Laying eggs already?

[red horse ranch]

I have a 1 year old peahen that just laid her 2nd egg today. I thought they had to be 2 years old before they started to lay eggs. Is this normal or was the rancher that I bought her from confused about her age. She was supposedly 5 months old when I got her last fall.

 

[Dany12]

It happen sometimes ! But I do not think they go as far as brooding!

 

[red horse ranch]

My peahen laid her 3rd egg Tuesday. Now she is brooding on it! I had taken the 1st 2 eggs. I checked one of them and it did not have a clear bullseye so I'm not sure the egg she is on is even fertile. Her and the male are only one year old. She refuses to get off the nest so I haven't been able to get the egg.
My hubby says to just let her brood. I think she's wasting her time. Not sure what to do.
It has taken months to make her half way tame and I hate to make her fear me again.

 

[KsKingBee]

I have three yearling hens that were hatched in Feb 2016 that laid fertile eggs this year. I don't know how many of them laid but they were with their mature cock/daddy of four or five years old and produced chicks.

 

[red horse ranch]

Thanks for the info. Good to know that yearlings will lay eggs that could be fertile. My male is just 13 months old tho so I don't know how effective he will be at breeding. I guess I'll find out. I will candle the egg in a couple weeks if I can get it away from her.

 

[KsKingBee]

Thanks for the info. Good to know that yearlings will lay eggs that could be fertile. My male is just 13 months old tho so I don't know how effective he will be at breeding. I guess I'll find out. I will candle the egg in a couple weeks if I can get it away from her.

Brad Legg once told me that as long as the cock has one eye feather he is capable of fertilizing eggs. I have yearlings that have eye feathers but they did not fertilize any hens. More than likely your eggs won't be fertile either, but you won't know unless you try. The other problem is how late it is in the year, late hatched chicks are harder to get through the winter.

 

[red horse ranch]

I don't know what you mean about eye feathers. I'm still a newbie with peafowl. My male is India Blue and he has white around his eyes. Don't know if it's feathers or skin.

It is late in the year for hatching. Winter can arrive early in September or the end of November out here. I could put heat in a coop if necessary but all my poultry, chickens guineas and the peas, live in the same henhouse. I'm not likely to have to deal with a little one but I could manage if I had to.

 

[KsKingBee]

I don't know what you mean about eye feathers. I'm still a newbie with peafowl. My male is India Blue and he has white around his eyes. Don't know if it's feathers or skin.

It is late in the year for hatching. Winter can arrive early in September or the end of November out here. I could put heat in a coop if necessary but all my poultry, chickens guineas and the peas, live in the same henhouse. I'm not likely to have to deal with a little one but I could manage if I had to.

These are called 'Eye Feathers', most peacocks don't grow them until the third year when they mature.

 

[red horse ranch]

DUH! I told you I was a newbie. I know exactly what you are talking about now. And my male doesn't have any yet. Thanks for the help!