Isn't It Too Early For Eggs?

[MTerry]

Last year one of the females made a strange call when laying. I just noticed it today, went to investigate and this is what I found. I am guessing several birds have contributed, I have 7 females and 2 males. We have had some warm weather but I am totally shocked and unprepared.

 

[PeepsCA]

I've been getting eggs since mid December, from 2 and 3 yr old Guinea Hens... it's usually my 1st timers (pullets) that start laying first. At least I'm not the only one having a weird hatching season.

Congrats on the eggs. You could always eat them if you aren't ready to incubate/hatch keets...


ETA: That weird call is their egg song. Some make it, some don't.

 

[MTerry]

We have had some warm days recently, is there a way to tell the good eggs from the bad. I really have my hands full with the nine guineas, I don't plan to hatch more right now. Last year I marked several eggs and left them in the nest, and took the rest, I guess I should do that also. It's a bad spot if someone decides to sit on the nest, lots of pine trees down, limbs and such. They would be a target for anyone. I'm surprised the skunk I have been smelling in the mornings hasn't gotten the eggs......

 

[PeepsCA]

We have had some warm days recently, is there a way to tell the good eggs from the bad. I really have my hands full with the nine guineas, I don't plan to hatch more right now. Last year I marked several eggs and left them in the nest, and took the rest, I guess I should do that also. It's a bad spot if someone decides to sit on the nest, lots of pine trees down, limbs and such. They would be a target for anyone. I'm surprised the skunk I have been smelling in the mornings hasn't gotten the eggs......

You can float test them in a bowl of water... good/fresh eggs sink and lay on their sides, older eggs (but still edible) will also sink but stand with one end up (usually the large end), and bad eggs will completely float. BUT sometimes they aren't always bad if they float, it can just mean they are a little older and have a larger air cell than the rest... and can still be edible. Sometimes they can be rotten tho (possibly cracked or just really old), so I always crack my eggs in a bowl first and check them out for being off-color, milky or too runny etc, and I also give them the sniff test before I cook them.

You can leave some marked eggs in the nest and collect the fresh eggs each day (I do that a lot)... that will save you from hunting down one of their nests for a while at least. A predator may spoil that plan tho, so enjoy it while it lasts. Also try to collect eggs when no Hens are on the nest or around any other of your birds are around the nest. If the Guineas see you and scream at you about being near the nest they may end up feeling it's not private enough and they will start laying elsewhere.

 

[MTerry]

Going to collect eggs

thank you for all of your help!

 

[critters]

Mine haven't started to lay any eggs that I am aware of....and I have looked.
MTerry, where in Virginia are you located?? I'm just off the Blue Ridge Parkway
at the Carroll/Patrick County line...
even my chickens are still 'light' on their egg laying...

 

[MTerry]

I'm in Hurt, south west of Lynchburg, or the top of Pittsylvania County. I don't know how long they have been laying, there were about 21 eggs in the nest. I haven't checked the last couple of days, but I'm pretty sure they are still laying.

 

[JLeigh]

All you guys getting guinea eggs are making me soooooo jealous! Mine haven't even thought about laying eggs, as far as I can tell. I haven't asked them though .

I do, however, have Brabanter chicken eggs in the incubator due to hatch this Friday, so I'll have some "poopy goodness" in the brooder soon!!

 

[critters]

I too am jealous! Hopefully it won't be too long til my girls start laying me some eggs!

Itching to get the incubator out!

 

[JLeigh]

Critters, I know what you mean. I'm slowly slipping into full blown hatch-a-holic-ism. "Hi, my name is JLeigh, and I'm a hatch-a-holic".