Guinea egg incubation question

[Sylviaanne]

On days 11 to 14 you are not supposed to move chicken eggs because that is supposed to be when the chicks are positioning themselves to hatch.

Is there a period of time like this for Guineas? If so, which days? Thanks.

 

[mommaguinea]

Mine rotate until day 25.

 

[R2elk]

On days 11 to 14 you are not supposed to move chicken eggs because that is supposed to be when the chicks are positioning themselves to hatch.

Is there a period of time like this for Guineas? If so, which days? Thanks.

From what I read about this, you are not supposed to candle the chicken eggs on those days. You still keep turning them.

 

[Sylviaanne]

Mine rotate until day 25.

If you constantly rotate, are you having good hatches?
I had mine in an egg turner and stopped the turner on day 25, I only had 9 hatch out of 12 eggs at lockdown.
I bought 29 and 14 of the eggs were not fertile at all.
I really am lousy at keeping records so I am not sure what happened with the missing 3 eggs.

 

[Sylviaanne]

From what I read about this, you are not supposed to candle the chicken eggs on those days. You still keep turning them.

I thought I read that you are supposed to leave them alone during those days. I need to look it up again.

Here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101 by SusieSunshine a little less than half way down the page says: Advice - Do not candle between 11 and 14 days of incubation, as it interrupts the movement of the embryo to the length axis of the egg.

It says nothing about turning or not turning but I would think the reason for not candling is because you have to handle the eggs which equal movement. I see no reason just shining a light into an egg would cause more or less movement inside the eggs but at the same time, a mama hen wouldn't know what day it is and would keep rotating them.

Hmm, she got that information from here: http://www.slideshare.net/HenryArts/pas-reform-academy-2012 page 28

For a BYC breeder, I don't know that this applies at all. I just had a very bad hatch and when I read my notes and found that they shouldn't have been moved between days 11 and 14, I thought maybe it was my fault. Now, I don't think so, that means I still don't know why such a poor hatch.

 

[mommaguinea]

Mine automatically rotate in the incubator every few hours. Day 25, I move them to my small incubator and set them still on the grid, with increased humidity. My last hatch, I had all but one hatch and he had unzipped almost all the way before quitting. Other hatches- I am about 85 - 90% . I have candled them at various stages with no noted ill effect.

Poor hatches happen- ya' can only imitate mamma nature to a certain point, and even when it is happening "naturally" under a hen, many do not hatch.

 

[Sylviaanne]

Mine automatically rotate in the incubator every few hours. Day 25, I move them to my small incubator and set them still on the grid, with increased humidity. My last hatch, I had all but one hatch and he had unzipped almost all the way before quitting. Other hatches- I am about 85 - 90% . I have candled them at various stages with no noted ill effect.

Poor hatches happen- ya' can only imitate mamma nature to a certain point, and even when it is happening "naturally" under a hen, many do not hatch.

Well, I think I am going to follow your example this time and the next time I have Guinea eggs. I have 2 incubators, one with a fan and I have 2 egg turners. I have Silkie eggs in the one with the fan/egg turner now but I hope to get more Guinea eggs next summer.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Hello:

Guinea eggs need to be rotated until day 24 and the humidity and temperature need to be no less than 70 and 95 respectively.

I take my eggs from the turner on day 24 or 25 and have had the keets hatch on day 26.

One should not move the eggs once they are out of the turner, but the early hatchlings will move them for you !!

The hatchlings stay in the incubator until all are hatched out. Then into a nice coozy 95 degree brooder with shavings
and a cover of that wierd padded foamy non slick stuff ones puts in their silver ware drawer.

I do watch on the day of hatching out to be sure non of them need assistance.

Hope this helps.
Guinea Goonie

 

[pheasant1]

Turning them up until the end will not hurt them unless you're doing it manually and opening up the machine losing
heat and humidity. In large machines eggs are moved to a hatching tray 3 or 4 days before they are due to hatch.
This gives them more room, enables you to set more in the turning trays and it's good to use a separate hatcher for sanitation.

 

[pheasant1]

On another note I use a GQF incubator, I candle my eggs after two weeks, room temperature fluctuations are bad and I never measure the humidity, just keep the tray have full of water. I do open the door to check for pip eggs and totally against helping chicks out of the shell. Mom doesn't do it in the wild.
The key to a good hatch is fresh eggs and unrelated stock (or no more than a generation or two of line breeding).