Broody hen on peacock eggs - Update on peacock eggs

[ruth]

One of my EEs went broody two days ago and for last two nights I've waited till dark, put a towel over her, and carried her back to coop (from barn where her nest of unfertile eggs are). Each morning she's run back to barn and sat there daring anyone to come near.

Today I passed by a place that has signs out advertising baby chicks, ducks, peacocks, rabbits, etc.

I stopped and asked him about fertile chick eggs thinking I would get two or three and put under Ms. Broody but he said he no longer kept chickens.

I then asked him about the baby peacocks he had told me months ago he would have in spring and he said he wasn't going to hatch any this spring because he was going to be gone for the summer and was tired of dealing with them and that at one time he had 2,800 peacocks and was selling them off.

Then I told him about my broody hen that's sitting on blanks and he said "just a minute" - turned around and handed me a box with 6 peacock eggs in it and said "here ya go". Wouldn't let me pay for them or anything. Then he showed me the pens of peacocks and there were eggs everywhere. He said he didn't feel like gathering them and only one female was broody and sitting on a nest. I guess I could have gotten lots of eggs but I was thrilled with the 6 he gave me. Said he didn't know which ones laid them - the blues, white, pieds, etc.

So I've put two under Ms. Broody - won't it be funny if she hatches two peachicks and runs around the farm with them - talk about "The Ugly Duckling". I put the other four in bator that my 6 ducks just hatched in at 1:30 this morning.

Anyone have any thoughts on letting Ms. Broody hatch peachicks? I'm also thinking of ordering fertile eggs if someone has some ready to go out. But I think it would be a hoot if they hatch and follow her around.

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Edited to add note that Ms. Broody was killed (see page 3) but there is an update on peacock eggs on page 5.

 

[beefy]

you need help Ruth, you need help.

(can you get more free peafowl eggs?)

 

[ruth]

Quote:
I know, I know. I'm thinking of doing my own intervention.

I've had chick eggs and/or duck eggs in bator almost continually for last two months and now have gone from my original 13 chickens to 47 chickens and 12 ducks. Now peacock eggs. HELP!!!!!

But wouldn't you know she'd wait till last egg hatches and then go broody. Maybe seeing all those babies running around coop made her get in the mood.

Irony is I originally ordered hatching eggs because I thought Ruth was going broody but she didn't and I had to hatch them in bator. Now I have a truly broody hen and no eggs to put under her except the really large peacock eggs.

And yes, I think if I went back he might let me clean out the cages and collect all the eggs - especially this summer if he's going to be gone. I could tell him I could sell them on this site and split the money with him. It's a shame to let them go to waste. Hey, another business to operate - yippee.

 

[beefy]

dibs on the blues and greens!

 

[speckledhen]

oh, my, how nice for you!

 

[EweSheep]

We went to the zoo yesterday and talked with the manager at the zoo and he said he gets alot of requests for hatching eggs and peachicks lately and the peacocks at the zoo are not laying yet.

They were beautiful birds!

 

[silkieluvr]

How lucky for you!

 

[Flufnstuffs~FluffySilkies]

Hi Ruth,
I let a silkie of mine hatch a lone peacock egg. She did wonderful and was a great momma as usual
Very cuddly and attentive BUT at ten days old we had a sudden problem She decieded She did not have to sit on him as much and the peachick chilled and died. I think because the chick got so much bigger than a silkie chick "FASTER" she gave up on him to soon.

I felt so bad. I was in the coop and heard him cheaping and saw him following her around but she kept walking around scratching & Stuff, I did not realize he was in distress I just though they talked alot.
"I WAS ONLY USED TO SILKIE CHICKS" It was not long and I heard no more cheaping and I continued my work, When I was finished I decieded to take another peek at him because he was SO CUTE, and thats when I spotted him all streched out and barely breathing, I grabbed him he was freezing cold, and I ran for the house flipped the heat up high and plugged in a heat lamp and held him under it BUT I was to late he died in my hands. I felt so bad, It was my fault.

I cried alot.

Good Luck with yours but be extra careful

I wish I had a heat lamp in that pen and maybe he would have gotten under it and been OK

 

[Lunachick]

Boy Ruth, you got the most interesting things going on in your yard! Good luck with the peacock peeps.

Fluffnstuff - How tragic, I was wondering what a baby peacock looked like. How sad for you.

 

[ruth]

Flufnstuff - that is a sad ending to such a sweet story. I've ordered a few Ameraucana eggs to put under her also. I may take the peacock eggs back and put them in bator but I may still wait and see what happens. For all I know she won't continue to sit - though she did all night and is still there this morning. I knew I would have to watch once they hatched to see what kind of mama she would be because the peachicks will outgrow her quickly. However, it is warming up here and will be really hot by time the chicks hatch and our coop also has heat, lights, electricity so I'll be sure and keep a close watch on any babies that the mama hens are trying to raise.

Thanks for sharing the sweet story. I'll watch them closely. That picture is priceless.