How to Tell Male from Female Peachicks? A Detailed Guide to Breeding, Incubation Time and Methods
The peafowl's total length reaches over 2 m, of which the tail train is about 1.5 m, making it the largest in body size among the Galliformes. It inhabits open areas of forests and is omnivorous; one male mates with several females.So how do you tell male from female peachicks? When do they generally breed? How do they breed and incubate?
How to Tell Male from Female Peachicks?
1. Some males have spurs on their legs, and the females' feathers have some green.
2. Look at the bird's legs, at the pointed protrusions on the tarsus part of the legs; those with protrusions are male, those without are female.
3. Put the chick in your hand, turn it over and blow on the cloaca to tell.
When Do Peafowl Generally Breed?
1. The peafowl breeding time is generally between June and September. Of course, if they are raised in captivity, the breeding period may start earlier or be extended, varying.
2. Generally, the female peafowl begins laying eggs about half a month after mating. After laying, a nest should be dug with sand in a corner to let the peafowl lay eggs.
How Do Peafowl Breed and Incubate?
I. Courtship and Egg Laying
Under artificial rearing conditions, peafowl reach sexual maturity at 22 months of age and begin breeding in late spring each year. At this time the male peafowl's feathers are especially gorgeous; it often chases around the female and spreads its dazzling upper tail coverts into a fan shape, shaking them continuously (that is, “displaying”) for as long as 5-7 minutes. From mid-April to early July, the female begins to lay eggs, producing 20-30 eggs a year. The eggshell is thick and firm, milky white, brown or yellow, with no spots, and the egg weighs 120-140 g. The female generally lays 1 egg every other day, mostly in the morning and evening, so keepers should collect the eggs promptly morning and evening. The eggs should be properly stored in a well-ventilated place with the temperature kept at 10°C-15°C, and incubation should be carried out as soon as possible, preferably not exceeding one week.
II. Natural Incubation
Using broody hens for incubation has the advantage of simple equipment and requiring no great amount of time or labor to manage. Choose a hen that is healthy, full-feathered, moderate in size, agile in movement and very broody. Generally each broody hen can incubate 4-5 peafowl eggs. During incubation, let the broody hen out twice a day at set times in the morning and afternoon, provide clean water, and feed grain feed that resists hunger; do not feed soft feed. On the 7th, 14th and 21st days of incubation, candle the eggs and promptly remove infertile eggs, dead germ eggs and dead embryo eggs. When hatching occurs, pay attention to the broody hen's reaction and promptly take the chicks out for artificial brooding. The incubation period of the peafowl is 26-27 days.
III. Artificial Incubation
The principle and technical operations of artificial incubation of peafowl are basically the same as those of artificial incubation of chickens. The incubation conditions can be managed with reference to the following requirements.
1. Temperature: The temperature in a flat-type incubator is set at 38.5°C-39.5°C, in a cabinet-type incubator at 37.5°C-38°C, and the temperature in the incubation room should be maintained at 24°C-27°C. The temperature should be kept as stable as possible, not fluctuating.
2. Humidity: The relative humidity is 60%-75%, mainly regulated by the water tray in the incubator.
3. Turning the eggs: Turn the eggs at set times every day, generally once every 2-4 hours, from the start of incubation until just before transferring to the hatching tray.
4. Cooling the eggs: This depends on the incubation date. In the early stage the embryo should not be cooled much, generally 5-15 minutes; in the later stage it should be cooled more, and the time can be extended to 20-30 minutes. The length of cooling time should be decided according to the egg temperature and room temperature.