- May 19, 2012
- 5
- 0
- 9
Hello!! Quick intro of my guinea flock:
When our chicken flock was being let out to free range every day, they brought home a rather peculiar specimen into the coop one night. Something small, with a horn on its head. With some research, by golly we ended up with an adopted little Pearl Gray guinea. After reading into sexing, she started to buck-wheat! A hen!!
When she got a little older, I went out and bought her a handsome lavender cock to pair up with. The first week was touchy, but since then, they've become inseparable. I have never witnessed them mate, but about a month ago she started to lay. Her first eggs as they're almost one year old now. Every day she holds true to her one egg. She lays between 11am and 3pm normally. We always take her eggs as we wanted to see if we could hatch babies! We have a beautiful incubation area set up, and tried our luck.
Our first egg was set on the 3rd, and hatched Wednesday. 27 days. Looks to be a lavender? We had 3 babies hatch last night from the 4th, 5th, and 6th. 27, 26, 25 days incubation. Our settings on the incubator is for chickens, 99.5 degrees and 50% humidity. We have found 50 works best on ours. 3 days from hatching, we remove them and place the eggs into a styrofoam incubate which is our hatcher/first brooder for the first 2 days. By no means are we a large operation but we have hatched out upwards of 100 chicken eggs and now 4 guinea eggs!
Anyway, back to my question...
All four guineas look to be lavender?? None of them even remotely look like a pearl gray keet in the books. They're definitely lavenders or another color? They look the same. Lavender papa, pearl gray momma. From what I have read is the pearl gray coloring is indefinitely dominant. Unless I've mistaken myself, shouldn't these keets been pearl gray? I'm so confused. I've researched trying to read into color breedings, etc but I stumble upon scientific research-which I CAN understand but it's elongated and lengthy and I still don't get my answer! Haha
Would someone maybe explain what happened? As one was a stray, and the other bought for her, I have no knowledge of their color genetics. All I know is I have 4 lavender babies with more hatching...maybe different variations later? Figured maybe 50/50 pearl gray and lavender, and more honestly I had figured 75/25 pearl gray, lavender.
Stumped,
Megan
Can shoot you guys a pic, but they look like they are textbook lavender right now so I don't feel it necessary. Had hoped on possibility (shot in the dark) of coral blue, but no knowledge on how this color is bred, as many don't like to share their genetic "secrets" without being scientific. I'm sure to try to confuse, as I know how wonderful the feeling is on having something others don't. Everyone does.
When our chicken flock was being let out to free range every day, they brought home a rather peculiar specimen into the coop one night. Something small, with a horn on its head. With some research, by golly we ended up with an adopted little Pearl Gray guinea. After reading into sexing, she started to buck-wheat! A hen!!
When she got a little older, I went out and bought her a handsome lavender cock to pair up with. The first week was touchy, but since then, they've become inseparable. I have never witnessed them mate, but about a month ago she started to lay. Her first eggs as they're almost one year old now. Every day she holds true to her one egg. She lays between 11am and 3pm normally. We always take her eggs as we wanted to see if we could hatch babies! We have a beautiful incubation area set up, and tried our luck.
Our first egg was set on the 3rd, and hatched Wednesday. 27 days. Looks to be a lavender? We had 3 babies hatch last night from the 4th, 5th, and 6th. 27, 26, 25 days incubation. Our settings on the incubator is for chickens, 99.5 degrees and 50% humidity. We have found 50 works best on ours. 3 days from hatching, we remove them and place the eggs into a styrofoam incubate which is our hatcher/first brooder for the first 2 days. By no means are we a large operation but we have hatched out upwards of 100 chicken eggs and now 4 guinea eggs!
Anyway, back to my question...
All four guineas look to be lavender?? None of them even remotely look like a pearl gray keet in the books. They're definitely lavenders or another color? They look the same. Lavender papa, pearl gray momma. From what I have read is the pearl gray coloring is indefinitely dominant. Unless I've mistaken myself, shouldn't these keets been pearl gray? I'm so confused. I've researched trying to read into color breedings, etc but I stumble upon scientific research-which I CAN understand but it's elongated and lengthy and I still don't get my answer! Haha
Would someone maybe explain what happened? As one was a stray, and the other bought for her, I have no knowledge of their color genetics. All I know is I have 4 lavender babies with more hatching...maybe different variations later? Figured maybe 50/50 pearl gray and lavender, and more honestly I had figured 75/25 pearl gray, lavender.
Stumped,
Megan
Can shoot you guys a pic, but they look like they are textbook lavender right now so I don't feel it necessary. Had hoped on possibility (shot in the dark) of coral blue, but no knowledge on how this color is bred, as many don't like to share their genetic "secrets" without being scientific. I'm sure to try to confuse, as I know how wonderful the feeling is on having something others don't. Everyone does.