Guinea talk.

[MartinsPoultry]

These are my first guineas, i have 7 in total. 4 are my orginal starters from last chick season,2 cockerels 2 hens. Now i have 5 hens and 2 cockerels.
Four older ones are around 9-10 months old, the three younger girls are about 5-7 months old.

 

[GlennLee]

I'm not sure what determines when the guineas start to lay eggs in the spring. 2 years ago, the weather here was cold and the guineas started laying eggs in late March/early April. Last year, the weather was really warm and mild and my guineas didn't start laying eggs until the end of May/first part of June. It's the same guineas that I've had for almost 4 years, so there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to their laying schedule. As for this year, mine haven't layed any yet either.

Interesting that they laid earlier in cold weather. I would have thought the opposite to be true. I've been reading up on my incubator - getting ready just in case it's needed.

No green here for St. Patrick's Day - just white, but it looks like frosting since it's been windswept. We went out to do grocery shopping yesterday and there was so much drifting the car got stuck trying to get up the driveway. Not for long though - thanks to the tractor with the front end loader!

The birds are quite frisky not being able to get out. So far everyone has just been chasing and running around, no attack birds yet! Have a good day, everyone.

 

[boucher814]

She is so pretty.  I put Mary Jane in the tub last summer and she loved it.  Who knew a guinea enjoys baths.  She didn't want to get out either.  

When Maddison was still alive she would go swimming in the crick I have by my house. Like she would swim across the crick.

 

[boucher814]

Just checking in on everyone. I'm doing better. My girlfriend had an appt at the OBGYN and she has another appt to get her first ultrasound this week. I'll keep u posted with pics.

 

[GuineaHale]

My guineas are 38 weeks old will they start laying this spring? Thx

 

[boucher814]

My guineas are 38 weeks old will they start laying this spring? Thx

They should. I don't see why they wouldnt

 

[GuineaHale]

Alright thx I was just wondering cause I'm from Texas and the weather has been decently warm and they still haven't started laying yet

 

[guineapeeps]

Alright thx I was just wondering cause I'm from Texas and the weather has been decently warm and they still haven't started laying yet

I would think they would start laying sometime this spring.....they are certainly old enough. My guineas seem to start at different times each year and it doesn't really look to be consistent with the weather. Some years when it's been colder they've layed in early April and other years when it's been warmer, they don't lay as early. Last spring, it was very warm early on and they didn't start until early June! I didn't think they would ever start laying eggs. Next thing I knew, they were all laying and I was completely overrun with keets. I sure haven't been able to figure out their timing in the 4 years I've had them!
If your guineas are free range, they may be laying them in a hidden nest somewhere so you may want to watch them and see if one sneaks off to lay in some secluded area. I've found nests in all kinds of crazy places! Hopefully, by late spring you'll start to get some eggs.

 

[GuineaHale]

yea mine are free range but I've had them penned up for the past week. i have 8 and they all come back at night so i guess their not laying yet. I'm lucky to have a pen for them right now so that when they do start laying they are safe and protected. i just bought some oyster shell for them but they seem to dislike it so i mix it with cracked corn and 16% layena feed.

 

[guineapeeps]

yea mine are free range but I've had them penned up for the past week. i have 8 and they all come back at night so i guess their not laying yet. I'm lucky to have a pen for them right now so that when they do start laying they are safe and protected. i just bought some oyster shell for them but they seem to dislike it so i mix it with cracked corn and 16% layena feed.

They will usually leg an egg a day for about a month and come back each night until they lay their clutch. Once they are done with laying their whole clutch, then they will start laying on the nest full time. I have had a few hens who I didn't realize where laying outside of the coop until they just didn't show up one night. I'm usually able to hunt down most of the hidden nests at some point but I've also had a hen or two that I never found because they have hidden their nest somewhere in a corn or soybean field and a predator picked them off before they hatched their eggs.