Peafowl eggs and candling reposted here

[Garden Peas]

X2 what @DylansMom said, but also, intervening is sometimes needed, and can save otherwise healthy chicks that would be lost, but it can go wrong too.
It would be really smart to read up on it ahead of time so you aren't trying to figure it out in the middle of a crisis =-O

 

[Garden Peas]

There's lots of help here and some very experienced pea hatchers, so don't hesitate to ask questions.

 

[casportpony]

I really like what @Sally Sunshine wrote:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching

When you have time, sit down read it thoroughly (don't skim read like I usually do

).

-Kathy

 

[Gruber12]

with chickens if one seems to be problems, we'll crack some of the egg away but dont actually remove it by hand from its shell

 

[Garden Peas]

with chickens if one seems to be problems, we'll crack some of the egg away but dont actually remove it by hand from its shell

... but these are NOT chickens

It's not quite that simple. Peas can be so strong that prematurely cracking the shell can allow the pea to break out sooner than it's ready to do, and then bleed to death. So sometimes, yes, cracking maybe... but timing is really important. And sometimes I've had to actually peel the shell off at the end, when the pea got too weak from struggling for too long, and was totally stuck.

That's why it's so important to read up on it before hand... it's not totally simple, and there's quite a bit to understand if one is going to get proficient at helping... It's not super hard, it's just there's some details and nuances that you will want to be thinking about.

It'll be great if all five just do the whole hatching thing by themselves... that doesn't happen so often where I live, just due to the lack of humidity and the altitude, but if you live in a "friendlier" climate, it may go easier for you.

We're all wishing you the best -- keep us posted, and give a shout if you have questions

 

[Gruber12]

i dont mean actually cracking it before it starts itself, I mean if its been going at it for awhile and doesnt seem to be getting anywhere Ill assist a little bit

 

[Garden Peas]

i dont mean actually cracking it before it starts itself, I mean if its been going at it for awhile and doesnt seem to be getting anywhere Ill assist a little bit

Right. I almost lost a peachick doing that. I haven't read the thread that Kathy referred you to, but there's tons of posts over at UPA if you want to read over there also.

In order to safely and effectively intervene, one has to have a clear understanding of the physical changes going on in the egg and the timing of them, and what to look for so as to know when it is safe and when it isn't. Sometimes doing just what you said can cause you to lose a chick, if the time isn't correct.

And yet there are times a person actually needs to safely create an airhole in a shell that the bird hasn't been able to crack... that's really tricky stuff if a person has never done it before. I did lose chicks because I didn't do that when I should have, and I lost another chick from another hatching that accidentally smothered itself when it sealed off its air source (when it had been proceeding really nicely on its own) and I didn't catch it in time. There's a LOT of things that can go wrong, I'm not trying to be an alarmist, I'm just suggesting that getting as educated as possible before hatching day is a really good idea.

Chickens are wonderful, and in my experience, generally significantly easier to hatch. But maybe I've just had difficult experiences with my peas. Anyway, hoping your hatch goes smoothly and well

Can't wait to see pictures of the babies

 

[Gruber12]

the eggs should be in their 3rd week exactly now in the incubator

 

[casportpony]

Quote: I lost two that way this season!

-Kathy

 

[Gruber12]

if I maths right, should be 4 days away, on sunday or something