Emmylou and the Peacocks

Our grand baby, who is now a little over two years old, has always had a fascination with our Peafowl.  She just loves them.  The first thing she wants to do when she gets here is see the Peacocks. We have had these peacocks and hens for around 2 to 2 1/2 years now.  We didn't expect that they would lay this season, let alone that they would be fertile.  Our peacock is still somewhat young and we just figured it would be next spring before we had any eggs of our own to hatch.  Much to our surprise, one of our three peahens started laying this spring.  First she laid three eggs and we immediately put them in the incubator on the outside chance that they would be fertile.  They were not. She laid three more and again we rushed them to the incubator in the hopes they would be fertile.  All three hatched this time.  We have two that are predominately white and one that is the normal beginning browns of an IB or Spalding (our hens are spaldings and the peacock is an IB).  We were so excited.  Emmylou was thrilled that we have baby peacocks now.  She named one Lucy and another Fred.  We have no way of knowing the sex this early, but she is hopeful!  We then got another egg or two and they turned out to be fertile as well.  This time, we involved Emmylou in the candling and all of that.  She was mesmerized to see that tiny pea-chick moving about in that egg.  Every time she came after that day, she wanted to see the baby peacock in the egg and we would show her again.  Then it hatched and we have another mostly white pea-chick.  This is the same kiddo that opened all her Easter eggs looking for the "babies" because she watched a chick come out of an egg one day.  She is our little farm girl.  She loves the birds and they love to see her coming.  They know she either has meal worms or feed in her bucket.  She is a walking, talking treat for them.