Incubating Peafowl Eggs...

[casportpony]

Hello, we have 3 peahens that are 2 years old and should be ready to start laying. This is our first time trying to incubate peacock eggs. Does anyone know what the incubation period, temp, and humidity levels should be when trying to incubate the eggs?

Be Careful----People will make fun of you----a Peacock is a Male and does not lay eggs----LOL. Peafowl eggs usually take 28 to 30 days in the incubator and incubate at the same as chickens, that's what I do and I had a 100% hatch on the last ones.

Mine usually hatch in 26-27 days whether in an incubator or under a hen.

 

[casportpony]

You'll get different answers on this one since everybody has their pet methods. I do 100 degrees farenheit with 60% humidity until the last three days when I raise humidity to 70%

What type of incubator do you use?

 

[PD-Riverman]

Mine usually hatch in 26-27 days whether in an incubator or under a hen.

I do remember that now---mine did too---but where I just looked it up---said 28 to 30 days. Should have looked at my notes.

 

[casportpony]

Quote:

No worries...

 

[casportpony]

@PD-Riverman
I would like to know how I can improve. I can get 100% with chicken eggs, even when I try to kill them, but the best I ever did was 6 out of 10 pea eggs. One was clear, one blood ring, and two died in the last two days.

Quote:Edited by Staff

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Hello, we have 3 peahens that are 2 years old and should be ready to start laying. This is our first time trying to incubate peacock eggs. Does anyone know what the incubation period, temp, and humidity levels should be when trying to incubate the eggs?

So exciting. I am looking to do peahen eggs this spring for the first time, so I'm curious to see the advice you get.


I have a question to those with experience that say they use a higher humidity 50% or more for the peafowl. When you do chickens do you run that range or do you find the pea hens need a higher humidity than chickens?

 

[casportpony]

Quote: Do you weigh your eggs, or do you watch the air cell? I found that any of mine that lost less than 13% were what I call "juicy".

 

[casportpony]

Quote: I was really quite surprised when I heard peeping at day 24.

 

[KsKingBee]

So exciting. I am looking to do peahen eggs this spring for the first time, so I'm curious to see the advice you get.


I have a question to those with experience that say they use a higher humidity 50% or more for the peafowl. When you do chickens do you run that range or do you find the pea hens need a higher humidity than chickens?

Pea eggs are so totally different. The shells on chickens gets thin and brittle at hatch time, pea eggs don't. Peas need to loose 10 to 15% weight before hatching. Running too high of humidity the chick will be big and fill the air cell, this will keep the chick from having enough room in the shell to be able to swing the head to break out. If the egg has not lost enough moisture there can be liquid in the shell and the chick can drown. Too dry in the hatcher the chick will dry out too soon and get stuck and if too wet the chick is 'sticky' and can get stuck. The main reason I like my Brinsea as it has a humidity pump and will keep the incubator at a very precise percentage.



There is a lot of balance you have to find and your location may be very different than mine so you will just have to experiment and find what works best for you.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Do you weigh your eggs, or do you watch the air cell? I found that any of mine that lost less than 13% were what I call "juicy". 

I go by air cells.