UV light on Egg

[John K Jordan]

Years ago I discovered that 365 nm light caused fresh eggs to fluoresce. The fresher eggs were a bright red which dulled as the eggs aged. I suspect this is due to oxidtion or it could be the natural UV light in sunlight although many eggs are laid in dark places.

I picked up this very fresh peacock egg last night and took cell phone pictures with while and UV light. The colors with UV were actually much more brilliant that the photo shows but I didn't correct the photo to try to show the true color.

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I first discovered this by wandering around in the woods with a UV light to see what glowed, and saw a red glow under a cove of brush. I now use this method when examining a found nest of guinea eggs to gather the freshest for incubation while leaving the older eggs to encourage the hens to keep laying in the same spot. Brown eggs tend to fluoresce as well but not as brightly.

JKJ

[roger wiegand]

That's very cool! Who knew? The fluorescent molecule is protoporphyrin IX, a heme precursor. It's also the compound that makes brown eggs brown.

[David Dockstader]

I can't avoid being THAT snarky in responding. If you actually have an egg from a peaCOCK, I think that fluorescence is the least interesting attribute. :p Try "peafowl."

[Bruce Wrenn]

I have a set of bowls from my parents estate, that glow when ultraviolet light is shown upon them. That's how experts separate the fakes from the real ones. DIL wants them when we pass, as she collects them. She can have them, as we ain't taking then with us when we are gone.

[Jim Becker]

I can't avoid being THAT snarky in responding. If you actually have an egg from a peaCOCK, I think that fluorescence is the least interesting attribute. :p Try "peafowl."

Actually...peaHen. :)

[John K Jordan]

I can't avoid being THAT snarky in responding. If you actually have an egg from a peaCOCK, I think that fluorescence is the least interesting attribute. :p Try "peafowl."

Yes, of course, you are correct. However, the colloquially accepted generic name for any peafowl is "peacock" since that is what the average person is familiar with.
"Peafowl is a common name for three species of birds in the genera Pavo and Afropavo of the Phasianidae family, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl as peahens, though peafowl of either sex are often referred to colloquially as peacocks." I don't obsess much about the name.

But actually, I said it was a peacock egg. Assuming it is fertile and survives it may develop into a peacock or it may develop into a peahen. If somehow possible to determine the sex of the embryo I guess could label one a peacock egg or a peahen egg. Without question though, if it hatches it has a 100% chance of being a peachick! :) I'm not experienced enough to sex them until they are a few months old, then then subtle differences in the texture of the feathers on the back begin to show.

I decided to use the word "peacock" on flyers and craigslist ads since that's what potential buyers notice and search for.

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I've sold over $1000 this year from last year's hatch at $100 each - one guy bought four. I have with 17 eggs in the incubator so far from this season, three are gifts from another person, valuable for genetic variation. Probably more to come since the season is just starting.

Regardless of what you call them, the prices are unbelievable. Look at this price list: http://www.leggspeafowl.com/adult-peafowl-for-sale.html
Even the day old chicks: $500 for eight! Yikes.
Someone asked me if the eggs are good for omelets. Sure. I found one seller offering eggs for $30 each, minimum order of six.
Would make a big omelet for a big rich guy. Look at the size of a typical jumbo chicken egg, guinea fowl egg, and peafowl egg:

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One interesting thing about incubating eggs in general: at about 7 or so days you can shine a bright light through the shell (candling) and see shadows of the developing embryo. Similar to an ultrasound on a developing human egg, you can sometimes watch the embryo move around in the egg. A little later in the development you can hold the egg and sometimes feel the movement. At hatch time the eggs wobble and rock as the little bird orients itself for the pipping.

As for the fluorescence, in 2018 I found an article: "The red glow, or fluorescence, of eggs under a UV light is due to a molecule found on egg shells." I see the article is still there, updated: https://www.compoundchem.com/2018/03/28/egg-fluorescence/

Another interesting thing I discovered about color and peacock feathers - in looking at one of the brilliantly colored eye feathers under a low power microscope, I found no obvious pigment by using transmitted light. Every tiny stacked disk on a strand were the same dull red while reflected light showed the incredible blue, green, red and such. I've wondered if the the colors come at least in part from wavelengths reflected from layers of cells on the surface in a process similar to the color you see on the front of a multi-coated camera lens. I may try to get a photograph of that.

A Snark, BTW, is an imaginary animal (often used to refer to someone or something that is difficult to track down). https://www.dictionary.com/browse/snark I have no idea how that relates to peabirds although the females are in fact notoriously difficult to find when nesting in the woods. Might be a good name for one. I once spent two weeks looking for a peahen on a nest. It turned out to just a dozen yards from the barn!

Enough about birds, what about woodworking? Yesterday I turned another wooden egg to a friend. We put these decoy eggs in the nest to encourage the hen to lay more even while we are stealing them. Due to predators and other hazards, artificially incubating is FAR more reliable then letting the hens incubate.

JKJ

[Jim Koepke]

Look at the size of a typical jumbo chicken egg, guinea fowl egg, and peafowl egg:

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Is the jumbo chicken egg on the left or right?

One of our chickens laid a big one almost a decade ago:

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We no longer have chickens.

jtk

[Brad Chenoweth]

We've had hens lay large eggs like that a couple times. Both have been double-yolked.

[Brad Chenoweth]

Dang it, John! Now I'm gonna have to order a UV flashlight!

[Adam Herman]

the avg. large egg in the store is about 50 grams. our chickens lay them around 75 grams usually, we had 2 doubles last week over 100g each. how much do the peafowl eggs weigh?

[Zachary Hoyt]

The term Snark, as far as I know, is a reference to Lewis Carroll's epic poem The Hunting Of The Snark. The part I can remember most distinctly is the quatrain

"He had forty-two boxes, all carefully packed,
With his name neatly painted on each.
But because he omitted to mention the fact,
They were all left behind on the beach."

[John K Jordan]

Is the jumbo chicken egg on the left or right?

One of our chickens laid a big one almost a decade ago:

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We no longer have chickens.

jtk

Ha! Some people we sell eggs to say almost all of our eggs are larger than they can get at the store. That will give you some idea of how big the peacock egg is. Maybe I'm feeding the chickens too much.

I have seen a couple like you showed - usually they had two yokes.

We've seen all sorts of odd things. Once a year or so we'll get an egg with yoke, white, and membrane and no shell.

JKJ

[Kev Williams]

One of our chickens laid a big one almost a decade ago:

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Now that there is a bonafide ooah egg... ;)

[John K Jordan]

the avg. large egg in the store is about 50 grams. our chickens lay them around 75 grams usually, we had 2 doubles last week over 100g each. how much do the peafowl eggs weigh?

I pulled several from across the front of the incubator, from 104 to 109 grams. I didn't look for the largest or smallest.

JKJ

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

I asked for a "black light' for a birthday present a few years ago when daughter asked what I wanted. She got a light bulb labeled "black light" but it just throws a dim purple light. It is not ultraviolet, doesn't make things glow. I really wanted a battery operated one anyway, but Even more, I was miffed at a company that would label something a "black light" and then it isn't ultra violet. (walmart) Cool to know about the eggs, I wanted it to tell whether some turning wood is black locust or mulberry. (daughter is the one that mixed the two together during one of her helpful moments.) Tonic water glows too. I grew up near an iron ore mine and folks would go through the rock dump at night with black lights and pick up some real fantastic bright glowing rocks. One guy had his front walk lined with rocks that all glowed bright yellow-green. And of course a black light in the walkway light at halloween.