Things You'll Need
- Incubator
- Ambient temperature thermometer
- Wet bulb thermometer
- Conversion chart
- Pan, large and shallow
- Water
- Anti-bacterial soap
- Sponge
- Hose with pressure sprayer
- Crayon
- Hatcher
- Poultry fumigation spray (optional)
Instructions
Check the temperature and humidity of the incubator before placing the peacock eggs into it. Make sure to check several locations in the incubator, because you want uniform conditions throughout. The temperature should be 99 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Use a wet bulb thermometer and conversion chart to make sure that the humidity is at 60 percent, which is a wet bulb reading of 86 to 87 degrees F. Decrease the humidity by opening the incubator vents to allow more air to circulate. Increase humidity by pacing a large, shallow pan full of water beneath the incubator. The larger the surface are of the pan, the faster the humidity will rise.
Clean and disinfect your peacock egg incubator thoroughly before using it. Anti-bacterial dish soap, very hot water and a hose with a pressure sprayer should be enough, though you can use a poultry fumigation spray to be absolutely certain.
Mark one side of each peacock egg gently with a crayon line. Do not use a permanent marker, because the toxins in the ink can harm the peacock embryo. Rotate the egg 180 degrees and mark the other side with the date.
Place the marked eggs in the incubator tray on their sides with their pointy ends tipped down a little. Rotate the peacock eggs 180 degrees twice every day.
Candle the peacock eggs once a week. Remove any eggs that have not shown development after 10 days, so that they don't spoil and infect the healthy ones.
Move the peacock eggs to the hatcher 26 days after placing them in the incubator. Using a separate hatcher helps keep the incubator clean.
Add a second pan of water to the hatcher to increase the humidity level. This will help keep the peacock egg shells from drying out and becoming too hard for the babies to break through.