Incubating peafowl eggs thread

[KsKingBee]

@AugeredIn , that is the best post I have read in a LONG time! Some of it was a bit confusing and contradictory, but in general it is VERY helpful.

I am using both the GQF and broody hens this year, letting them set 25 days, and I can relate to most of what you are saying. Thanks for the great post! You have given us a lot to think about and discuss.

 

[casportpony]

Here's the one I was able to save - This is how it looked on day 28:










-Kathy

 

[RubyNala97]

This, of course, is the most common problem in peafowl hatching.  I have been part of a group that has been playing with various incubating and hatching methods the last couple of years and sooner or later there will be some published results (not by me, I am small potatoes).  This is the information that I can give you based upon last years information and this years information and may be contrary to anything I have written before:

1.  The "real" peafowl hatch rates, even amongst the big boys is incredibly small when talking about the total number of eggs laid.  I am talking ridiculously small.   No one really like to admit this but it is true.  I am not giving numbers but keep this in mind during your incubation and hatching efforts.  LOTS of eggs never hatch.

2.  I have, in the past, incubated eggs on the ends and laying down and did not notice a difference in numbers.  This year we really focused on the difference and the eggs that were laid on their sides and hand rotated twice a day in the first 10 days (in addition to the normal turning in the GQF) FAR out hatched any other method.

3.  It has always been my experience that if they are quiting just prior to lockdown they are usually to dry and there is no excess fluid under the membrane and they definitely appear dryer out in the eggtopsy (full credit to casportpony I believe for that term).  Raise humidity 5-10% during incubation.  This usually IS NOT the problem in my experience.

4.  Our normal problem is that the eggtopsy reveals that there is still lots of free fluid under the membrane and there was to much humidity during incubation.

5.  We used to adjust temperature to control problems and it seemed to work.  Since we have really been keeping track of what we do, I no longer believe this to be true.  I think 99.5 - 100 degrees is the best place to be.

6.  We monitor oxygen/CO2 and with one side vent open in the GQF, it can get borderline low with higher humidity.  We open both vents.

7.  Our best hatches this year were at a temperature of 99.5 humidity at 35-40% five days a week and 50-60% during three days of lockdown.  I know the lockdown number is low but thats all we can effectively get.

8.  Other folks that are testing the use of Game hens either for 10 days, 25 days or the full incubation period out hatched the users of incubators.

9.  I have tried both last year and this year to monitor egg weight to try and correlate to hatching success and humidity.  If I am honest, it has been an utter failure both years.  Don't know if I am not weighing a large enough sample or what the deal is but I can't tell anything from it or at least it is not consistent.

Lastly, I think the biggest truth is that none of us really know what we are doing given the hatch rates.  You should look at your results, do eggtopsies, and make adjustments accordingly.  Keep really good records and share what you find.

We will be using Game hens next year for at least half of our incubation efforts.  I am convinced.

I just read this post and I was wondering why it says humidity 35%-40% for five days a week? Was that a mistake or was the humidity different for the other 2 days of the week? Thank you!

 

[AugeredIn]

I edited the post to say two days a week instead of three on the higher percentage.

 

[AugeredIn]

I'll hide my head in shame and say that of the 41 eggs set so far, only 11 chicks hatched... One of those is Crookie, and another died from a yolk sac infection. Eggs 42-71 are in the incubator, but that's it, I will not put more in them, instead I will use broodies.

-Kathy

Slightly lower percentages than the groups reported average.

 

[AugeredIn]

Here's the one I was able to save - This is how it looked on day 28:

I don't see excess fluids but that definitely appears to be the typical big sticky chick that cannot hatch for some reason. Maybe they cannot move in the egg.

 

[AugeredIn]

@AugeredIn , that is the best post I have read in a LONG time! Some of it was a bit confusing and contradictory, but in general it is VERY helpful.

I am using both the GQF and broody hens this year, letting them set 25 days, and I can relate to most of what you are saying. Thanks for the great post! You have given us a lot to think about and discuss.

Please let me know if something is contradictory. Wrote the post setting in a chair outside in a hurry. May have mixed something up. Was moving birds.

 

[casportpony]

Quote: What does a really think membrane mean? The one pictured appeared dry enough and had a normal membrane, but two of the others had membranes that were about 1/10 of an inch thick.

-Kathy

 

[AugeredIn]

I don't know unless that meant they were just dry. Could it be a response to infection?

I would still say that big chick was the result of to high humidity or to low temperature. But if it was the only one in the group? I don't know.

 

[connerhills]

Thanks for the info on your group study.. Over the years I have done things just to see the results. This year has been wet and the humidity coming into the battor is 50 % or more . This year I am trying turning methods as I have a lot of eggs.. I have over 500 pea eggs in battors now. The fertility has not been good and my hatch rate has not been good , yet by shear numbers I have some nice chicks out. I have never beat a cochin hen, I have a pen of Cochin hens just to set on pea eggs and most of them have not set this year only a few and I am using them to hatch more cochins, They must be getting old

like me.

connerhills