Detailed Explanation of Key Points on Blue Peafowl Breeding and Incubation Techniques

The blue peafowl is commonly known as the phoenix, also called the king of a hundred birds, and is a rare game bird with a rich wild-game flavor. Li Shizhen, the sage of medicine, held the peafowl in very high regard. As recorded in the "Compendium of Materia Medica":" The peafowl wards off evil and can neutralize severe poisons, all manner of poisons, and drug toxins." To develop peafowl breeding, doing a good job of incubation is the key.

I. Structural characteristics of blue peafowl breeding eggs: the egg weighs 90 grams, is oval-shaped, and is light brown in color; the eggshell is thick, smooth and hard, not easily broken, with pores sealed tightly and a relatively small surface area, which directly affects gas exchange, moisture evaporation, heat conduction, and pipping and hatching. Therefore, conventional incubation conditions make it hard for the embryo chick to break the shell.

II. Storage and placement of breeding eggs: the length of storage time for breeding eggs is closely related to temperature. When the ambient temperature is below 18 degrees C and the storage time is within 5 days, the hatch rate is relatively high; otherwise, the hatch rate is low. Therefore, choosing clean, fresh peafowl breeding eggs for incubation is extremely important. During storage, the breeding eggs should be placed horizontally and turned once a day, which helps the embryo develop normally and thereby improves the hatch rate of peafowl breeding eggs.

III. Disinfection of breeding eggs: before incubation, soak them in a 37 degrees C, 0.1% potassium permanganate solution for 3 minutes, take them out and blot off the floating water, then dry them with an infrared lamp or air-dry them before incubation.

IV. Control of temperature and humidity. 1. Temperature: due to the special structures of peafowl breeding eggs such as the cuticle, eggshell, pores, and inner and outer shell membranes, the breeding eggs heat up slowly in the early incubation period, and their fat content is relatively high; in addition, a large amount of physiological heat is produced in the middle and late stages, making heat dissipation difficult. Therefore, during incubation, the principle for applying heat is: pre-warm the breeding eggs before incubation at 36 degrees C-37 degrees C for 6-8 hours, among which: high in the early stage, level in the middle stage, slightly lower in the late stage, and slightly higher during the hatching period, with temperatures respectively 38 degrees C-39 degrees C for days 1-7, 38 degrees C-38.8 degrees C for days 8-19, 37.5 degrees C-38.5 degrees C for days 20-25, and 37 degrees C-37.8 degrees C for days 26-28.

2. Humidity: during the incubation period, the relative humidity is controlled at 60%-70%, and raised to 70%-75% at hatching. The principle for controlling humidity is: high at both ends, level in the middle. High humidity in the early stage allows the breeding eggs to receive heat well and evenly; level humidity in the middle stage is beneficial to the embryo's metabolism; in the late stage and hatching stage, the purpose of raising humidity is to dissipate excess physiological heat and make the eggshell structure loose so as to facilitate pipping and hatching. However, when humidity exceeds 75% and ventilation is poor, the embryo will suffer acidosis due to poor gas exchange, leading to suffocation and death of the embryo, which is most worthy of attention. In actual operation, temperature and humidity should also be adjusted in combination with cooling the eggs and spraying water; at this time, consideration should also be given to the matching placement of breeding eggs in bionic vertical incubators and flat hatchers during incubation and development, as well as seasonal and other environmental factors.

V. Cooling eggs and spraying water. Cooling eggs and spraying water are effective measures for regulating temperature and have a great influence on the hatch rate. Using matched vertical and flat hatchers in a flow-line operation can increase the hatching rate by 10%-15% compared with conventional incubation methods. Generally, eggs are not cooled in the early incubation period. According to the above heat application scheme, the egg temperature in the middle and late stages can reach 38.5 degrees C. Cooling eggs can strengthen the embryo's gas exchange and remove accumulated heat inside the eggs. Cool the eggs 2-4 times a day, for varying lengths of time, flexibly according to conditions; when the egg temperature drops to 35 degrees C, continue incubation. Spraying water is currently considered the key to improving the hatch rate of peafowl breeding eggs. Water spraying has three functions: first, it destroys the cuticle; second, it causes the eggshell and shell membrane to continuously contract and expand, destroying their integrity, increasing permeability, accelerating moisture evaporation and normal weight loss of the eggs, enlarging the air cell volume and ensuring sufficient oxygen supply; third, it causes the eggshell to become brittle. Peafowl breeding eggs have a thick cuticle and a hard eggshell. The former affects gas and moisture evaporation, while the latter hinders pipping. The presence of the cuticle is beneficial during the first few days of incubation. As embryo age continues to increase, especially after the allantois closes, when more oxygen needs to be absorbed and a large amount of metabolic waste needs to be discharged, it begins to have adverse effects on embryonic development. To remove it, water should be sprayed on embryo eggs incubated to 23-28 days (spraying water early is not good for closure of the allantois). When the temperature is high, spray cool boiled water; when the temperature is low, spray warm water at 35 degrees C-40 degrees C. Spray once a day until the eggs are thoroughly wet, and continue incubation after they dry. Under the action of repeated cooling, water spraying, and carbon dioxide in the air, the calcium carbonate of the eggshell becomes calcium bicarbonate, and the eggshell changes from hard to brittle, making it easy for the chick to break the shell.

VI. Frequency and angle of turning eggs. Turning eggs can promote embryonic activity, prevent the contents from sticking to the eggshell, and make heating even. During incubation of peafowl breeding eggs, turn the eggs once every 8 hours. We advocate that the egg-turning angle should be 180 degrees, which can ensure that the allantois closes at the small end on time. With manual or rolling egg turning, pay attention to reasonably adjusting the upper, lower, side, and center eggs so that they receive even heat. As long as the physiological development requirements of embryo eggs at each stage are met, the incubation effect on blue peafowl will be very ideal.

Eight key points for peafowl incubation. 1. Egg selection: peafowl eggs weigh about 120 grams. Generally, breeding eggs should not be stored for more than 2 weeks. The egg shape should be normal, the size moderate, the eggshell thickness uniform, the color coordinated and consistent, and the luster bright. The shorter the time, the higher the hatch rate. 2. Disinfection: before incubation, breeding eggs are generally disinfected by fumigation, that is, using 15 grams of potassium permanganate and 30 milliliters of formalin per cubic meter, fumigating for 20 minutes at a temperature of 25-30 degrees C, which can kill viruses on the surface of the breeding eggs. Disinfection is generally carried out in a disinfection cabinet. 3. Temperature: the incubation period of peafowl is 26-27 days. Temperature is the primary condition for incubation. The incubation temperature should be adopted according to the embryonic development situation: high in the early stage, level in the middle, slightly lower in the late stage, and slightly higher during the hatching period. The temperatures are respectively: before incubation, pre-warm the breeding eggs for 6-8 hours to an egg temperature of 36-38 degrees C; 38.5-38.8 degrees C for days 1-8; 38-38.5 degrees C for days 9-15; 37.8-38.2 degrees C for days 16-21; and 37.5-38 degrees C for days 22-26 (that is, hatching). 4. Humidity: humidity also plays an important role throughout the incubation process. If humidity is too low, it will cause the embryo to stick to the shell and make hatching difficult; if humidity is too high, it easily causes poor yolk absorption in chicks, poor constitution, and easy death. The suitable humidity should be grasped according to the principle of high at both ends and low in the middle, that is, relative humidity of 60%-65% in the early stage, 55%-60% in the middle stage, and 65%-70% in the late stage. 5. Turning eggs: in order to make the breeding eggs receive even heat and ensure normal embryonic development, artificial or natural egg turning must be used. Starting from the second day of incubation, generally turn once every 2-4 hours, with an egg-turning angle of 90 degrees. Stop turning eggs on day 22. 6. Cooling eggs: in the middle and late incubation stages, when the egg temperature reaches 38.8 degrees C, cool the eggs to prevent internal overheating. Generally, at 18 days of incubation, cool once a day; from 22-26 days, cool twice a day. The length of cooling time varies and should be flexibly controlled according to conditions. 7. Spraying water: spraying water is one of the key measures for improving the hatch rate. Spraying water can make the eggshell brittle. Peafowl eggshells have a thick cuticle and hard shells. For this reason, during 22-26 days of incubation, spray water once a day at a water temperature of about 35 degrees C, and continue incubation after drying. Under the action of repeated cooling and water spraying, the eggshell changes from hard to brittle, which helps the chick break the shell and emerge. 8. Candling: the first candling is at 6-8 days, mainly to check the fertilization status of the breeding eggs. In normal eggs, a black eye spot can be seen, and the inside of the egg is reddish with blood streaks. Infertile eggs show no change at all, with an intact yolk and transparent egg white, and should be removed in time. The number of candlings should be operated according to specific conditions, mainly to check embryonic development and promptly detect dead embryo eggs.

Feeding and management of peafowl during the brooding period

The feeding work of peafowl during the brooding period (1-90 days of age) is an important period in peafowl breeding. It directly affects the growth and development, physical condition, and survival rate of the chicks, and further affects the productivity and breeding value of adult peafowl. Based on several years of feeding experience, the author believes that the key points of feeding and management of peafowl during the brooding period include the following aspects. 1 Suitable temperature. 1.1 The thermoregulatory function of peafowl chicks is not yet fully developed, and their ability to adapt to the external environment is relatively poor. Therefore, in the early brooding stage, a suitable temperature must be ensured. At 1-3 days of age, the temperature under the brooder umbrella is 34 degrees C, and the temperature in the brooding room is 26 degrees C; after 4 days of age, lower the temperature by 1 degrees C every 2 days (both the temperature under the brooder umbrella and in the brooding room are lowered at the same time), until it drops to the same level as the ambient temperature, then gradually carry out weaning from heat. At first, remove heat during the day and still provide heat at night, and after the chicks adapt, completely stop heating. 1.2 When heating and raising peafowl chicks, whether the temperature is suitable can be judged according to the behavior of the chicks, and adjustments should be made in time. If the chicks sleep sweetly and peacefully, stretch their necks and legs comfortably, and are evenly distributed, it indicates that the temperature is suitable; if they open their mouths to breathe and frequently drink water, the temperature is too high; if they chirp mournfully, huddle together, and are unwilling to drink water, the temperature is too low. 2 Suitable humidity. The suitable relative air humidity in the brooding room is 60%-65%. The brooding period of peafowl (June-August) is precisely the season of high temperature and abundant rain. The humidity in the brooding room changes with the external environment and is prone to being too high (above 70%) or too low (below 55%), both of which are unfavorable to the chicks. If humidity is too high, on the one hand it is unfavorable for the absorption of the remaining yolk in the chick's abdomen; on the other hand it easily causes chicks to suffer from coccidiosis, Aspergillus fumigatus disease, and so on. If humidity is too low, the chicks lose a large amount of water through respiration, eat less, have fluffy feathers, and are prone to respiratory diseases. Therefore, timely adjustment should be made according to the conditions shown by the thermometer in the brooding room. 3 Sufficient light. Light can improve the body's metabolism, increase appetite, help digestion, improve the vitality of the chicks, promote calcium and phosphorus metabolism in the chicks' bodies, accelerate the activity of enzymes in the body, and also has a sterilizing and disinfecting effect. After the peafowl chicks are of the same age, if the weather is clear, windless, and sunny, place the chicks outdoors to bask in the sun; during the rainy season, they should bask in the sun even more. 4 Complete nutritional feed with strong palatability. 4.1 Chicks have a short digestive tract, small stomach capacity, and poor digestive function. Each feeding intake is small and food storage is limited. Therefore, the feed is required to be easy to digest and nutritionally complete. In addition, peafowl in the wild prey on small insects and small amphibians. Therefore, under artificial breeding conditions, a certain amount of animal feed should be supplemented, such as yellow mealworms, minced meat, and so on. 5 Disease prevention and control. Peafowl chicks are small and delicate, with weak vitality and poor disease resistance. Therefore, during the brooding period, the cleaning and hygiene of the brooding room should be done well, regular disinfection should be carried out, and prevention work for the following common diseases should be done well. 5.1 Marek's disease of chickens. At 1 day of age, use bivalent oil adjuvant inactivated Marek's disease vaccine to spray the brooding house or inject 0.2 milliliters subcutaneously into the neck of each bird. 5.2 Avian white muscle disease. At 2-3 days of age, use 0.01% furazolidone aqueous solution for continuous drinking for 10 days (add 1 tablet of 0.1 gram furazolidone to 1 liter of water). 5.3 Newcastle disease of chickens. At 14-15 days of age, use Newcastle disease strain II vaccine for intranasal inoculation; at 60 days of age, use 2 times the dose of Newcastle disease strain II vaccine for drinking water inoculation. 5.4 Avian pox. At 25 days of age, use 200-fold chicken pox quail-adapted attenuated vaccine to prick once on the inner side of the wing in a blood-vessel-free area; at 120 days of age, use 100-fold vaccine to prick twice; thereafter, inoculate once every half year. 5.5 Enteritis. Every week, provide 0.01% potassium permanganate water for the chicks to drink for 1 day.