Communal guinea nest hatch date

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I’ve posted about my guinea flock a few times, starting last fall when our 3 month old guineas started attacking the ducks and chickens that they were brooded with... I ended up rehoming half of the flock, and was left with only one male, Ghost. He has four girls that are dominant and his favorites, and three fringe girls. In May, I had a bobcat take a guinea so locked the remaining 8 in their coop/run for ten days. Wonder of wonders, they finally nested in the coop. I left the eggs and the four dominant girls formed a giant communal nest even when they resumed free ranging, with at least 100 eggs. I started counting as “Day 1” when two girls stayed on the nest at night instead of roosting, but there was plenty of temporary nest sitting before that. Several days later, another hen joined them, then another hen more than a week later. By my count, 26 days from Day 1 would be July 5, so coming right up! I know 28 is typical but am trying to get ready for the earlier possibility.

I saved the nest from a black rat snake attack at about day 6, and took the opportunity to grab a dozen eggs that were in a bad position to hatch, and the girls actually came back after the snake was gone! I put those dozen eggs in the incubator as I didn’t even know if they were fertile, with 1 cock:7 hens. 8/12 were fertile, so better fertility than I expected! Anyway, I have three questions: 1) what will happen when the first nest(s) hatch? Will the other two hens stay on their eggs or leave the nest with the others’ keets? 2) IF I have a ton of keets hatch, I will obviously need to sell some, or most. What’s the least traumatic way and age to get some of the keets away? These guineas have been so tolerant of me with their nest etc and I’d like them to lay in the coop in the future. I don’t want them to think I’m a dirty keet stealer... My daughter suggested that I wear a hockey mask and different clothes to grab them, so they don’t know it’s me??? 3) Lastly, does this look like a day 14 guinea egg? It seems more developed than I expect at the midpoint, but I’ve been hatching chicken eggs so my expectations are probably off... Thanks for any help!

 

[R2elk]

I’ve posted about my guinea flock a few times, starting last fall when our 3 month old guineas started attacking the ducks and chickens that they were brooded with... I ended up rehoming half of the flock, and was left with only one male, Ghost. He has four girls that are dominant and his favorites, and three fringe girls. In May, I had a bobcat take a guinea so locked the remaining 8 in their coop/run for ten days. Wonder of wonders, they finally nested in the coop. I left the eggs and the four dominant girls formed a giant communal nest even when they resumed free ranging, with at least 100 eggs. I started counting as “Day 1” when two girls stayed on the nest at night instead of roosting, but there was plenty of temporary nest sitting before that. Several days later, another hen joined them, then another hen more than a week later. By my count, 26 days from Day 1 would be July 5, so coming right up! I know 28 is typical but am trying to get ready for the earlier possibility.

I saved the nest from a black rat snake attack at about day 6, and took the opportunity to grab a dozen eggs that were in a bad position to hatch, and the girls actually came back after the snake was gone! I put those dozen eggs in the incubator as I didn’t even know if they were fertile, with 1 cock:7 hens. 8/12 were fertile, so better fertility than I expected! Anyway, I have three questions: 1) what will happen when the first nest(s) hatch? Will the other two hens stay on their eggs or leave the nest with the others’ keets? 2) IF I have a ton of keets hatch, I will obviously need to sell some, or most. What’s the least traumatic way and age to get some of the keets away? These guineas have been so tolerant of me with their nest etc and I’d like them to lay in the coop in the future. I don’t want them to think I’m a dirty keet stealer... My daughter suggested that I wear a hockey mask and different clothes to grab them, so they don’t know it’s me??? 3) Lastly, does this look like a day 14 guinea egg? It seems more developed than I expect at the midpoint, but I’ve been hatching chicken eggs so my expectations are probably off... Thanks for any help!

Unfortunately when there is such a huge nest, few actually hatch. The constant moving of the eggs results with viable eggs getting too cold and dying. It can egg up with a lot of rotten eggs.

What I have done in the past is to steal the keets as soon as I find them dried off. I put them into a brooder rather than let the mothers keep them. I do this for two main reasons. One is that it is much easier to show and sell the keets from the brooder than while they are hiding under a hen. Two is that there is just so much that can go wrong with newly hatched keets in the general population.

The one benefit to allowing the hens to keep and raise the keets is that they are readily accepted into the flock.

If your guineas are comfortable with you, dress normally when you swipe the keets. Guineas are creatures of habit and sometimes all it takes to set them off is wearing a different color shirt. If they are defensive about the keets, wear a coat and gloves to do your theft.

Good luck.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Unfortunately when there is such a huge nest, few actually hatch. The constant moving of the eggs results with viable eggs getting too cold and dying. It can egg up with a lot of rotten eggs.

What I have done in the past is to steal the keets as soon as I find them dried off. I put them into a brooder rather than let the mothers keep them. I do this for two main reasons. One is that it is much easier to show and sell the keets from the brooder than while they are hiding under a hen. Two is that there is just so much that can go wrong with newly hatched keets in the general population.

The one benefit to allowing the hens to keep and raise the keets is that they are readily accepted into the flock.

If your guineas are comfortable with you, dress normally when you swipe the keets. Guineas are creatures of habit and sometimes all it takes to set them off is wearing a different color shirt. If they are defensive about the keets, wear a coat and gloves to do your theft.

Good luck.

Yes, I can see that having so many eggs to care for is problematic. If there are viable eggs, I should get a hatch within the next week, so we’ll see how it goes. I still have the six keets in the incubator (I wish now I’d grabbed more eggs!) that I can add to the flock if needed. I’m hoping to avoid the integration process if possible though!