First Egg Of The Season - - Anyone Else Get One?

[PeepsCA]

Hi all, I'm finally collecting my first Peafowl eggs, EVER!

I just have IBs (an almost 3 yr old Peacock, an older Peahen of unknown age and 2 younger Peahens that just turned 2 yrs old) but as of April 24th I have now collected 9 eggs from the older Peahen (sometimes it's 2 days between eggs, sometimes it is 3 days... and she lays at night). The older Peahen will not let the younger Hens near her boytoy tho, lol so I may not see fertile eggs from the other 2 girls this season, but we shall see. They have not started laying yet and just walk away from the peacock when he displays for them, (if the old biddy Peahen doesn't chase them off), lol.

So far the first 6 Pea eggs I've set are fertile and developing

, and I just set the most recent 3 eggs from her last night (was hoping for 4, but she's making me squirm). This is my first year for hatching eggs from my own Peas and I am anxious like you would not believe, lol. I have them in a brand new Dickey, sitting in Turkey egg trays... I am not doing any extra turning (should I be?) other than moving the trays to different turner racks (switching between top, middle and bottom racks), and I've been sliding the opposite ends of the trays in as I put them back in after I've pulled the trays out to candle and add more Turkey and Guinea eggs each week (so the eggs that were closest to the door are then closest to the back of the incubator, or vice versa).

I have my RH a little on the dry side for the 50-60 Turkey eggs I've been setting (it varies thru the day between 38%-42%), so I am hoping the Pea eggs will do ok with this RH too (from what I've been reading that is a little on the low side, but so far it's working out great for my Turkey eggs). The Pea eggs look perfect... as far as growth/development and air cell size goes, so I am hoping they just keep doing what they need to be doing.

I have the first batch of Turkey and Guinea eggs that I incubated in the new Dickey hatching in an older GQF hatcher right now, and they seem to be right on time and are hatching fine at 98.8ish degrees and around 72-75% RH. Took me a while but I finally have both units "dialed in"... so I am hoping I don't have to change anything and this will all work fine for the Pea eggs too. Does everybody incubate their Pea eggs with their RH closer to 50%?

May 21st will be 26 days for my first 2 Pea eggs, and that was when I had planned on moving them to the hatcher, IF I see slanted air cells and internal pipping...

Am I way off base here, or should this work ok for Pea eggs?

 

[zazouse]

 

[frenchblackcopper]

Got my first Charcoal egg tonight. But I only started the increased protein feed ration for them a week ago.PeepsCA, I'd get the egg moved on the 24th day,as many pea eggs don't take 28 days to hattch

 

[PeepsCA]

PeepsCA, I'd get the egg moved on the 24th day,as many pea eggs don't take 28 days to hattch

Thanks for the tip FBC.... day 24 for my first 2 eggs will be Sunday PM, so I'll candle them Sat PM and see how they look. I've hatched a lot of eggs (thousands -Guinea, Turkey, Quail, Silkies... just no Peafowl eggs yet) and I'm kind of hard-wired to only lock eggs down when their air cells have slanted and I see internal pips these tho. So it'll be somewhat of an internal struggle for me to lock the Peafowl eggs down on day 24 if they do not look ready to me, lol.

I have 4 more eggs due a week later, so if I botch these first 2 eggs I will take your advice.

 

[zazouse]

Thanks for the tip FBC.... day 24 for my first 2 eggs will be Sunday PM, so I'll candle them Sat PM and see how they look. I've hatched a lot of eggs (thousands -Guinea, Turkey, Quail, Silkies... just no Peafowl eggs yet) and I'm kind of hard-wired to only lock eggs down when their air cells have slanted and I see internal pips these tho. So it'll be somewhat of an internal struggle for me to lock the Peafowl eggs down on day 24 if they do not look ready to me, lol.

I have 4 more eggs due a week later, so if I botch these first 2 eggs I will take your advice.

Go with what you know it works for me. good to see ya here ,don't be such a stranger

 

[casportpony]

This may sound like a stupid question, but how do hens know when to stop turning eggs?

 

[birdeo]

This may sound like a stupid question, but how do hens know when to stop turning eggs?

my thoughts are when they hear them start peeping in those shells then they get real careful and try not to disturb those eggs much, other than keeping them covered and warm.

 

[casportpony]

That makes sense, otherwise one might not get very good hatch rates if a hen stopped turning after x number of days.

 

[PeepsCA]

Quote: Thanks Zaz

. I had sort of lost touch with all the Peafowl threads I had been chiming in on after Deerman passed (still makes me so sad when I am searching for Peafowl info and I run across one of his old posts

) ... plus my 2 yr old Peacock had lost his train early, so no eggs last season at all. This season my boy is doin' his thing tho. I sure hope I can hatch some babies! At least I get more than one try... so I am hoping I hatch a few at least. All of them would be nice, but I don't want to set my hopes too high, lol.

BTW, I checked out your pics on the Show off your Peas thread, WOW... I am so jealous!!! (Of all your birds and your beautiful land!).

 

[PeepsCA]

Look what hatched for me this AM

... Which is technically only day 26 1/2... I just put these 2 eggs into lockdown yesterday afternoon when I had noticed one egg was pipped externally and when I candled I could see the other egg had pipped internally.


Interesting feathers on this little Peachick considering that both parents are assumed to be pure IBs, but obviously not, lol

His buddy in the other Peafowl egg behind him is taking it's time. It's been pipped like that since about 7:30AM (it's almost noon now)... I can see that it's breathing but it has not spun in the egg at all or started zipping

There are Turkey poults that have been zipping and hatching like popcorn right behind these guys, further back in the tray.. and the humidity is 78%ish.