Guinea fowl questions

[GlennLee]

Hello guinea kinfolk,
First year my hen successfully raised 12 keets. Every year after they were found dead, 3 years running. .. im done. Nothing sadder than finding dead keets in the nest. I am buying an incubator this year....no more dead keetlets...can anyone recommend or give advice. Do i need an ovascope and im getting an auto turn. Bought a cheap pos didnt work with chicken eggs, gonna do this right regardless of cost. My birds ARE my world and i'm gonna do right by them, with help...

Hello Tacampbell1973 - lucky that your hen raised 12 keets on her own! That's what I am hoping for with my 3 females.. but unlucky and sad for you, it didn't continue. I'm so sorry to hear that... and I wish you luck in the world of incubation.

This is my first spring with guinea eggs and breeding, so I'm not going to give you any tried and true advice without personal experience, but I can recommend a wonderful book and let you know what I am doing now. After a cycle of working with it, I'll know better how to tweak things going forward.

I don't have an ovascope, only a flashlight candler - probably someone else could give you advice on that.

I have an HovaBator, no fan with an auto turner (not HovaBator). I bought a battery run temp/humidity reader that sits inside the incubator and keep track of the temp and humidity several times a day, making modifications based on the readings. The book I bought is Gail Damerow's Hatching and Brooding Your Own Chicks. I decided to add water rather than do a dry hatch.

There's a great reference on BYC if you are interested in a dry hatch.

It will probably take some trial and error before you get a consistent hatch rate. Would love to hear about your progress. I'll be sure to post mine when and if I am successful.

 

[Tacampbell1973]

Well sad,sad update on my guineas....last week while we were out of town in Arkansas (we live inWashington state) apparently a coyote picked off the lasst of my guinea flock one by one....my yard is so quiet now without them and I feel so empty. It was a crappy week for losing birds/. I lost 3 of 4 polish chicks to my own stupidity (didnt check water l;evel; before bed on an 80 degree day which are so rare here) oh and also came home to find my beloved Gold Lace Cochin Pepper gone too! Im still hoping against hope she is just brooding somewhere but havechecked the whole immediate yard.She is/was sorta fat and lazy (ok fluffy typical cochin) so unlike my other birds that go way up into the woods she usually broods in the barn or my planters...the barn she lkes was locked down with one mama and her 4 so it wasn't available. Anywho, moving on Ugh! Now I will bestarting over with an incubator and new guineas...
My Baby Pepper Ann

 

[GlennLee]

So sorry to hear about your losses. Very sad... that is the down side of free ranging; they are vulnerable to predators and they can be quickly consumed. I hope your Gold Laced Cochin Pepper. Fingers crossed that she will show up. Hang in there.... keep us posted if you get any new guineas. Best to you.

 

[lilybug51]

I have 8 guinea keets in a back porch brooder box. They need to move to larger quarters but don't have their grey feathers yet. When is it ok to move them to my larger outdoor brooder box? It has a slanted metal roof and plastic on the ends.

 

[GlennLee]

I moved mine out of the their brooding area with the additional heat lamp after they were 6 weeks and the temperature didn't get below 60 degrees. So, some is dependent on their age and feathering and some on the temp. Hope this helps.