PEAHEN EGGS please advise!

[sillyheadsfarm]

Please can someone tell me if a Peahen will eventually leave her nest of eggs after the 30 day gestation time is overdue. I cannot find anything on the internet

. She has been sitting on fertile eggs but not sure if her are chicks alive. Would greatly appreciate some feedback/advice. She is not completely safe where she nests (literally we are sleeping outside at night to keep the predators away).

 

[3BirdGirlz]

I don't know much about peahens setting...I got my first pair this winter. Someone in the peafowl forum may be able to help better. But I do raise chickens and ducks, which they usually know if the eggs are bad...If she keeps sitting I'd leave her be. How many days has it been? They usually only take 28 days to hatch. Have you candled them to look for movement/ development?

 

[sillyheadsfarm]

thank you for your reply i posted on the peafowl forum as well but have only gotten 1 reply back. we counted roughly 28 days, today could be 30 days (i was out of town when she started laying and my husband didn't write down the exact day). how do you candle eggs? i will google this and see. thank you again!

 

[3BirdGirlz]

Use a bright flashlight and shine it at the big end of the egg where the air sack is....google has some good pictures...that's where I learned how to do it and what to look for. There should be a black mass inside, not clear. You should also see the air sack and it should be dipped a bit...veins may be visible at the top near it.

 

[sillyheadsfarm]

went to candle her eggs, and she hasn't been off them for 2 days, come to find out we have chicks now i need to find out how long will she stay on the new hatchlings because we need to move everybody into a safety pen.

 

[3BirdGirlz]

Oh congrats!!!!! Just awesome Did all the eggs hatch? If so go ahead and move them IMO.

 

[sillyheadsfarm]

i'm not sure how many...i was convinced she had dud eggs, so i lifted her off but she wouldn't budge, and i saw a cracked empty eggshell and heard chirping, at least 2 chirps (6 eggs total). we will soon find out...this is very exciting

!!!

 

[sillyheadsfarm]

we have 6 chickies out of 6 total eggs

 

[3BirdGirlz]

we have 6 chickies out of 6 total eggs

WOW! Good job mommy pea