This year's eggs Update:Damsel on nest

[MinxFox]

Pip setting:

Here is just an added bonus, Alto displaying for the other peahens.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

MinxFox,,of course the key when you have 20 peafowl eggs all diffrent colors hatching all the same day,is to be here during that time.Once they hatch, I put a small colored rubber band on the right,or left leg,sometimes two seperate colors,,write them all down so I know what's ,what later on.these are size number #4 rubber bands,the same size as orthodintists uses on your braces. After about 2-3 weeks you will need to cut these rubber bands off,then I use 4" colored zip ties. these comes in about 10 diffrent colors,,I snug them tight enough so there still is room for the leg to grow,but it can't be pulled over the foot.This will get you another month or so,then it's time to wingband them.

 

[SunBaked]

Lol, Alto's working his little tail for all it's worth. The ladies will love him I bet.

 

[MinxFox]

I know I can't wait for next year when he is three! He puts on a better show then Dragon already.

 

[MinxFox]

Okay, today I found all the eggs broken, some out on the ground a foot away from the dog box and some in the dog box. I thought it was pretty strange for all the eggs to be broken so I am just telling myself they must have all been bad and Pip knew it so she got rid of them...I hope. Ether that or she could have left the nest for a minute to get a drink or something and another peafowl could have jumped in there and destroyed all her eggs. Thank goodness I have eggs in the incubator! My peahens are tricking me!

 

[Kev]

Very sorry to see the bad news. I really doubt Pip broke them on purpose. Was the box lined with something soft on bottom? I like to put several inches of dirt in nest boxes then add nesting material on top. This works well for hens that like to scratch out all the way to bottom- harder for them to scratch out dirt than straw/hay/weeds. Occasionally setting hens may break an egg if she's setting on a hard surface but don't recall all eggs being broken at once though, usually it's one or two at a time.

Another bird coming in and breaking the eggs accidentally while a hen is setting is not that rare.. nests in confined spaces are more prone to this, the intruding hen is 'forced' to step and walk on the setting hen.. however, don't recall entire clutch being broken this way either.

Are you sure there isn't something coming in and eating the eggs? Nests with all eggs broken up in my experience has been due to mammal egg predators- possums and skunks in my case.

 

[MinxFox]

The eggs were not very damaged though, the air sacks were not even broken in them and they still had a fair amount of yolk inside so I am not sure if it was a predator. We have two traps set up outside the pens with chicken eggs in them and we haven't caught anything and they have been out there for at least 2 weeks so I don't think it is a predator. Whatever is going on it was a peafowl in the pen that did it. Pip did scratch all the way to the bottom of the dog box, maybe that broke the eggs. I did find a broken egg a few days ago, just one outside of the nest box and figured she thought it was bad and kicked it out or something, but I wasn't expecting this to happen to the whole clutch. I think I will try and put some sand in there with the hay and see if that helps.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

Everybody has their own opinions and trusted ways to hatch,,but with an incubator located in the house,if properly set and monitored,,about the only,ONLY reason a good hatch wouldn't occur is if the power goes out for 4-5 hours.Even then if at home,I have set a lit candle inside and then watched a digital thermometer to monitor the heat inside.To me this cuts out many enviornmental variables involved with using broody hens,peafowl,ect,,no predators to worry about,,no hens deciding they no longer want to set because of several factors that can happen,,no broken eggs,nests disturbed by another hen,,inclimate weather if she's setting someplace outside,,the list goes on and on.

 

[MinxFox]

But it is fun if the peahen does hatch out eggs because it is awesome to watch them together and for the peahen to raise her own peachicks, that is why I am letting them set on their eggs since they have the right instinct. I know things like this can happen, but I still would rather the peahens raise up their own peachicks. Still just so I can have peachicks this year I have some eggs in the incubator, one will hatch hopefully next week and I will be moving it to the other incubator tomorrow so that I can increase the humidity.

 

[MinxFox]

Okay everyone I don't know much about hatching...The good egg due any day now moved a few minutes ago!

I was next to the incubator looking through the window at the egg talking to it and the egg moved! Today is day 24 in incubation, and when do you think I will see it pipping? How long will it take it to make a hole in the egg? How long until I need to be concerned if it pips but doesn't come all the way out? I don't want this peachick to die in the egg all those stories I read about that happening to people is horribly sad and I don't have any other good eggs so far so I really want this precious peachick to make it. Good thing we got the medicated starter food today!

I hope this all goes well!