Help with Peafowl Eggs in Incubator

[SaberCreekRanch]

I am really new to this and have 4 peafowl eggs in the incubator, I put them in on May 17th. So far no pipping or anything. I did the float test on Saturday and all floated just enough up to indicate they are viable. How long do I wait? Not sure what to do but getting anxious!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I am really new to this and have 4 peafowl eggs in the incubator, I put them in on May 17th. So far no pipping or anything. I did the float test on Saturday and all floated just enough up to indicate they are viable. How long do I wait? Not sure what to do but getting anxious!

I had to do the Google thing to see how long Peafowl eggs require to hatch, the answer is 30 days. So I am confessing to you that I have never set or hatched out the first Peafowl egg. Thirty days is the normal incubation time for your eggs so if you set them on the 17th of last month then the 1st day of incubation will be 24 hours later on May 18. Today is June 23th. May 18 to May 31 is 13 days inclusive. Today is June 23rd. 13 days plus an additional 23 days is 36 days. By my calculations your eggs are 6 days over due. I guess that miracles can and do happen but I regret to inform you that I don't think that you can expect chicks. Think of this as a learning curve and not a failure. That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger, smarter, and better. There will be other eggs so try, try, again. May I suggest that with the next clutch that you keep a day by day journal looking at and recording every minute thing that you did or that you didn't do.

The purpose of water candling is to see if the soon to pip eggs wiggle and wobble in a bowl of 100 degree water, indicating a living moving chick trying to orient itself before pipping begins.

Eggs that just float but don't move, especially those that float big end up are supposed to be rotten eggs, at least that is how I remember it from my days at the fowl university of hard knocks. Welcome to Backyard Peafowl dot com. Hope to see many more of your posts.

 

[SaberCreekRanch]

Thank you so much. Should I open the eggs to see what is there or just toss them?

 

[RubyNala97]

Thank you so much. Should I open the eggs to see what is there or just toss them?

If you're comfortable with opening them then I would. You can see how far along the chicks developed before dying. Also under forums there is a section for peafowl. The folks over there are very knowledgable about incubating peafowl eggs. I am currently incubating them myself. If you ever want to compare notes, PM me!

 

[SaberCreekRanch]

What's the best way to open them? Sorry if that is a dumb question.

 

[RubyNala97]

What's the best way to open them? Sorry if that is a dumb question.

100% NOT a dumb question!! I use a screw or nail but you can use anything sharp and make a small whole into the air cell. Then look for the inner membrane. I moisten it with a qtip just to be totally sure that the chick is dead. Then pull away more egg shell untill the whole air cell is uncovered. You can tell at that point if there will be fluid under the membrane. I use a ziplock bag to open the membrane over. It's easier for clean up. Rip open the membrane and see whats inside. If its a full chick, pull it out and see what position it's in. See if it still has the yoke sac on the outside, if it tucked its head under the wing, if it's too wet or too dry, etc. it's like an autopsy so you want to get as much info as to what went wrong. I take pics to help me remember and ask questions if I need too. Good luck! Update and let me know how it went!!