QUESTIONS on incubating peahen eggs...

[WestKnollAmy]

Reading all these threads in incubating since this is my first year with pea eggs. I have had several fertile eggs but no hatches yet. Waiting....waiting.....

 

[ranit]

I also raise silkies so always seem to have a broody hen. After a recommendation from a long-time pea raiser, last year I started my pea eggs under a broody hen the first week and then moved them to the incubator. I was having pretty good hatches before but this improved them even more.

 

[casportpony]

My incubator only holds 10 eggs, so I'll be using it and some broody hens. Now all I need to do is build an anti-blackhead brooder and enclosure, no way I want a repeat of the last two years!

 

[casportpony]

Johnskoi recommended taking notes, which I plan on doing... Curiously, what types of notes do you guys and gals keep?

 

[kuntrygirl]

Great thread. This is only my 2nd year hatching pea eggs, so I am still new. I am all ears.

 

[kuntrygirl]

My incubator only holds 10 eggs, so I'll be using it and some broody hens. Now all I need to do is build an anti-blackhead brooder and enclosure, no way I want a repeat of the last two years!

I think mine can only hold a few as well.

Are you working your soil with anything over there to help with blackhead?

 

[kuntrygirl]

This years incubation method:

Incubation temperature = 100.5 degrees at a humidity of 40% except at hatching when the humidity is raised to 60%.  We used to stop turning at day 25, however we are stopping at day 24 this year as we are hatching one day earlier at the higher temperature.  The higher temperature is to attempt to reduce quiters.  We have the turner set up to turn every hour this year instead of every two hours.  This is also to improve hatch rates.

We have also stepped out of bounds this year and are incubating every egg on its pointy end.  We did this at the end of last year and saw no difference in hatch rate so we are doing all year this time to accomodate more eggs.

To date, this year, we have hatched 19 of 23 (82.6%) apparent fertile eggs.  Two of the four unhatched were only partially developed.  One piped and died within an hour or so and one pipped and was hand hatched at 6 hours and later died. 

We have about 15 fertile eggs due to hatch this friday night and the count goes up every week after that.

I didn't realize the temps were 100.5. I can't remember what I did last year.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:

Really?!?  Somehow I thought you incubated eggs before!  Prepare for the addiction to begin!    There is nothing like when you candle and see the veins forming, then when you candle and see that little life moving around...  

I guess I should have been more specific... This will be my first year using an incubator, last year I used turkeys and chickens to hatch my first ever pea eggs, but been doing chickens and ducks for a few years now the "natural" way.

We just finished a test run in our incubator with 11 chicken eggs from two different OEGB hens. Five were not fertile or bad, I can't tell, lol. Locked down on day 18, all pipped the same day and hatched by day 19, including one that pipped at the wrong end. The duck was from a nest outside and looked like it needed more humidity, so I put it in with the chick eggs.

You are not alone, last year was my first year incubating. For the last 10 years, I've only used broody hens.

 

[casportpony]

I think mine can only hold a few as well.

Are you working your soil with anything over there to help with blackhead?

All I can do is keep up on worming and watch out for those that don't feel well.

 

[AugeredIn]

I didn't realize the temps were 100.5. I can't remember what I did last year.

Most people use 99.5. We were getting big fat chicks that were wanting to quit. So far it looks promising.