Problems With Peachicks Hatching
Hatching poultry, game bird and waterfowl eggs is not easy as Sylvia and I well know.
I have lost 3 peachicks so faor. They are pecking out but they seems so weak. They have never stood and they just die. They are fully developed but I much be doing something wrong. Could someone help me?
Sylvia
Hi Sylvia,
Thanks for visiting my site and leaving this comment. I am sorry to hear about your peachicks. it is terrible when you see the chicks have hatched and gone to all that effort of piiping the egg shell and then they don’t make it. You are certainly not alone in experiencing this as I have experienced this with guinea fowl and ducks.
I don’t have much experience myself with peachicks but I can say that there are a number of reasons why chicks hatch and then die if they have hatched in an incubator.
Temperature incorrect - check the correct temperature for different birds and at different stages of incubation.
Humidity incorrect - check the correct humidity for different birds and at different stages of incubation.
Improper ventilation - make sure incubator is positioned carefully.
Infection or disease - disease may come from the breeding stock so check that the breeding stock are healthy. Ensure that the incubator is thoroughly cleaned before each use.
Sylvia you do not say if the eggs are in an incubator, if they are it sounds like they are struggling to get out and then are too weak to survive. Click on the link for details about hatching peafowl eggs. http://www.farmingfriends.com/incubating-peafowl-eggs/
Are they hatching early, late or on time as this could affect why they are not surviving?
If you peachicks are hatching under a hen then ensure that the chicks have access to food and water, although chicks can survive over 24 hours without food and water as they still have their food sac from inside the egg, the sooner they get food and water the stronger they will get. If you do have access to the peachicks then you may want to try to get them to drink something by holding them to the water and food if they are too waek to stand themselves.
I hope this information is useful. Good luck with the rest of the hatch. Let me know how you get on.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends
I am thrilled that Syliva has replied to my email;
Thank you so much for answering several question I had. Yes I am using a incubator. I watch temp very carefully and I turn my eggs often. I feel my greatest mistake is I didn’t stop turning on day 25 for my peachicks and I might have turned them away from the feed sac. One reason they are so weak and they are perfectly formed but they just die after peacking out and never even stand up. I am going to try and these last 9 do better but I have a problem not knowing which ones are ready to be left unturned on 25. My husband and I just put them in as she layed them and this is not good. I had hatched 19 chickens week before and so now I have to run this on till at least 28 more days. I guess I am saying we didn’t take this serious enough and made mistakes. If I turn them to much will they slip in egg and loose out where the feed sac is??? I am used too chickens and they ofcourse fees from their rectum. Well maybe by being careful and praying alot I can try and get these 9 which are left hatch. I sure have learnt alot. Like marking with crayon. Again thank you Sylvia
If you have any experience of hatching peachicks and can offer Sylvia any advice, then please leave a comment.
eggs Hatching Hatching Eggs Peachicks Peafowl Pipped Eggs
Hi, Our proud mother peahen and two of her chicks were callously run over and killed. We are looking for some advice on how to rear the remaining three. They are four weeks old, had been raised outdoors; they are now in a run in the chicken shed, roosting in trees and were growing well. Should we now keep them confined until they are more resilient?
Thanks in advance.
Comment by Neil — July 26, 2008 @ 6:53 pm
hiya. i need help on how to look after my 3 peachicks. one was limping and the peahen started to peck at it so, i bought it inside and put it in a cage. after about 10 mins i put it back with its mother but left it in the cage. what shall i do and will the mother kill the peachick?? please answer bak, thank you!
Comment by halima — August 3, 2008 @ 12:54 pm
Hi Halima,
Thanks for visiting and commenting.
I don’t have much experience with peahens but I have read that if a quail is wounded then it is best to isolate the chick or bird until the wound had healed. Isolating the bird will also prevent the other birds from pecking the injured bird. You have obviously witnessed your peahen pecking at your chick. I think that you are right to put it in a cage to isolate it. I think it is also a good idea to keep the cage with the other oeahens so that the mother can see the peahen and is less likely to attack the chick when it is re-introduced.
I would check the limping chick for any injury or wound and treat that with a antiseptic spray.
I have also read that if a quail is being feather pecked then rub some vapour rub on the area to stop the pecking. I don’t know whether this helps but it may stop the mother peahen from pecking the limping chick.
I hope this information is useful.
Let me know how you get on.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends
Comment by Sara @ Farming Friends — August 5, 2008 @ 5:14 am