Detailed Explanation of Key Technical Points for Blue Peafowl Breeding and Reproduction

To date, blue peafowl still lack breed standards and production indicators, but selection can be based on traits such as appearance, body weight, growth and development, egg production, and hatchability. In production practice, individuals that are healthy, have bright plumage, strong legs, and straight toes are generally selected, and they are numbered to prevent inbreeding. For this purpose, breeding blue peafowl with different bloodlines should be introduced from different sources, and pedigree records should be obtained. Blue peafowl and green peafowl can hybridize, and their hybrid offspring are fully fertile.

Reproductive period

The reproductive period of blue peafowl is strongly seasonal, generally from June to August. However, under artificial rearing conditions, the reproductive period can often be advanced and extended, thereby prolonging the egg-laying season.

Estrus and courtship

Adult blue peafowl, especially males, often chase the females, raising and spreading their magnificent train feathers into a fan shape, commonly known as “displaying,” and they constantly quiver with a rustling sound, and may display multiple times, each lasting as long as 5 minutes to 7 minutes, turning left and right, with the eye-spots on the train feathers reflecting luster, causing the females to frequently approach the males. Under group-rearing conditions, fierce fights often occur over mates, and sometimes females already in estrus are driven to exhaustion by males and injured as a result.

Mating

The male-to-female breeding ratio is 1:3 to 1:5. Females begin laying eggs 15 days after mating, so a sand pit should be dug in a corner and filled with sand for them to lay eggs in. A designated person should be on duty to collect eggs, avoiding the development of egg-eating habits or the induction of broodiness.

Incubation

It is divided into two major categories: natural incubation and artificial incubation.

Natural incubation

It is best to use Silkie chickens or native breed broody hens with strong broodiness to incubate the eggs, and to use brood-breaking medication to wake broody female peafowl. Generally, small-bodied broody hens can only cover and incubate 4 to 6 peafowl eggs at a time. During incubation, the broody hen should be let out or taken out twice daily in the morning and afternoon at set times to defecate, while also being supplied with drinking water and grain, and after about 15 minutes, taken back to continue incubating. The incubation period for peafowl is 26 days to 28 days, with candling performed on the 7th, 14th, and 21st days respectively.

Artificial incubation

Any electric incubator used for poultry hatching can be used for incubation, as long as the hatching trays are modified according to the size of peafowl eggs. Breeding eggs and incubation equipment should be disinfected according to routine procedures. The incubation process is basically the same.

(1) Temperature: In a flat-type incubator, the temperature is 38°C to 38.5°C; in a cabinet-type incubator, the temperature is 37.5°C to 38°C. The incubation room temperature is maintained at 24°C to 27°C. During the hatching period, the temperature is lowered by 0.5°C. Whether to use constant-temperature incubation (setting eggs in batches) or variable-temperature incubation (setting all eggs at once) is determined by the breeder according to production needs.

(2) Humidity: Relative humidity is maintained at 60% to 65%; during the hatching period, 70% is best; the relative humidity of the incubation room is kept at 65% to 70%.

(3) Turning eggs: It is best to turn the eggs once every half hour to 1 hour; during the second week, turn eggs once every 1 hour to 2 hours; thereafter, turn eggs once every 3 hours. Three days before hatching, after the eggs are transferred to the hatching tray, stop turning.

(4) Cooling eggs: Generally, if the temperature is not exceeded, cooling is not necessary; in the middle and later stages, eggs can be cooled for 15 minutes to 20 minutes daily, until the temperature drops to 30°C.

Because peafowl eggshells are relatively thick, the temperature and humidity should not be too low in the first few days, and the humidity can be higher in the later stage.