First Hatch Ever

MeganJo

Hatching
7 Years
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. :)
 
Your Hen is more than likely split to Lavender (meaning one of her parents was a Lavender) and so she is carrying the Lavender (blue) gene, but with more of her eggs hatching soon you will most likely see some Pearl Grey keets too. You have to also take into account that unless you successfully hatch every egg she lays... the color percentage ratios are just "guestimates". If some were duds or had blood rings or quit during incubation at some point then those eggs might have been your Pearl Grey keets.

To get Coral Blue keets from that pair they would both need to be carrying the partially pearled gene (the keet needs the same type of gene from each parent, and a pair of genes is needed for the trait to show up in the keet)... the partially pearled gene is recessive to the fully pearled gene, so both birds could be carrying it (hidden). There could be a slight possibility that a Coral Blue keet will show up in your hatches, or even a Royal Purple. If they are both carrying the buff gene you may hatch other colors as well. I started with Pearl Greys and to my surprise I hatched Buff Dundottes and Royal Purples (plus Pearl Greys) from their eggs, and later down the road a couple Lavenders popped out. You just never know what's swimming around in their genetic make ups, and depending on how the genes pair up when the egg is fertilized is what determines what will hatch.

Hope that helps and didn't confuse you!
 
Thank you so much! I mean literally I couldn't find any info on the babies! Hopefully I may get some odd balls. So far all the eggs I've been able to check are fertile and growing, *knock on wood*. Heard peeps from 7/8th eggs this morning. Are guinea eggs naturally thicker shelled?
 
There is not much info out there available on Guinea Fowl Genetics, what little I know (and I emphasize little, lol) has been based mostly on my experiences with my own hatches over the years, and also knowing what's dominant and recessive. I get lost in all the technical genetic terms, and my head starts spinning, lol. I try to stick to the basics and do ok for the most part, but sometimes I'm scratching my head trying to figure certain things out
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Yes, Guineas have incredibly thick shells. And IMO, extra humidity for lock-down (70-75%) helps the keets hatch easier.
 
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Megan, It's good to see a new egg on the block. Sounds as if you have a very fertile little flock going there and good hatches as well! You are in good hands with PeepsCA. She is our official "unofficial" color expert. She has the most prettiest keets. Be sure and check out her pics on the thread name of A journal of sorts. They are so beautiful! Send us pics of yours as well! We all just love to see
Keet pictures!
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I enjoyed reading the story and was inspired to go hatch my guinea eggs and start to look for new Guineas to add to my flock..

I hope you enjoy them as much as I am going to enjoy looking for mre Guinea
 
Peeps CA ~ My Male has a purple sheen to his neck and the other pearl grey hen does not. Is that typical of Pearl greys?
Does your Hen have pearling all the way up to her neck, or just plain grey feathers un-pearled feathers but she's lacking the purple sheen? If she has a solid grey neck but it just lacking the purple sheen it just may be due to genetics.

These are Pied, and males... but maybe you can see what I mean about pearling up the way up the neck:
 
I have some keets that look like peepsCa.. what types of guinea are they I thought they were a cross between a pied and white.. Can anyone help
 

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