First egg not fertile, could the others be

[NatureGirl74]

The first egg my peahen laid didn't have a bullseye in it. She's laid 3 other eggs and hasn't laid for a few days. If the first egg wasn't fertile could the rest of the clutch be fertile?

 

[nchls school]

Yes, they could be fertile if you have a peacock 3 years old or more. Younger than three, a male peacock may not be mature.

 

[NatureGirl74]

Yes, they could be fertile if you have a peacock 3 years old or more. Younger than three, a male peacock may not be mature.

Thanks. I have a 6 year old male. This is the third year the hen has laid eggs. The first year only 1 out of 14 eggs hatched, but they all had developed chicks inside. Last year she laid 22, but none of them hatched or developed.

I took her eggs the last two years and incubated them at 99 degrees. The humidity stayed at about 40-60%. Is there something I am doing wrong? I can't get these eggs to hatch. This year the hen seems a little more interested in the eggs, but if she doesn't sit on them tonight I'll have to take them because the temp is going to drop to the 30s.

 

[nchls school]

Thanks. I have a 6 year old male. This is the third year the hen has laid eggs. The first year only 1 out of 14 eggs hatched, but they all had developed chicks inside. Last year she laid 22, but none of them hatched or developed.

I took her eggs the last two years and incubated them at 99 degrees. The humidity stayed at about 40-60%. Is there something I am doing wrong? I can't get these eggs to hatch. This year the hen seems a little more interested in the eggs, but if she doesn't sit on them tonight I'll have to take them because the temp is going to drop to the 30s.

What crappy luck.

1. Is there any chance these birds are from inbreeding?

2. Try upping the temperature one degree. I've been using 38 C which equals 100.4 F.

3. Humidity is hard to control on many incubators. Have you tried assisted hatch? My last call duck hatch was 100 % assisted when the eggs failed to externally pip. Eleven of twelve ducklings survived and thrived.

4. What kind of peafowl? My two India blues peahens have been brooding tight for three weeks. My peacock died last winter so the peahens are incubating 14 turkey eggs between them. All 14 are developing. My peahens just, this month, turned two years old. They laid 12 eggs between them, before turning two.

5. Have you tried putting the eggs under broody chickens or turkeys or...?

 

[KsKingBee]

I agree with Nchols, the temp could be too low and the humidity too high. It takes a good incubator to hatch peaeggs.

 

[nchls school]

The first egg my peahen laid didn't have a bullseye in it. She's laid 3 other eggs and hasn't laid for a few days. If the first egg wasn't fertile could the rest of the clutch be fertile?

Have you checked their vents? It is fairly common for infertility problems to develop due to overgrown vent feathers or just debris sticking to the feathers around the vent; an easy fix.

 

[NatureGirl74]

What crappy luck.

1. Is there any chance these birds are from inbreeding?

2. Try upping the temperature one degree. I've been using 38 C which equals 100.4 F.

3. Humidity is hard to control on many incubators. Have you tried assisted hatch? My last call duck hatch was 100 % assisted when the eggs failed to externally pip. Eleven of twelve ducklings survived and thrived.

4. What kind of peafowl? My two India blues peahens have been brooding tight for three weeks. My peacock died last winter so the peahens are incubating 14 turkey eggs between them. All 14 are developing. My peahens just, this month, turned two years old. They laid 12 eggs between them, before turning two.

View attachment 3117312

5. Have you tried putting the eggs under broody chickens or turkeys or...?

These birds have the same parents, we got them from a friend who had too many and they were constantly fighting with each other.

Both are Indian Blues.

I have 1 broody hen, but she is currently sitting on eggs.

I agree with Nchols, the temp could be too low and the humidity too high. It takes a good incubator to hatch peaeggs.

That's the humidity with a dehumidifier running constantly and not adding any water. The humidity everywhere here is usually 80%.

Have you checked their vents? It is fairly common for infertility problems to develop due to overgrown vent feathers or just debris sticking to the feathers around the vent; an easy fix.

I checked them a few weeks ago and their vents were clean, but I can check again.

 

[nchls school]

These birds have the same parents, we got them from a friend who had too many and they were constantly fighting with each other.

Both are Indian Blues.

I have 1 broody hen, but she is currently sitting on eggs.


That's the humidity with a dehumidifier running constantly and not adding any water. The humidity everywhere here is usually 80%.


I checked them a few weeks ago and their vents were clean, but I can check again.

Inbreeding. Your best bet is to find someone to swap birds with. I would have been in the same predicament as my dead peacock was the brother to the peahens. I'm hoping to find a male as my peahens will nest again this year.

 

[NatureGirl74]

Inbreeding. Your best bet is to find someone to swap birds with. I would have been in the same predicament as my dead peacock was the brother to the peahens. I'm hoping to find a male as my peahens will nest again this year.

The hen has sat on the eggs for about a little over half of the day everyday since she laid her last egg. The chicken sits on the eggs almost all day. Are peafowl different? Does this mean she is broody?

 

[nchls school]

The hen has sat on the eggs for about a little over half of the day everyday since she laid her last egg. The chicken sits on the eggs almost all day. Are peafowl different?

No. My peahens brood as much as the other birds. I see them come off the nest once or twice a day for a short break.

Does this mean she is broody?

Likely she is broody, but not taking the job seriously. There is no chance the eggs will hatch if she continues; she should have stared brooding full time with the last egg laid; or the next day.