I think my chicks died in egg

[peafowlmom]

One was due yesterday another tomorrow. I candled them tonight and saw some dark spots, but I can't remember if they were there before. Also my peahen keeps laying her eggs in the dirt or sand. Not ever on any hay I put out. Any advice. The egg that I set on the 15th is still alive and I want to keep it that way, any help great. Carrie

 

[henney penny]

The dark spot is the baby chick

 

[MinxFox]

I was always very careful in candling peafowl eggs. I still haven't done it a ton so I try to be really careful with my decisions. Even if I think one is bad I leave it in the incubator and just smell it every day to make sure it isn't rotting. Eventually if it is way past the due date with no signs of life in candling I chunk it. Even when they are past the due date sometimes they won't really smell.

Be on the lookout for veins when you candle. When I candled Peep's egg I wasn't sure if I saw the veins in the egg but eventually they became evident and I could even see him moving around in the egg.

Peahens won't lay were you want them to. They won't use the nice nest box you build for them all the time and like mine they might just end up making their nest in the dirt. It is fine if they do that. Ice my peahen had better odds then I did last year. I hatched out only one chick, Peep. Ice hatched out all three of her eggs in the dirt.