Incubating guinea eggs

[wullus]

Hi there,

My parent's have guinea fowl and I think they're just starting to lay cause I found a triangular shaped egg in the middle of the grass (that looked like it didn't realize it was laying, like our chicken pullets did when they first started). We free-range ours all the time.

I've incubated a few chicken eggs with varying levels of success, but I'm just curious about incubating guinea eggs, should I find a nest sometime in the future. I've heard they take 25-26 days to hatch instead of 21, is this true? And when do you have to go for lockdown... the last 3 days?

Thank you

 

[mnferalkitty]

Hi there,

My parent's have guinea fowl and I think they're just starting to lay cause I found a triangular shaped egg in the middle of the grass (that looked like it didn't realize it was laying, like our chicken pullets did when they first started). We free-range ours all the time.

I've incubated a few chicken eggs with varying levels of success, but I'm just curious about incubating guinea eggs, should I find a nest sometime in the future. I've heard they take 25-26 days to hatch instead of 21, is this true? And when do you have to go for lockdown... the last 3 days?

Thank you

guineas are 28 days. I stop sturning on day 25. I use same temp and humidity as chicken eggs. Mine just lay them all over they have never made a nest.

 

[PeepsCA]

A lot of my Guinea eggs pip and start hatching on day 24-25, and usually the rest hatch by the end of day 26... so depending on how stable your incubator stays during incubation you may have eggs pipping at day 24 and keets hatching on day 25-26. Rarely do my keets take until day 28 to hatch (I use Genesis 1588 Hovabators, with auto egg turners tho). I will normally candle at day 23, check for slanted air cells and internal pips and then determine if they need to go into lock-down then or on day 24... usually my eggs need to go into lock-down before day 25 tho.

Your young pullets probably won't lay very many more eggs this late in the season (and they may not even be fertile), they are seasonal layers/breeders, Spring thru Fall. And the young do Hens typically just lay where ever for a while. Next Spring you will be egg/nest hunting tho... and if you have more than one Hen they may even share the same nesting spot. I've had as many as 4 Hens using the same nest.

 

[wullus]

Hmmm alright thank you, that makes it easier altgough it has just turned to Spring here in Australia, and then to Summer in December, so the egg hunting begins...

 

[PeepsCA]

Oops, sorry I did not look at your location, lol.

Our season is winding down here in the US.

I suggest if you want to do less egg/nest hunting (and you want to incubate eggs to hatch keets) then keep the Hens cooped/penned up each day until you collect eggs from most or all of them... then let them out to free range. Otherwise, happy egg hunting... when they nest they choose very private, secretive hard to get to places (like in thistle patches and poison oak etc). If you can't figure out where the Hen is laying she may eventually disappear to go broody on her (or a shared) pile of eggs. And then there's always the risk that if you don't find the eggs/nest a predator usually will, and may take your Hen or Hens too (and keep returning for free meals).