free ranging peafowl... no eggs? update: she has a nest and is broody!

[KWAK]

mine are IB
znd even when they arelocked up... no eggs

 

[ColbyNTX]

Other things to think about is the condition of the birds. Have they been dewormed regullary? What is their diet? Ary they on a good 20% layer diet? Is the cock breeding them? Peas usually lay in the evening, are they penned in the evening? Remeber that if they only lay 1 clutch, it may have been only 3-5 eggs somewhere in the woods and then no more.

 

[KWAK]

both are healthy. he displays but hasnt bred with her

 

[Kedreeva]

Then the other question is- are you sure they are both 4 and not 2 or very old? I second the questions Colby asked- they can be perfectly healthy birds but if they aren't on the right diets for breeding, they may not. If your weather has been too hot, they perhaps haven't laid because of that (I don't know if peafowl stop when it gets too hot, but I know the chickens certainly protest the indignity by not laying). It's possibly too that they just don't like any of the potential nest sites around... it would be unusual, but not impossible. I have a group of polish hens that if I pen them up, they Will Not lay, with capital letters and everything, because they don't like the nesting boxes and are very mad everyone else gets to be outside laying wherever they want.

 

[KWAK]

the hen had chicks last year when i bought her. how could i tell if they are old?

 

[KWAK]

I was wrong... SHE WENT BROODY ON A NEST! but i cant find it lol... she plucked her belly and dissappeared. at first i thought she died but 3 days later she came back for like 20 min and ate...

 

[xlboergoats]

Glad to hear that all is well. I hope that she hatches a nice set of peachicks for you.

Ernie Haire
Arp, Texas

 

[Glenmar]

Watch for her, then follow to the nest. Good luck. My free range hen had her eggs taken by a preditor. I have 1 egg in my incubator now that she layed a few weeks later.

 

[KWAK]

Quote:
I try fallowing her... SHE FLYS TO THE NEST WHEN I FALLOW! UGH! STUPID PEAHEN!!!!

 

[xlboergoats]

Many birds will fly back and forth to their nests. This should help keep preditors from being able to follow the scent trail that they would leave by walking back and forth to the nests. We had guineas and game chickens when I was growing up. One of my chores was to watch females that had stolen their nests and locate their nests. It was almost eaiser to find a nest by seeing a hen fly away from it than it was to follow her back to it.

Good Luck,
Ernie Haire
Arp, Texas