Charcoal Peahen

[chicknmania]

Well so yes it was a peahen egg and it must have been hers.

 

[KsKingBee]

It certainly looks like a pea egg, did you find a bullseye on the yolk?

 

[chicknmania]

It certainly looks like a pea egg, did you find a bullseye on the yolk?

No, thank goodness, I didn't. We ate the egg, and yeah defintely a peahen egg.

 

[chicknmania]

So I'll let you know going forward if she goes broody. Gawd I hope not. I have enough broody problems with my IB hen, lol. Although it might be interesting to incubate any future eggs in an incubator just to see how the chick turns out.

 

[Midnightman14]

If it's laying it's not a charcoal. dozens if not hundreds have been bred and the few that are vigorous enough to stagger their way to adulthood have never laid even if you can side step the blindness, destructive inbreeding that plagues the color, and poor vigor. I'll believe it when I see it come out of the hen in good enough light that there is no doubt.

 

[chicknmania]

If it's laying it's not a charcoal. dozens if not hundreds have been bred and the few that are vigorous enough to stagger their way to adulthood have never laid even if you can side step the blindness, destructive inbreeding that plagues the color, and poor vigor. I'll believe it when I see it come out of the hen in good enough light that there is no doubt.

Nobody's asking if you believe it or not. I know she did. We only had two hens at the time, and our other hen was already setting and had been for a few weeks. She wouldn't get off her nest, go somewhere else, lay eggs and then abandon them to go back to her nest. I've had enough peahens, I know what peahen eggs look like. I bought our Charcoal hen from a reputable breeder that I trust. Yes, she is a Charcoal. Maybe it was a fluke, idk. She's never shown any interest in broodiness. She's always been a beautiful, healthy hen and we've had her for five years, since she was a young bird, so maybe you haven't been looking in the right places, if you're looking.

 

[Midnightman14]

Nobody's asking if you believe it or not. I know she did. We only had two hens at the time, and our other hen was already setting and had been for a few weeks. She wouldn't get off her nest, go somewhere else, lay eggs and then abandon them to go back to her nest. I've had enough peahens, I know what peahen eggs look like. I bought our Charcoal hen from a reputable breeder that I trust. Yes, she is a Charcoal. Maybe it was a fluke, idk. She's never shown any interest in broodiness. She's always been a beautiful, healthy hen and we've had her for five years, since she was a young bird, so maybe you haven't been looking in the right places, if you're looking.

Sounds like the other hen was the one laying and the charcoal was just along for the ride. Egg dumping is a big part of peafowl behavior and that is likely what happened. The charcoal hens' maternal instincts are intact they just don't lay. It's been almost 40 years since charcoal appeared and no one has been able to put up that they have hens that laid. Until irrefutable proof is presented it's all he said she said. One bigger breeder has claimed that spalding charcoals of high enough percentage can lay but again no proof and said breeder is not known for their honesty. Phil Phillips at one point had probably the highest percentage spalding charcoals in the US and all those years of breeding them never yielded a single fertile charcoal hen. I'm not holding my breath that it's going to change.

 

[chicknmania]

Sounds like the other hen was the one laying and the charcoal was just along for the ride. Egg dumping is a big part of peafowl behavior and that is likely what happened. The charcoal hens' maternal instincts are intact they just don't lay. It's been almost 40 years since charcoal appeared and no one has been able to put up that they have hens that laid. Until irrefutable proof is presented it's all he said she said. One bigger breeder has claimed that spalding charcoals of high enough percentage can lay but again no proof and said breeder is not known for their honesty. Phil Phillips at one point had probably the highest percentage spalding charcoals in the US and all those years of breeding them never yielded a single fertile charcoal hen. I'm not holding my breath that it's going to change.

You're entitled to your opinion i suppose. I was very familiar with my IB hen's habits and i knew her for ten years. I dont think those were her eggs. Anyway she was tragically killed ladt month in a dog attack so we will see what happens with my charcoal hen going forward as she is now the only hen i have and probably will be the only mature hen i have for a few years.

 

[Midnightman14]

You're entitled to your opinion i suppose. I was very familiar with my IB hen's habits and i knew her for ten years. I dont think those were her eggs. Anyway she was tragically killed ladt month in a dog attack so we will see what happens with my charcoal hen going forward as she is now the only hen i have and probably will be the only mature hen i have for a few years.

It's not an opinion it's fact based on 40 years of sterile charcoal hens. There is no reason to believe that they would start now. I will believe it when proof is presented and not a moment sooner. That's how science works.

 

[chicknmania]

It's not an opinion it's fact based on 40 years of sterile charcoal hens. There is no reason to believe that they would start now. I will believe it when proof is presented and not a moment sooner. That's how science works.

OK, I think you got your message across. I said we'll see.