Can guineas count?

[HarmonyHen]

I have 4 guineas. I know at least 2 are female and one is male. They jury's still out on the 4th. For the first few weeks that they were laying this spring they were laying inside the coop or the run (yay me!). I had been collecting both eggs every day until I read that if all the eggs are gone, they would abandon the "nest" aka coop, and lay elsewhere...soooooooo...I marked 2 eggs with a pencil and then began collecting the new eggs. Well, 2 days later, the eggs inside stopped and only one time (this AM) did I get an egg - oddly, outside the run in the driveway.

I know that they typically lay in the PM so this afternoon I kinda hung around the coop in an attempt to locate the new nest(s) and I found one! However, from a distance, I only saw 3 eggs. It has been at least 10 days since they laid in the coop. I'm guessing there's another nest. How many eggs should I leave?

 

[HarmonyHen]

and what should I mark them with?

 

[nailladi]

My opinion, guineas lay before 2pm and if they see you take the eggs they will quit, do not think they can count. Mark with grease pen or something non toxic. Heavy contractor pencil is what I use.

 

[R2elk]

My opinion, guineas lay before 2pm and if they see you take the eggs they will quit, do not think they can count. Mark with grease pen or something non toxic. Heavy contractor pencil is what I use.

Guineas lay whenever they want to lay. I had one hen who laid her egg between 4:20 and 4:30 PM every day. Many of the hens I currently have do not lay their eggs until after 3:00 PM daily.

 

[nailladi]

I imagine it varies then from flock to flock and areas. Have always collected at 10 am and 3 pm. By then mine are done until the next day. Most of the guinea people have told me theirs are the same. I suppose there is always a few exceptions.

 

[HarmonyHen]

How many eggs do you think I should leave in the nest?

I think I found a second nest.

 

[nailladi]

If you can do it without getting caught, I would take the cleanest, newest looking ones, try not to show you were there. Mark the ones left 3 or 4 then check back in a few days. If you have a dirt floor they are buried, gently dig them out but try not to be seen.
That is what I would do anyway. I am sure there are other opinions.

 

[malinois]

I do not think they can count, and u will probably never outsmart them either, they do what they want. My birds are coming 3 yrs old...4 hens left of 8 originally. I found a nest afew weeks ago, had 13 eggs in it. I took the number to 10, marked them with a sharpie, and collected 4'new eggs daily from it, and then it was 3 eggs, and then, well, someone decided to sit on it. Next morning i came out, feathers everywhere, eggs busted up. That hen actually survived the attack, but that nest is old news. So now two of them are laying in the coop, well, today it was 3 new eggs, day before yesterday it was one egg, see what i mean? And i am sure there is a new nest somewhere....and now my neighbor just released 9 guineas 6 females and 3 males, all about 6 months old, and i saw the two flocks scoping each orther out. Should be an interesting summer....