Got my first egg!!

[C&Rman]

I went out earlier and my hen was pacing back and fourth and the male has been displaying his tail all day long. I just checked on them and she laid an egg in the pen.

Will she sit on it? I don't wanna take it from her because I don't have an incubator so that'd be pointless. Also, she laid it in the middle back section. I gave her multiple nesting options to choose from but she just carved her own spot in the dirt and rocks right in the middle by the back wall. Do you guys think she'll sit? Thank you.

 

[MinxFox]

For me, my peahens will lay a few eggs randomly around the pen and not sit on them (these are decoy eggs, they might be fertile but they are to distract predators from where the real nest will be). Then the peahen will start laying eggs all in one location and that is when she is making a real nest. They don't sit on the egg until they have a full clutch which could be around 2-6 eggs. I have had them sit on only two eggs but normally it will be more than two.

What I would do now that you have an egg is wait until she lays another egg. If she lays it right next to this egg, chances are she wants to make this a real nest. If she lays it somewhere else you might as well go ahead and pick up the first egg and eat it or something because she will not use it for her nest. Once she starts laying all in the same place leave the eggs alone and she will take care of them. Once she has all her eggs layed she will sit on them.

If you know of someone who has an incubator they could incubate the eggs for you. Peahens make great hatchers and mothers just be sure once the chicks are hatched you have shallow water dishes so that they don't drown.

 

[C&Rman]

Ok, thank you MinxFox that's a relief. She has many good options to lay her egg but for some reason she choose there. So knowing that could potentially be a decoy egg is good. I'll let nature take its course. I'm just amazed she laid an egg because I just got her exactly a week ago.

 

[BlessedCountry6]

Congratulations!! I can't wait to get an egg from my chickens!! I couldn't imagine the joy of getting one from a peahen! Nice work! I hope she is sitting on her nest soon! Peahens are very interesting!!

 

[SunBaked]

Hey C&Rman! Good to see you. Grats on your egg! Hopefully she will sit. I've noticed almost all my peahens like to sit if I don't pick up the eggs. Sometimes I will get 2 sitting on the same bunch of eggs. When they hatched a few of the chicks went with each mom, it was pretty cute to see the moms trying to steal each others chicks the first few days until they sorted it out.

 

[MinxFox]

Sometimes they don't use the nest boxes or nesting areas you provide them. My peahens have nested in just corners or under plants in the pen. There has been only once that one has nested in an actual nesting box made for them. Sometimes they nest in dog boxes as I have one this year that has been laying in a dog box. I am not hatching this year so I have been taking all their eggs so I can't say where they are nesting for real this year, but they have found some pretty good hiding places.

 

[C&Rman]

Sunbaked, that must have been quite the show, how cute that would have been to see! Thank you for the encouragement!

MinxFox, I know those stubborn birds. I'm so used to chickens laying in the same nest box that I figured the peas would too. Lol, thank you for the help, its been almost a year since I've had peacocks and I'm getting my wits about them again.

 

[casportpony]

You ould also sell her eggs if she doesn't sit on them.

-Kathy

 

[SunBaked]

Or maybe if you or a friend have any broody birds of some sort you could hatch them that way.

 

[C&Rman]

Well she has been sitting on the eggs since yesterday. The last time I saw the nest there was three eggs under her but she could have laid another. I'm so happy hopefully her eggs are fertile!!