Peafowl 101: Basic care, genetics, and answers.

[WestKnollAmy]

Love all this info! Thank you for all the hard work!

 

[Maryallison]

thank you so very much for posting all this wonderful information! I have mad my new trio of peacocks just a few months and that was so helpful!

 

[jvls1942]

I have access to peahen eggs.. I have 3 GQF incubators and I can dedicate one of them strictly to the peahen eggs..

all I need to know is:

a. how long is the incubation time?

b. what is the humidity during incubation ?

c. I am assuming 99.5 F

thanks for any comments..

..........jiminwisc.........

 

[pedda munnangi]

Incubation time 28 days. Humidity 40-45 % for first 25 days and 60% for the last 3 days. Temp 99.5 F is correct

 

[jvls1942]

Incubation time 28 days. Humidity 40-45 % for first 25 days and 60% for the last 3 days. Temp 99.5 F is correct

thank you,, now all I have to do is wait until they start laying eggs..

............jiminwisc..........

 

[critters]

thank you for all the time you put into making this 'post'....
I found in full of information! Thanks!

saw my birds mating today so was wondering how long before
she will lay her first egg??
and then she will/might lay every other day, right?

they don't always make a nest on the ground do they?
my peas have a favorite spot which is atop several stacks
of wooden pallet stacked against the old pack house....
could she possibly lay there??

appreciate if you could let me know some answers to these questions....

Critters/Raylene

 

[casportpony]

Last year was the first year that my hens laid and they laid about every other day and *always* late afternoon/early evening. One made a nest in a dog crate and laid most of her eggs there, one laid hers all over in different spots and the third laid most of hers from the perch.

I could always tell when they where going to lay because they would start pacing and would carry their tails differently, so when I saw the perch layer doing this, I would sit and wait until she got up on the roost, go in and catch the egg in my shirt as it fell.

 

[Kedreeva]

saw my birds mating today so was wondering how long before
she will lay her first egg??
and then she will/might lay every other day, right?

they don't always make a nest on the ground do they?
my peas have a favorite spot which is atop several stacks
of wooden pallet stacked against the old pack house....
could she possibly lay there??

appreciate if you could let me know some answers to these questions....

Critters/Raylene

From what I've seen, the time when they start laying varies somewhat with where you live. I've seen some people say that their peas are already laying in warmer climates. I live in a fairly cold climate and mine have not started. Mine typically start at the beginning or middle of May. It may also depend on the age of your birds. Laying every other day is a fairly good bet for a 3+ year old bird, but sometimes they will go through periods during the laying season where they won't lay for a week, or because they're upset, or whatever. For instance, mine stopped laying when there were bad storms passing through last year.

Your birds will most likely lay where-ever they feel safe or comfortable doing so (I have no idea why the one lays on the perch, but that's hilarious). Mine don't lay where they normally hang out, they find a quieter, usually more hidden place. I would say they don't usually lay in nest boxes, but there is a truck-bed hood that is like a GIANT nestbox that they all seem to really love to lay in (I'm convinced that's because it's a pain in my butt to get to the eggs, those rotten brats). I've seen a lot of peas lay under bushes.

 

[Brethren49619]

Just saw mine mating, though don't know for sure if this is the first time this year as I am often at work during the day. I am also in Michigan (NW portion), and this is my first year with my birds. My 2 are 4 years old this year. Talk about a time crunch. Still need to finish their separated run as they are currently in with the chickens.

 

[BScott03]

Really wanting a peacock! I hope my husband lets me! They're such beautiful animals!