Incubating peafowl

[FeatheredFreind]

FeatheredFreind,,that decision is up to you.If you've had your bator a long time and never had any probles with it maintaining correct temps,why temp fate with a broody? In my opinion which isn't worth 2cents,,the best broody I have ever witnessed year after year was the old White Rock breed.My grandmother had 200 laying leghorns for decades and each year she would go to our neighbors and borrow 4-5 broody White Rock hens. They were then brought home,straw was placed inside a clothes basket,30 eggs was put in the nest,then the hen with a piece of plywood and a brick on top.21 days later 30 chicks was hatching just like clockwork and once the hens and chicks was removed from the clothes basket,noone better get within 25 feet of those chicks.I wonder if that breed of chicken is still available and not from hatcheries? Sorry to get off topic,but if your bator has proven reliable,stick with it.

It hasn't. It gets a lot of birds to full term but then they die most before they even pip. This is the first time using it with a fan. The temp has been steady this time.

 

[Heidisgran]

let me know! I'm getting nervous for my peababies

 

[Yoda]

Your type of incubator scares me,,they are known for heat spikes,,some have great luck with them tho

Frenchy they are not that bad LOL I use Hovabators and have no issues. You just want to brag about your big'ole incubator you bought LOL!

So what do you think? Leave them in the incubator or put them under a broody?

The question is what is your humidity level in the incubator? Having a fan increases your hatch rate because without one you have to wait for the heat to work it's way back down to the eggs. Remember heat rises and the fan brings it back down on the eggs. So if your humidity is above 50% you shouldn't have any problems. If you move the eggs to the hen and they do not hatch cause they were out of the incubator too long then what? Either way they will hatch or they will not it's 50/50. Here is my setup in a hovabator I found that 5 juice glasses or 6 square shot glasses (available at walmart) gives the perfect humidity in my set ups. Also where do you keep your incubator? Mine is in the basement where it is slightly cool but not hot. I don't want to put it in the house cause the air conditioning is on and that will throw off the temp.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

Yoda,,I used to brag about the Brinsea I traded,,the Humidaire requires manual turning(It will rotate 45 degree in either direction but if the trays are not full I have to block eggs from rolling) so I spend 1/2 hr twice each day moving eggs.Looks like yours holds maybe 20 peafowl eggs? I'd need 15 of them to hold my eggs,,,get dizzy checking-setting all them,,then hoping all stayed as set,my Humidaire is just 1 big headache to watch but I've got her dialed in to 100.4 degrees,,that's right at 100 degrees on both mercury thermometers thats installed in it.It has a wafer thermostat,,my new hatcher contraption is all digital,+- 2 degrees accuracy and I have it set on 102 degrees to have two Springfield thermometers read 99.6-100 degrees.New technology seems off some.

 

[FeatheredFreind]

I am going to take my chances with the incubator. Fingers crossed.

 

[FeatheredFreind]

Thanks for the advise.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Hatched another one under the Silkie hens and have more pipping! I have eggs stuck under every broody hen on the farm.

 

[Yoda]

Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glad to see healthy hatches

Just keep an eye on the broody hens cause if they leave the nest an quit you can run the egg to the incubator or to another broody hen

Chick 13 I have decided that if you cannot buy her she will remain her and not be for sale this way I can post updates as to how she developes for you. You can even name her

 

[bandbaustin]

I would use broodie as opposed to a little giant. I could never get one to hatch in one so I switched to a redwood incubator.

 

[casportpony]

Hatched another one under the Silkie hens and have more pipping! I have eggs stuck under every broody hen on the farm.

Congrats, very cute!

-Kathy