BYC Guinea hen club

[margaret8]

Hi everyone, I currently have some guinea eggs in the incubator and there are 10 days left until they hatch. Can someone tell me what day I should stop turning the eggs and switch them over to the hatcher? Any info is greatly appreciated!

This year the have been hatching at 25 days they are not suppose to until 28 days.

 

[kenzier093]

This year the have been hatching at 25 days they are not suppose to until 28 days.

That's strange! I candled them and most of them fill up just about the whole eggs. I just can't see how they can go 10 more days! Today is the 18th day and 14 have one in and I think 4 of them don't. I am letting them in just in case.

 

[GuineaFowling]

My newest keets, hatched them myself. 5 days old
I'm thinking this is pied?


Lavender? #1


Lavender #2

Lavender #1 isn't a Lavender. Its most likely a coral blue. My Coral Blue babies always look like that. Lavender keets have stripes on their face like #2 whereas, Coral blues have white faces like #1. In my opinion, Coral blues are prettier than lavenders because of the really true blue colour. Lavenders are popular because they are pied rather than semi-pied like corals. My male Coral blue, Cloudy, has really blue feathers when he isn't dirty(right after a molt).

 

[ducklucky]

Way, way too cute!!! Congrats on your new baby(s)!!! Nice pics, thanks for those...

 

[ducklucky]

I have about 30 or so that someone gave me in the 'bator. Stupid me, forgot to mark on the calendar the day I set them, but it was around 5/8 or 510. I have been turning by hand, never consistently, but several times a day. I slowed down over the past few days as I knew it was getting close. One started pipping today, quite loudly, and will break out overnight. So I figured I would stop turning the others, increase humidity a bit, and sure enough, can hear others picking away, so will probably have a mass hatch. Yeah, I too was candling over the past week, looked like nice healthy air space, but couldn't see much more, a little movement in a few and the interior picking, so will just let nature take its course.

I have hatched chickens and ducks, my first for guineas, but we have some we got day old keets from hatchery, they are out in an "adjustment" pen now and are eating from my hand. They get really ticked off when I walk away without talking with them, they want attention! So hopefully will be the come home for supper types in a few weeks. The farmer I got the eggs from has been hatching out for the past week or so, he set at all different times, but he has had a lot of success, very few failures.

As far as dogs, if you do as I do with the intermediate pen before you range them, and the dogs hang out around it and show them friendship, would say your chances are fair that you won't have a problem. Our dog loves all of our birds and is very protective, and will sniff around their pen and lie down next to it, and they seem to accept her. As someone said, depends on your dog and how tamed down you can get your young guineas. We don't want them to be too used to the dogs, of course, coyotes and fox look pretty similar, and we don't want them going up and shaking hands with them.

 

[ducklucky]

10 days early is too early, would think. I just read something today that recommends to stop turning about 5 days or so before expected hatch. As these are "wild" birds, things can be a bit more unpredictable. But I was turning mine a couple times a day until yesterday, and have some pipping out, so maybe wild mothers are not as gentle as our domesticated birds, and would just slow it down over the next few days to then no turns. When you hold them up to your ears and start to hear their little beaks working, would then stop altogether. Good luck, and good hatch!

To those who have a ton of incubating guinea eggs and don't know what to do with them, start advertising now, in local papers farmers or backyard bird enthusiasts may read, and take names and numbers. You don't want to be stuck with 40 birds, and with the school session ending, the kids will be home to help out with them, a great summer project for them. Really emphasize the tick and Japanese beetle eating ability of the guineas, the more of these birds we can all get out there, the better. Ticks are rampant and out of control, we don't want to have lymes or see our children or dogs contract it. Just went through it with one of our dogs, very curable, but she went through a few days of hell before we got her diagnosed, was super scary.

 

[R2elk]

My newest keets, hatched them myself. 5 days old
I'm thinking this is pied?


Lavender? #1


Lavender #2

Lavender #1 isn't a Lavender. Its most likely a coral blue. My Coral Blue babies always look like that. Lavender keets have stripes on their face like #2 whereas, Coral blues have white faces like #1. In my opinion, Coral blues are prettier than lavenders because of the really true blue colour. Lavenders are popular because they are pied rather than semi-pied like corals. My male Coral blue, Cloudy, has really blue feathers when he isn't dirty(right after a molt).

I can guarantee that Lavender #1 is not a coral blue. The broad center stripe as I recall is an indicator of full dotting. Coral blues are partially dotted and do not have a broad center stripe. I will agree that normal lavender keets do no have white on the side of their faces nor do they have white wings.

My guess is that Lavender #1 is a pied lavender.

 

[PunkyReid]

Getting my first guinea keets on Saturday, Hope they will coincide with my six chickens that are 8 weeks old.

 

[margaret8]

Getting my first guinea keets on Saturday, Hope they will coincide with my six chickens that are 8 weeks old.

Be prepared for the guineas to be bossy as they get older

 

[PunkyReid]

Be prepared for the guineas to be bossy as they get older

Thanks Will be ready