Guinea Fowl on 30 eggs!

[KAZROB]

I have a Guinea fowl and 2 others, however I thought one had disappeared only to find her on eggs, 30 plus eggs and here I was waiting patiently to see what a guinea fowl egg actually looked like in real life, as I am new to guinea fowl and ducks, but have 5 acres and they all share their surrounds nicely...My ducks and Guinea bed together at night and my chickens have their own hut.

My concerns if anyone has advice is that she has been sitting for a good month plus, she has slowly kicked out, pushed out?? some eggs and is now not sitting on as many, I collected the ones that were out and they had babies in them but were dead...I am wondering do I leave her, or think about removing her, she is out in the paddock in an open nest, but as the paddock she is in has 6 ft fences all around she is more protected than if she was in the open paddocks, I positioned a shelter over her, as she was totally in the weather...I really do not know what to do and for how much longer and when do you start counting guinea hatching time, from first egg or from sitting? I dont think I am going to get any keets, but still it is all new to me and would live some advice :_

 

[Percheron chick]

This is a late response but I'd pull 3-4 eggs and check them to see if they are viable. If they are either let her be or collect the eggs and finish them in an incubator. If she's been missing for a little over a month, they might only be about 21 days so still another 7-10 days to go. If the eggs that were pushed out of the nest had developing chicks, chances are the ones she is still sitting on were fertile as well. I'd try to hatch them at this point.

 

[ludwing]

thanks for the question.
you said you have had a hen sitting on eggs over a month plus, and ask to count incubation period, or let her continue or move her.
ok let me start here, guineafowls are not like chickens who you can do what you want. hens are more prone to abandon their nests if disturbed and are very particular about the privacy of their laying spots. guineahens usually share a nest, but a single hen normally lay 15 eggs so the first egg and the last egg hatch at the same time, to count incubation you start the day she began to sit. and will last about 26-28 days. if she kick out her eggs and roll them out of her nest she's starting to lose the interest of being broody because the clutch is'nt hatching, too many eggs under a single hen are results of low hatchability because she not capable of covering the whole clutch. the longer the female has been broody the les sh's to continue when removed.

 

[Hotcookie]

Mamas always seem to know when the eggs they're laying on are flukes - those are the ones they'll push out of the nest. If she's in a protected area, what difference does it make if you continue to let her sit for awhile longer? I always think it's best to let nature do it's thing....my females have been excellent mothers & teach their babies well. Unless you absolutely need more keets and want to hatch them inside yourself, let the hen continue to sit. Good luck.

 

[KAZROB]

Thanks, I have unfortunately been off line and have not had a computer until just recently Thanks so much for your response to my questions, I was not successful in my hen hatching any eggs, she would not leave the nest and so one day I seen her off them which was rare and I sneaked over and took two eggs and they had been fertile but were not living... I let her sit longer and then one day removed them all and she didn't seen bothered and just mingled happily....the two hens have started another clutch and there is about 18-20 eggs and not one of them has began to sit yet? Should I remove some so the clutch is not so big or just wait and see which one decides to sit and let them continue to lay their clutch, I am thinking this is going to be bigger then the other clutch///once again thanks for your help

 

[KAZROB]

Thanks, I have unfortunately been off line and have not had a computer until just recently Thanks so much for your response to my questions, I was not successful in my hen hatching any eggs, she would not leave the nest and so one day I seen her off them which was rare and I sneaked over and took two eggs and they had been fertile but were not living... I let her sit longer and then one day removed them all and she didn't seen bothered and just mingled happily....the two hens have started another clutch and there is about 18-20 eggs and not one of them has began to sit yet? Should I remove some so the clutch is not so big or just wait and see which one decides to sit and let them continue to lay their clutch, I am thinking this is going to be bigger then the other clutch///once again thanks for your help

 

[jjharris]

My little group is pushing one out all of a sudden??? Any ideas???