Crazy adventures in Guinea fowl!

I'm new to Guineas. I got five last year and they began free-ranging this spring.

I just had two hens go broody in the weeds several weeks ago. One hen was killed by a fox. The other hen is still around, but I couldn't locate her nest until yesterday. She was nesting right along the edge of our road! The guinea rooster was "guarding" her by standing in the road making cars go around him! This was not going to work.

We attempted to move the hen and her nest. We put her and her eggs in a dog crate in the chicken coop. She wasn't having it. She refused to set on her eggs. So I rescued several eggs (left some for her just in case she decided to set) I put five eggs in the incubator and six under a broody chicken.

Two incubator eggs have hatched already and one under the broody has pipped the shell! I did candle all of her eggs when we moved the nest and only set the viable eggs in the bator and under the broody.

I'm happy we saved some of the eggs, but I feel bad disturbing her and her nest. Did I do the right thing? I didn't realize that the eggs were so close to hatching. Should I have left her alone? She really was in harms way and she was jeopardizing the roosters well-being too. Plus it appeared as though one egg had already hatched and the keet was no where to be found, possibly dead. So, I think I did the right thing, but feel a little guilty for not letting "nature take its course"?

I would have done the same thing. She was in harms way the babies and the male. At least now they have a chance to survive. Good luck with your hatching and bless your heart for caring so much about them.

I've got two more eggs in the incubator that have pipped. I've got a staggered hatch going. I've never done a staggered hatch before? I have a still air incubator and no egg Turner. Half the eggs are hatching now or very soon. The other half won't hatch for at least three weeks. I don't want to open the incubator while the babies are hatching, so I won't be able to turn the other eggs. Will that be a problem?

I've always had the chickens hatch our eggs. I don't know anything about hatching in an incubater. I'm sorry I can't help you maybe someone will help.

dianneS said:

I've got two more eggs in the incubator that have pipped. I've got a staggered hatch going. I've never done a staggered hatch before? I have a still air incubator and no egg Turner. Half the eggs are hatching now or very soon. The other half won't hatch for at least three weeks. I don't want to open the incubator while the babies are hatching, so I won't be able to turn the other eggs. Will that be a problem?

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Not turning the eggs early in the incubation period is harmful to those eggs. Opening the incubator briefly to turn the eggs and misting with very warm water to keep the humidity up will do less damage to the eggs that are hatching than not turning will do to the eggs that are still 3 weeks from hatching.

I was turning the eggs this morning and turned one of the soon-to-hatch eggs over and it was hatching, but the baby inside wasn't breathing. I broke the shell away, and she was dead already? I don't know what happened? It was a big baby, more than ready to hatch, but she was upside down, laying on her face. I'm bummed about that one.

I've had three hatch so far and another one working on it. Six more of the rescued eggs left to go and 16 eggs due to hatch the end of the month. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Plus, the broody guinea hen is still insisting on being broody. I thought that moving her broke her broody streak, but it didn't. She's still looking to nest again, and she keeps trying to go across the road! She's making me crazy!

dianneS said:

I was turning the eggs this morning and turned one of the soon-to-hatch eggs over and it was hatching, but the baby inside wasn't breathing. I broke the shell away, and she was dead already? I don't know what happened? It was a big baby, more than ready to hatch, but she was upside down, laying on her face. I'm bummed about that one.

I've had three hatch so far and another one working on it. Six more of the rescued eggs left to go and 16 eggs due to hatch the end of the month. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Plus, the broody guinea hen is still insisting on being broody. I thought that moving her broke her broody streak, but it didn't. She's still looking to nest again, and she keeps trying to go across the road! She's making me crazy!

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This is their specialty!

Thank goodness we did break that guinea hens broody streak. She's no longer trying to nest along the road!

The eggs I put in the incubator have hatched. All but three so far!

I've also got eggs that I snagged from a different nest hatching under a broody hen in the chicken coop. They're hatching today and its only day 24 according to my calculations?

I have more eggs that I ordered online hatching the end of the month along with a few more under two more broodies.

Now I'm debating whether or not to bring the keets in from the coop and put them in the brooder with the others, or should I take the brooder chicks out to the coop and let the hen raise all of them? This hen has adopted chicks before and I'm sure she'll do it again, she's a super momma!