Peafowl 101: Basic care, genetics, and answers.

[zazouse]

Oh, I know what you are going through, I have no hair left to pull out after last year. So many duds, and so many fully developed eggs that for some reason unknown to me just failed to peep.

I am hoping that the clears were caused by too many young hens in the breeder pens, and that the hens were not properly wormed before season began. The fully developed eggs that did not peep is still a mystery to me.

Have you considered using hens to hatch? i only lost 5 eggs out 68 using hens last year i pulled most of the eggs right before they were due to hatch and put them in my hatcher,
I had a peahen hatched out tea stained eggs which meaning the leaves they sat on got real wet, i saw that hen standing over the nest with feathers dripping moisture, she would stand up and then sit down till she got those feathers dry and every one of those eggs hatched. I got hens here that will sit all year long, some of them are going on 7 years old, you can not beat a good broody hen.

 

[KsKingBee]

Is there enough Oxygen around your incubator? Is it close to the wall or something like that? Are you opening the incubator door to let some Oxygen come in everyday? These are important points.

The GQF is forced air and a lot of air gets pulled in and flushed out so I don't think that is my problem. It could very well be the problem with my Hatch Craft for sure although it hatched chickens and guineas just fine. I found that my old antique Surehatch redwood from my grandmother works really well for everything we put in there especially ducks, I didn't try my precious peas in that one, but I may this year. Grandmas Surehatch was a kerosene fired incubator that I converted to forced air electric back in the mid eighties.

 

[KsKingBee]

Have you considered using hens to hatch? i only lost 5 eggs out 68 using hens last year i pulled most of the eggs right before they were due to hatch and put them in my hatcher,
I had a peahen hatched out tea stained eggs which meaning the leaves they sat on got real wet, i saw that hen standing over the nest with feathers dripping moisture, she would stand up and then sit down till she got those feathers dry and every one of those eggs hatched. I got hens here that will sit all year long, some of them are going on 7 years old, you can not beat a good broody hen.

Wow, if I had that kind of hatch rate I would have been over run with chicks, I barely have enough room for the 50 that I did hatch out and raised. I still have most of them to sell yet.

The new brooder/coop is for using broody hens to set. That is why four of the inside pens are 5 x 9, I will put a metal ten nest box in either one or two of the pens and use the other two for chicks and grow out pens. I am not sure if I will just let the hens set the eggs for two weeks like Brad does or I may try what you do and let the do most of the work and hatch in the hatcher, probably try both.

DW is promoting selling the eggs on E-Bay, and if I don't sell all my IB's, we will for sure sell those eggs.

 

[casportpony]

I found this to be an interesting read:


It starts off with this:
Quote: -Kathy

 

[KsKingBee]

I found this to be an interesting read:


It starts off with this:
-Kathy

I definitely had problems with my Hatchcraft hatcher, it would spike the humidity and leak water out the front door. That is when we quit using it for the peas. Then we just let the GQF do all the work, but then they still had a bad hatch rate so DW insisted we leave the pea eggs in the turners then the hatch got a lot better. We were really lucky we didn't squish any chicks, most of them fell into the bottom hatching tray.

 

[casportpony]

Quote:

I. S. Robertsona1


a1 Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh

Reasons were sought for the changes in hatchability associated with varying frequency rate observed in part I and by other workers. All deadin-shell from the hatches of part I were examined and classified into a number of categories. Their varying incidence in relation to the control hatches was taken to indicate the effect of the rates of turning investigated, viz. 0, once in 2 days, 2, 6, 12, 24 (control), 48, 96, 144, 192 and 480 turns per 24 hr. to the end of the 18th day of incubation.
At the observed optimum rate of turning (96x) mortality was reduced throughout the incubation period with the greatest reduction occurring towards the end; the incidence of malpositions and malformations was reduced as was the case of embryos with no obvious cause of death.
The observed decrease in mortality and hence increase in hatchability at the optimum rate of turning was attributed mainly to the probable improvement of the embryo's physiological environment.
(Received December 16 1960)

 

[zazouse]

The GQF is forced air and a lot of air gets pulled in and flushed out so I don't think that is my problem. It could very well be the problem with my Hatch Craft for sure although it hatched chickens and guineas just fine. I found that my old antique Surehatch redwood from my grandmother works really well for everything we put in there especially ducks, I didn't try my precious peas in that one, but I may this year. Grandmas Surehatch was a kerosene fired incubator that I converted to forced air electric back in the mid eighties.

I would love to find one of those old sure hatch redwoods but i have redwoods here and could have DH build me one if he ever gets time, he just informed me he will not be retiring untill he turns 70

I was hoping he would in a couple years

no good reason he can't except i think he is afraid to retire i guess, but he has alot of things he would enjoy doing now if he would at 63.5

oh well i guess i get more years of alone time here.

 

[zazouse]

Wow, if I had that kind of hatch rate I would have been over run with chicks, I barely have enough room for the 50 that I did hatch out and raised. I still have most of them to sell yet.

The new brooder/coop is for using broody hens to set. That is why four of the inside pens are 5 x 9, I will put a metal ten nest box in either one or two of the pens and use the other two for chicks and grow out pens. I am not sure if I will just let the hens set the eggs for two weeks like Brad does or I may try what you do and let the do most of the work and hatch in the hatcher, probably try both.

DW is promoting selling the eggs on E-Bay, and if I don't sell all my IB's, we will for sure sell those eggs.

LOL i don't even set up nest areas for broodies any more, i find where they are setting and switch out the pea eggs for their golf balls or ceramic eggs, they got hidden nest all in the barn, greenhouse and have taken over my big black pull behind wagon sense last year.

 

[KsKingBee]

I would love to find one of those old sure hatch redwoods but i have redwoods here and could have DH build me one if he ever gets time, he just informed me he will not be retiring untill he turns 70

I was hoping he would in a couple years

no good reason he can't except i think he is afraid to retire i guess, but he has alot of things he would enjoy doing now if he would at 63.5

oh well i guess i get more years of alone time here.

He's got to be afraid to retire, the only place he gets any rest is at work. I retired at 57, I work harder now than ever.

 

[zazouse]

There is so much he likes to do around here like gardening and creating wood stuff but he is at work so much most of the time he does not have time for any of it, he has been working alot on the new place but other than that he doesn't do much cause there just isn't time, i take care of all the farm stuff from clearing to building things i need so i do not work him hard here at all never have, he does do alot of nothing at work many times grips about it too seems like he would want to retire sooner.