. I would be really concerned if my temp wavered that much. It's neat though that you made your own!! You should be able to candle your egg to see if it's alive and moving.

Good luck!!

 

[goldenbuffies]

I have candled my eggs duck eggs and i have 5 out of 10 so i think that's a fine amount and i have tried candling my peafowl egg and i don't know what's going on with it.
it's so dark in there and i can never see anything. maybe i need a bigger flash light?
I just candled my 5 chicken eggs and i think i have 3 out of the 5

P.S. I did just get a chick on the 21st of Sep and she is doing great, just wish everyone else would hurry up.

 

[zazouse]

How many eggs do you have in the bator and where did they come from and when.

Temps need to be stable for peas, I know I only opened my bator 3 times at the most threw the incubation period.
when my peahens set they only get off the nest every 3 to 4 days and is only off for mabe 30 minutes if that long, if their is no food out for them they will go back to the nest without eating.

 

[Desert Springs]

How many eggs do you have in the bator and where did they come from and when.

Temps need to be stable for peas, I know I only opened my bator 3 times at the most threw the incubation period.
when my peahens set they only get off the nest every 3 to 4 days and is only off for mabe 30 minutes if that long, if their is no food out for them they will go back to the nest without eating.

Thanks for the info Zazouse. I had a huge hatch going in my Sportsman with chicks and keets, when I was doing the pea hatch. The door was opened many more times than 3 times, while I was moving trays, candling and removing hatched chicks and keets. I had figured that if I ever tried hatching peas again, they would have to be the ONLY eggs in the inc. I appreciate you confirming my suspicions. Thanks again!!

 

[Chicken Keith]

I can hatch anything else in the bator but not peas.

That's pretty much how I feel too. I ordered eggs via e-bay, mail order, I knew the gamble I was taking but no one else had eggs offered cir July 4th. I set 3 IB's under one chicken hen and 4 BS under another hen. 1 IB hatched and 1 BS hatched. The BS went missing at day 1 never seen again due to the hen's inexperience I think. The 1 IB is now 8 weeks old, and confirmed male.

I don't have the stomach to try artificial incubation of pea eggs anymore. A breeder once told me her trick was to set pea eggs under a chicken for the 1st week, then move them into an incubator. Not sure if this really works or not. Any ideas out there?

 

[Momhunter]

I totally agree the pea eggs are the hardest to hatch. I jumped in with both feet, bought a new 1502 sportsman and incubated chicken and quail with no problems and high hatch rates. Did all the same settings with pea eggs and could only get about 40-45% hatch rate from my trio. I followed all the recommendations, set temp at 100, kept water pan full and adding the wick to increase humidity at lockdown. The pea eggs are so stressful compared to the chicken and coturnix quail. I'm determined to get better at it. Will have 4 hens next year, as soon as I get my white one from zazouse

 

[casportpony]

I'm at 88 eggs set and 31 live chicks. I suck at pea eggs, lol.

-Kathy

 

[goldenbuffies]

OMG, didn't know that a peahen leaves her nest every 3 to 4 days. i have duck and chicken eggs in with my peacock and i turn them 2 times a day and i thought that hatching peafowl is like hatching a duck eggs only harder. (but wow everything you guys are saying about hatching peafowl eggs i am not sure if i what to start again.
i got my peafowl eggs from a Friend, he just said oh i heard that you hatch eggs and he just gave me the egg. so i was like oh wow a peacock egg, what fun it's going to be to hatch. i am really sad that my egg is dead