Ok, so I’d love to hear your opinions! Setup: I swear we have the broodiest guineas on earth! Viceroy has been broody for five weeks. I gave her six timed eggs to sit on that are now on day 24 so about to go into lockdown. Two weeks ago, Welch (probably her biological mom but not the one who hatched her) also went broody, and she’s now sharing Viceroys eggs. More recently, two other guinea hens decided to go broody; they are on the three(!) eggs that I left on an adjoining, secondary nest so guineas would keep laying in the coop. I have a good feeling about Viceroy but this is her first year. Welch and the others I don’t know: this is their second year, and at least one of them killed hatching keets on a giant community nest last year. I had intended to give Viceroy two more same aged eggs from the incubator for a total of 8 eggs. However, now I’m stressing that I’m replicating the community nest with different lengths of broody hens from last year that proved lethal. I could block off the end of Viceroys nest that is closest to the new broodies... Or maybe the problem last year was the giant, stinking nest with broken eggs?
If anyone has any thoughts on increasing the chance that Viceroy/Welch can safely hatch their eggs I’m all ears! Today is the last day that I plan to gather extra eggs from their nest, then they and the incubator eggs will be on lockdown...
If anyone has any thoughts on increasing the chance that Viceroy/Welch can safely hatch their eggs I’m all ears! Today is the last day that I plan to gather extra eggs from their nest, then they and the incubator eggs will be on lockdown...