Did they kill it?

[My2butterflies]

Agree with R2elk that this egg will hatch very soon. It’s already “drawn down”, giving you a big, oddly shaped air cell, which is normal right before the internal pip. Here are a few pics I took 24 hr before the keets hatched!

Awesome!
I wonder, should bring them in? Or try and wait this hatch out?

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Awesome!
I wonder, should bring them in? Or try and wait this hatch out?

If you have room in your incubator you could bring them in... I guess your other option is to let moms hatch them and remove? Like chickens, I think that guinea moms CAN be good setters but poor moms, so they could injure the keets. I did have that happen last year, but I’m still dumb enough to try again this year...

 

[My2butterflies]

If you have room in your incubator you could bring them in... I guess your other option is to let moms hatch them and remove? Like chickens, I think that guinea moms CAN be good setters but poor moms, so they could injure the keets. I did have that happen last year, but I’m still dumb enough to try again this year...

Yeah I’m not ready to let her keep any keets. Haha.
Hmmm.... I‘ll give my current chicks a chance to hatch and plan to bring in the next round on weds. Since it looks like those will be ready for lockdown for sure by that point. Then I can remove my dud eggs that are still in the incubator and replace them with the ones from outside. My incubator has plenty of room for them
I will just need to check daily for any that hatch sooner then that. Hopefully the moms don’t hurt them or leave them to be killed by the others before I intervene.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Yeah I’m not ready to let her keep any keets. Haha.
Hmmm.... I‘ll give my current chicks a chance to hatch and plan to bring in the next round on weds. Since it looks like those will be ready for lockdown for sure by that point. Then I can remove my dud eggs that are still in the incubator and replace them with the ones from outside. My incubator has plenty of room for them
I will just need to check daily for any that hatch sooner then that. Hopefully the moms don’t hurt them or leave them to be killed by the others before I intervene.

Good luck! I’d love to hear updates on your hatch! Mine is getting close, Day 18!

 

[My2butterflies]

Good luck! I’d love to hear updates on your hatch! Mine is getting close, Day 18!

No progress with the other three yet:/ It’s been well over 24hrs. When should I be worried? I did a quick peek with the flashlight and there is movement in all three eggs still.
I took the one that hatched out. It was still a little wet even though it had stayed in the incubator for just over 24hrs.
Since moving him I’ve seen him drink and eat. Right now he’s just sleeping. I’m thankful he seems to be pretty content and not too noisy looking for others.
The long wait for the rest to hatch is killing me. lol

 

[R2elk]

No progress with the other three yet:/ It’s been well over 24hrs. When should I be worried? I did a quick peek with the flashlight and there is movement in all three eggs still.
I took the one that hatched out. It was still a little wet even though it had stayed in the incubator for just over 24hrs.
Since moving him I’ve seen him drink and eat. Right now he’s just sleeping. I’m thankful he seems to be pretty content and not too noisy looking for others.
The long wait for the rest to hatch is killing me. lol

You can put a small mirror in with the keet so it won't feel alone.

 

[My2butterflies]

You can put a small mirror in with the keet so it won't feel alone.

Good idea, I hadn’t thought of that. I was going to put a small stuffed animal in for it to cuddle, but was worried it might eat fibbers off of it. So it’s just been alone.
It so hot here, all windows open. The baby can here it’s parents outside making their calls and it peeps back. It’s cute and sad. I know the other guineas can’t here it, so it’s just the baby responding to hearing it’s kind.

 

[R2elk]

Good idea, I hadn’t thought of that. I was going to put a small stuffed animal in for it to cuddle, but was worried it might eat fibbers off of it. So it’s just been alone.
It so hot here, all windows open. The baby can here it’s parents outside making their calls and it peeps back. It’s cute and sad. I know the other guineas can’t here it, so it’s just the baby responding to hearing it’s kind.

Some people have found that the little ones like to crawl in among the feathers of a feather duster hung from the side of the brooder.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Good idea, I hadn’t thought of that. I was going to put a small stuffed animal in for it to cuddle, but was worried it might eat fibbers off of it. So it’s just been alone.
It so hot here, all windows open. The baby can here it’s parents outside making their calls and it peeps back. It’s cute and sad. I know the other guineas can’t here it, so it’s just the baby responding to hearing it’s kind.

When our lone keet was abandoned by its parents last year, I gave it a mirror and stuffed animal and that seemed to help. > 24 hours after external pip is a long time. That one with the long crack looked to me like it might have been trying to zip. If they are positioned poorly and can’t fully zip, then they will die in the egg. Do you have a philosophy about assisting a hatch? If you haven’t read it yet, this article is a good resource for how you might assist.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

 

[My2butterflies]

When our lone keet was abandoned by its parents last year, I gave it a mirror and stuffed animal and that seemed to help. > 24 hours after external pip is a long time. That one with the long crack looked to me like it might have been trying to zip. If they are positioned poorly and can’t fully zip, then they will die in the egg. Do you have a philosophy about assisting a hatch? If you haven’t read it yet, this article is a good resource for how you might assist.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

I am more then happy to help it as long as I don’t do more harm then good. I’ve had to assist a cat littler and dog litter before. Both times they were new moms that didn’t know what to do when too many babies were born close together.
Ive been trying to figure out when I should help. All three eggs have cracks. Two are hard to see, but they are there. I’ll read that thread and act accordingly. Thank you!