Fertile and Unfertile Eggs

[rwwjsw]

I have been incubating eggs most of the spring I have set over 30 eggs from one guinea in 4 different rounds. I am having a very hard time with them hatching. I have hatched 3 out of the 30. 4 out of the 27 eggs that did not hatch had a chick the rest were just plan unfertile looking eggs. I have been incubating chicken and quail eggs also out of all of them I have only had a couple that did not form. With my first hatch I had 1 chick the rest were unfertilized the 2nd round I had none fertilized the 3rd round I had 2 hatch and 4 formed but did not hatch and the batch I took out this morning had no fertilized. Does this make sense I have had these guineas about a year so I am new to the hatching thing with them is it that this is her first year laying? I am trying something new I have a broody chicken and I have put a couple of my guinea eggs under her and see what happens. As far as the incubator it is a LG the temp stayed between 99 and 101 most of the time had a hard time keeping the humidity in it but it averaged around 50 through the incubation and around 70 through the hatch. Does any one have any ideas? Thanks

 

[robin416]

It certainly sounds like a flock fertility problem. So many things could be the cause so you will have to give a better idea of what your flock keeping is like. You should be seeing more eggs fertilized even with a first year female.

 

[rwwjsw]

Well I have a large barn that I keep them in during the week I have the door open with a little fenced in area where they go out side and roam I keep them in there because I hade some dogs chase off their brothers so I only let them roam the yard on weekends when I am at home. They eat feed and cracked corn they live just like my hens and roosters nothing different I have no idea.

 

[bockbock2008]

How many males and females do you have?

 

[rwwjsw]

1 of each

 

[robin416]

Guineas require a higher protein level feed than many chicken feeds offer. If you are not giving them 24/26% protein level feed I would switch to that to see what happens.

And since yours can not be out free ranging on a regular basis that might be the reason for the low fertility.

I just reread that above line, it makes not sense if I don't say that without being able to free range daily to up their protein with bugs then their diet might be too low in the protein offered in the feed.

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

If I'm understanding this correctly, you have 1 male and 1 female correct? If you incubate 30 eggs at a time, that means that the oldest egg is a month or older in age. Eggs for hatching are best incubated within 2 weeks of being laid.

 

[bockbock2008]

Quote:
I went back and reread and here is the first line of the OP:

I have been incubating eggs most of the spring I have set over 30 eggs from one guinea in 4 different rounds.

So, on average they are probably 7 or 8 days old.

Could be the diet (lack of protien) or who know what else. It is easy enough to replace a male guinea. They are alot easier to find than the females.

 

[rwwjsw]

I usually try and set the eggs every 10 day or so. The feed thing is a thought I have been feeding them along with my roosters that roam the barn cracked corn and grower so that could be it I knew that quail needed high protein did not know about the guineas.