100% hatch rate on shipped eggs!

[texpainthorse]

Great info!
When I cracked open the eggs. The chicks were fully developed and were a little gooey not really sticky. They looked perfect in ever way. I did notice the air sacs seem small so maybe the humidity IS too high and I'm drowning the little ones.

I will upgrade to a better incubator for my peafowl and keep this Hova-Bator for my quail, pheasant and chickens.

So glad I have a place to turn for advice and encouragement!

Have a great weekend!

 

[MinxFox]

My incubator is a still air. I live in hot Central Texas. There really wasn't a lot of fluid in the eggs that I opened. I waited awhile before opening them though. They were all fully developed chicks. The quail were all perfect. I don't have an issue with chickens or pheasants either. Just peafowl. I'm so frustrated. I have 4 adolescents but didn't hatch them myself.

If you have adult peafowl and they are penned you could let a peahen hatch her own eggs. I can only hatch out my own peafowl eggs. Any shipped peafowl eggs don't seem to hatch for me. I like letting the peahens hatch their eggs when I can let them. If they lay 6 eggs they hatch all 6 out. I have never had a peahen not hatch out all eggs unless if she abandoned the nest because she accidently broke an egg. They are great mothers. Just make sure the bottom of the pen fence has small fencing so that the peachicks don't get out.

 

[texpainthorse]

If you have adult peafowl and they are penned you could let a peahen hatch her own eggs. I can only hatch out my own peafowl eggs. Any shipped peafowl eggs don't seem to hatch for me. I like letting the peahens hatch their eggs when I can let them. If they lay 6 eggs they hatch all 6 out. I have never had a peahen not hatch out all eggs unless if she abandoned the nest because she accidently broke an egg. They are great mothers. Just make sure the bottom of the pen fence has small fencing so that the peachicks don't get out.

Ah, No adults. I only have the 4 adolescents. They are over 4 months but younger than 8 months. Maybe I should buy some adult pairs and let them do all of the work. I do love to incubate but it isn't fun if they don't hatch. The pheasant and quail have been my favorite to hatch. I know the peachicks would by far be my favs if I could be successful!

 

[casportpony]

Try to find a broody chicken hen.

-Kathy

 

[ChicksnMore]

Broody hens make great incubators. The most important time for pea eggs is the first 10 days...its equivalent to a humans first trimester of pregnancy. You can give them to a broody hen for at least 10 days, then move them into an incubator any time after that and it should improve your hatch rate and insure strong, healthy chicks. I know some people remove them to an incubator just a few days before they're due to hatch.

Your humidity sounds high to me though. I'm in a hot, dry area and 60% max humidity works perfect for me. I keep the range between 50-60%. I got that percentage from our neighbor who's been hatching peas for years and its just right for where I live.

Good luck!

 

[Peafowlssssssss]

The problem is the swelling and the damage it does to the joint, so unless swelling is reduced the joint will end up deformed and will not be able to keep the tendon in place. Then as the chick grows the leg will start to rotate. The burrito thing might work, but it would probably have to stay on for several days and during that time the chick can't eat or drink.

-Kathy

Kathy, I just remembered this post, is there any way to reduce the swelling? I just noticed 2 chicks 4 weeks old also have swelling! The weird thing that all the 3 chicks get swelling in their left leg!

 

[Peafowlssssssss]

This chick in this thread has it in the same leg too! Mine looks the same like this chick. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/289137/peachick-leg-problems-please-help

 

[DylansMom]

This chick in this thread has it in the same leg too! Mine looks the same like this chick. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/289137/peachick-leg-problems-please-help

That is twisted tibia, I caused the same same thing in 5 of my first chicks from 2013. I believe it comes from feeding too much protein and also leaving food available 24 hrs. a day. Both will cause rapid growth/weight gain, too rapid for the leg bones which are still a bit soft and piable. We cured it in all 5 of ours, but it is a commitment, they had to have their legs taped overnight, every night for 4 weeks straight. Lower your protein if it's over 18%, add vitamins to the water if you are not already, remove all food from dusk until dawn. Legs need to be taped for 12 hrs. on and 12 hrs. off, we did it overnight. the best method I found was cutting a wedge out of a foam mattress topper to put between the legs to cushion the hocks and keep them from rubbing against each other and causing sores. Then use vet wrap to tape legs from just above the feet to just under the hocks. wide end of the foam wedge goes between the hocks so the feet should end up very close together and the hocks will be a little farther apart. The theory on this technique as explained to me is that the chick will struggle against the taping and will be putting torque on the bones in the opposite direction as standing does, this will help keep them from twisting farther.

Twisted tibia usually shows up from 3-6 weeks of age, it almost always affects only 1 leg, and there are usually no external sores and the tendon is in place, there is usually swelling in the hock of the affected leg.


After 4 weeks of taping the same chick's legs were very straight.


I do not believe this is hereditary, after changing the way I feed them by mimicking a hen and removing feed from dusk to dawn, we have had no further cases of TT. We continue to feed the 18% chick starter and they seem to do just fine on it even the spaldings.

 

[Peafowlssssssss]

That is twisted tibia, I caused the same same thing in 5 of my first chicks from 2013. I believe it comes from feeding too much protein and also leaving food available 24 hrs. a day. Both will cause rapid growth/weight gain, too rapid for the leg bones which are still a bit soft and piable. We cured it in all 5 of ours, but it is a commitment, they had to have their legs taped overnight, every night for 4 weeks straight. Lower your protein if it's over 18%, add vitamins to the water if you are not already, remove all food from dusk until dawn. Legs need to be taped for 12 hrs. on and 12 hrs. off, we did it overnight. the best method I found was cutting a wedge out of a foam mattress topper to put between the legs to cushion the hocks and keep them from rubbing against each other and causing sores. Then use vet wrap to tape legs from just above the feet to just under the hocks. wide end of the foam wedge goes between the hocks so the feet should end up very close together and the hocks will be a little farther apart. The theory on this technique as explained to me is that the chick will struggle against the taping and will be putting torque on the bones in the opposite direction as standing does, this will help keep them from twisting farther.

Twisted tibia usually shows up from 3-6 weeks of age, it almost always affects only 1 leg, and there are usually no external sores and the tendon is in place, there is usually swelling in the hock of the affected leg.


After 4 weeks of taping the same chick's legs were very straight.


I do not believe this is hereditary, after changing the way I feed them by mimicking a hen and removing feed from dusk to dawn, we have had no further cases of TT. We continue to feed the 18% chick starter and they seem to do just fine on it even the spaldings.

WOW! Thank you so much for these tips, its really helpful, I was almost going to give up on them, but now I will try to fix them again. I will lower the protein and give them vitamins tonight, should i give them vitamins every day? Also is it okay if I taped them the whole day? I will put them in a small brooder so they can easily reach food and water even if they were taped, or this will hurt them? Thanks again and Sorry for these many questions

 

[DylansMom]

WOW! Thank you so much for these tips, its really helpful, I was almost going to give up on them, but now I will try to fix them again. I will lower the protein and give them vitamins tonight, should i give them vitamins every day? Also is it okay if I taped them the whole day? I will put them in a small brooder so they can easily reach food and water even if they were taped, or this will hurt them? Thanks again and Sorry for these many questions

You could leave them taped for more than 12 hrs. but I would not do it for 24 hrs a day. You would probably end up with some sores from the taping, and believe me, your chicks will be very unhappy with being taped, allowing them to have freedom and be with the unaffected chicks will keep them happier. They cannot walk while taped they will fly and hop, but they cannot walk and I think 24 hrs like this would have a neg. affect on them. I saw no improvement in mine until the middle of the third week of taping. But I could see that it was not getting worse, if left untreated the leg will rotate until it is pointed backwards and they cannot walk at all. We had it happen to a guinea chick before I knew about the taping and she was crippled completely, we were going to put her down, but the neighbors chickens did it for us.

I used "Poultry Pack" vitamins and mixed into the water everyday for a week and then one day a week after that.