2015 Peafowl Hatching Support Group - Eggs and Chicks!

[MinxFox]

Since it is dark now maybe try and pull eggs out and hold them to a light to see if there is anything inside and to see if there is a chick in there moving and possibly making noise.

When I used to let my hens hatch their own eggs they never had an egg under them that didn't hatch. Maybe the one that has already hatched is just a little early. If you are really concerned I would candle them.

 

[msmolly]

Since it is dark now maybe try and pull eggs out and hold them to a light to see if there is anything inside and to see if there is a chick in there moving and possibly making noise.

When I used to let my hens hatch their own eggs they never had an egg under them that didn't hatch. Maybe the one that has already hatched is just a little early. If you are really concerned I would candle them.

How careful do I need to be with them at this stage. Do I handle them, keeping the air cell up? Scared to death to handle the eggs and turn them the wrong way...will I kill the chick? This is why I let the Hen do it. Advise on how best to handle them.... please?

 

[Birdrain92]

How careful do I need to be with them at this stage. Do I handle them, keeping the air cell up? Scared to death to handle the eggs and turn them the wrong way...will I kill the chick? This is why I let the Hen do it. Advise on how best to handle them.... please?

The only bird I've seen incubate their own clutch so far is my duck Kida. She stayed on her nest for 24 hours one year and she would even brake open the bad eggs by rolling them out and then she would break them open with her bill and eat the egg shells and yolk. Last year she had 11 though it was 6 eggs for 2 weeks and then she layed 5 for some weird reason. She stayed on the until the 6 eggs hatched and then ditched the 5. I think hens know when their eggs go bad or not worth the time and abandon them.

 

[MinxFox]

How careful do I need to be with them at this stage. Do I handle them, keeping the air cell up? Scared to death to handle the eggs and turn them the wrong way...will I kill the chick? This is why I let the Hen do it. Advise on how best to handle them.... please?

I always hold the egg exactly how it was under the hen. So if it was sideways with say a brown speckle facing up, I keep it that way and move it slowly and carefully. If there is still a live peachick inside you don't want to shift it too much because by now it is probably in the correct hatching position unless if it is malpositioned. Personally, I like having the peahens hatch their own eggs because I worry when I am the one incubating them. Of course I can no longer let them do so because of raccoon issues I have had and I think it will take a loooong time for me to trust letting a peahen sit on a nest in the pen and be safe because the last hen I let sit on her own eggs she was killed by raccoons - in the pen. What I like about having the peahens hatch their own eggs is it is their problem. I don't worry at all. In the wild that is how it works is some eggs hatch and some don't and the strongest peachicks are the ones that are able to hatch and survive to adulthood and those that can't hatch just don't make it. I did have a peahen's peachick hatch with very bad crooked toes. It took me forever to figure out how the peahen hatched all three eggs but I only saw two peachicks. Finally we found the third still wet and struggling to move. We took it home and after almost all day of wearing shoes the peachick's toes were fixed and at night we slipped it under the peahen and the next day we couldn't tell which chick was the one we helped. I personally would leave it alone because I personally agree with Birdrain's statement that I quoted bellow:
Quote:

I think hens know when their eggs go bad or not worth the time and abandon them.

That is just my opinion and also of all the times I let my peahens hatch peachicks they hatched every single egg underneath them so I never really had a problem with un-hatched eggs. I did have a few times when the peahen would accidently break an egg and then abandon the nest, but that was usually early in the incubation.

My pen doesn't have small fencing around the border and the first year I had a peahen hatch her own peachicks all 3 peachicks survived to adulthood and they all stayed inside the pen. In the next years every single group of peachicks would not stay in the pen and some would venture out and get eaten by who knows what. One year Ice and Damsel had around 6 peachicks each and by the end of the year Ice and Damsel had one peachick each - both ended up being males. The thing I noticed is that the peachicks that survived were the ones that always stuck close to their mom and stayed in her shadow rather than wandering off with their brothers and sisters.

When the peahens are hatching eggs I just leave things be and relax. The only thing I worry about is if the peachicks are getting enough small food without competing with the other adult peafowl in the pen.

 

[msmolly]

Its been 0ver 24 hours- since the first egg hatched. The Hen starts scrambling around when I try to take an egg and they get kicked all over by her. I don't think there will be the possibility of "carefully" handling the egg- by the time I wrestle her for it. I may just have to tap it open. Seems odd that just one chick hatched. Never had this happen before. The one chick seemed to be fading a little, so I offered a little wet food and she took it. I'm anxious because the longer she sits on those eggs, the longer that chick goes without food or water.

 

[Peafowlssssssss]

Its been 0ver 24 hours- since the first egg hatched. The Hen starts scrambling around when I try to take an egg and they get kicked all over by her. I don't think there will be the possibility of "carefully" handling the egg- by the time I wrestle her for it. I may just have to tap it open. Seems odd that just one chick hatched. Never had this happen before. The one chick seemed to be fading a little, so I offered a little wet food and she took it. I'm anxious because the longer she sits on those eggs, the longer that chick goes without food or water.

Don't worry, they can stay without food and water for 48 hours after hatching.

 

[Birdrain92]

Quit messing with her. Messing with the hen can cause more problems. Just check on her from time to time.

 

[msmolly]

Well, I did it. Took an egg, tapped it- and sure enough- totally undeveloped- nothing. The other eggs were the same. Really did not expect that. She's hatched 6 out of 6 eggs 2 years in a row.
Could it have been too early in the season, or too cold? One year she hatched 6 chicks and it was miserable cold, rainy weather for weeks- and they all did great. Hmmmm

So little chick is an only child. Which actually might work out, as I was planning on keeping one this year. Hope its a hen.

 

[msmolly]

I always hold the egg exactly how it was under the hen. So if it was sideways with say a brown speckle facing up, I keep it that way and move it slowly and carefully. If there is still a live peachick inside you don't want to shift it too much because by now it is probably in the correct hatching position unless if it is malpositioned. Personally, I like having the peahens hatch their own eggs because I worry when I am the one incubating them. Of course I can no longer let them do so because of raccoon issues I have had and I think it will take a loooong time for me to trust letting a peahen sit on a nest in the pen and be safe because the last hen I let sit on her own eggs she was killed by raccoons - in the pen. What I like about having the peahens hatch their own eggs is it is their problem. I don't worry at all. In the wild that is how it works is some eggs hatch and some don't and the strongest peachicks are the ones that are able to hatch and survive to adulthood and those that can't hatch just don't make it. I did have a peahen's peachick hatch with very bad crooked toes. It took me forever to figure out how the peahen hatched all three eggs but I only saw two peachicks. Finally we found the third still wet and struggling to move. We took it home and after almost all day of wearing shoes the peachick's toes were fixed and at night we slipped it under the peahen and the next day we couldn't tell which chick was the one we helped. I personally would leave it alone because I personally agree with Birdrain's statement that I quoted bellow:
Quote:
That is just my opinion and also of all the times I let my peahens hatch peachicks they hatched every single egg underneath them so I never really had a problem with un-hatched eggs. I did have a few times when the peahen would accidently break an egg and then abandon the nest, but that was usually early in the incubation.

My pen doesn't have small fencing around the border and the first year I had a peahen hatch her own peachicks all 3 peachicks survived to adulthood and they all stayed inside the pen. In the next years every single group of peachicks would not stay in the pen and some would venture out and get eaten by who knows what. One year Ice and Damsel had around 6 peachicks each and by the end of the year Ice and Damsel had one peachick each - both ended up being males. The thing I noticed is that the peachicks that survived were the ones that always stuck close to their mom and stayed in her shadow rather than wandering off with their brothers and sisters.

When the peahens are hatching eggs I just leave things be and relax. The only thing I worry about is if the peachicks are getting enough small food without competing with the other adult peafowl in the pen.

Don't worry, they can stay without food and water for 48 hours after hatching.

Thanks Q8- good to know- but its been so cold here- she seemed to be fading a bit, offered food and she took it. In the past, the mother had it all taken care of- so I never had to think about it.

 

[MinxFox]

Huh well at least now you know and don't have to help out any peachicks! I think the peachick will do well. I think it is harder raising one hand raised peachick but since the peahens can communicate with the peachicks better and look after them more than a human can it should go well.

Today has been a weird day for me. I was at home and I got a phone call and saw that it was AugeredIn calling. I wasn't expecting that so I answered the phone and he told me he had a 3 day old Indo-Chinese green peachick that hatched while he was gone for a few days and it has curled toes. He said he wasn't able to fix the toes because he was going off again and so he was asking me if I wanted the peachick. So it wasn't long before I met him in a Wal-Mart parking lot and got my very first green peafowl! The peachick is doing well. It is in peachick shoes. It still needs to hold its left foot more flat but we will continue to work with it and hopefully as the chick walks it will help correct the foot. Right now it is in my Mom's shirt sleeping. I will post pictures later.

Oh and the peachick drank some water and had a bit of food too.

I am REALLY happy! Thanks AugeredIn!

This was a really un-expected kind of event. Although that is sort of how I got into peafowl in the first place.