Hatching Guinea keets... Questions

[Pyxis]

I use a 60 watt incandescent spotlight in the house. It' high enough to be safe yet projects enough heat to be sufficient. I move the light up according to the keets and how they position themselves from the light.

In the coop I use a heat lamp. The brooder fixture has three setting; high, low and off. I've found guinea keets to be quite hardy.

Yep, for my indoor brooding I did use a heat bulb - but a 60 watt red one made for reptiles. It had the benefits of the red light vs clear light and was small enough that it kept everything as warm as it needed to be, but didn't overheat anything.

 

[sunflower7]

The reason I do not open my incubator any more until the hatch day has past is years back when I did that, seemed most of the unhatched eggs would not hatch about every time. My mother had the same problem, my step sister, several of my friends all had the same problem. Then I started just leaving them in until the day after the hatch date and I had some good hatches. Then I shared this with my Mother and everyone and they to let them stay in and they two had great hatches, for many hatches----some friends to this day still hatch a few times a year and still have good hatches---leaving them in.

OK after getting on this forum----I have found out that a lot say they have good hatches opening at will!! So my conclusion is---Location----got to be. Maybe if I did like some and opened at will then become a hands-on-hatcher---help the ones that need it----maybe I would have a lot better hatches than I did years back when I opened at will?? Not sure?? I know now---I do not have to open to help---I just let them sit tight until its time to open and take all out----which most of the time that number will be close 100% hatch.

When a Newbie doesn't feel comfortable opening---I just let them know I have a better hatch leaving it closed.

What I have found out on here is that a newbie with no experience has a lot better luck just leaving everything closed than a newbie that opens all the time. So I never suggest to a newbie to open and remove at will----if they feel comfortable at it--its their incubator.

The ones that open at will and have great hatches----that's Good---continue doing what works---that's What I do.

It sounds like you have a lot of experience hatching guineas. I have tried and tried and tried again and just have the worst luck with them. Their shells are so hard compared to chicken eggs. Our last hatch was about 35 in the incubator and we only got 10 to hatch. Out of those 10,, there were bent foot problems in 4 of them. So disappointing! Do you have any good advice when hatching keets? I used the same temp and humidity I have used for chickens. Our eggs were gathered from our own adult guineas. Before lockdown, we candled and only put the full eggs in there to hatch. We waited until about day 34 and nothing else happened so cracked the remainders open. They were fully formed birds that didn't hatch. Now my chick eggs are doing the same thing. I am exasperated beyond belief! Any help?

 

[PD-Riverman]

It sounds like you have a lot of experience hatching guineas. I have tried and tried and tried again and just have the worst luck with them. Their shells are so hard compared to chicken eggs. Our last hatch was about 35 in the incubator and we only got 10 to hatch. Out of those 10,, there were bent foot problems in 4 of them. So disappointing! Do you have any good advice when hatching keets? I used the same temp and humidity I have used for chickens. Our eggs were gathered from our own adult guineas. Before lockdown, we candled and only put the full eggs in there to hatch. We waited until about day 34 and nothing else happened so cracked the remainders open. They were fully formed birds that didn't hatch. Now my chick eggs are doing the same thing. I am exasperated beyond belief! Any help?

I have not had a problem hatching them---usually 95 to 100% every hatch for my own eggs. What kind of incubator? How do you have the humidity? The Temp? Are you a hands on hatcher when they start hatching---opening the incubator when you get ready to take out hatched ones or to add water, etc??? Do the ones that hatch----hatch on time or late/or early??

 

[sunflower7]

I have not had a problem hatching them---usually 95 to 100% every hatch for my own eggs. What kind of incubator? How do you have the humidity? The Temp? Are you a hands on hatcher when they start hatching---opening the incubator when you get ready to take out hatched ones or to add water, etc??? Do the ones that hatch----hatch on time or late/or early??

My incubator is a little giant. We have had 4 of them. I know they aren't the best, but I used them mostly in my classroom. The temp was 99.5 and I usually left the humidity alone (it was always about 49%) until lockdown and then added moisture on a sponge until it was about 70% . The ones that did hatch just popped out, but then I had the many that were fully developed and just laid there.

 

[sunflower7]

I have not had a problem hatching them---usually 95 to 100% every hatch for my own eggs. What kind of incubator? How do you have the humidity? The Temp? Are you a hands on hatcher when they start hatching---opening the incubator when you get ready to take out hatched ones or to add water, etc??? Do the ones that hatch----hatch on time or late/or early??

I forgot to answer some of your other questions. I don't candle them until lockdown and then discard the eggs. I don't take out the hatched ones for about 2 or 3 days and am ready to put a little very hot water back in the incubator so no drying occurs. But no, I never flip the lid off and on. I add water with a funnel in the vent hole onto a sponge in the incubator for humidity so do not have to open lid for that either.

 

[PD-Riverman]

How old are the eggs usually when you put them in the incubator?

 

[PD-Riverman]

Is the Little giants you are using---the newer ones with the built in meters or the older and do they have a fan in them?

 

[sunflower7]

How old are the eggs usually when you put them in the incubator?

This last batch, we had to wait 9 days before we had enough. We put the eggs in the basement where it is cool, and went ahead and put them in the moving racks in the incubator without the heat until it was full.

 

[sunflower7]

Is the Little giants you are using---the newer ones with the built in meters or the older and do they have a fan in them?

The little giants we have had always had a fan in them, but this last new one we bought has a suspended gauge that measures the heat and humidity. It hangs from the ceiling - doesn't touch the floor or the eggs. The old ones had that wire thing on the plastic square that rested on the eggs.

 

[sunflower7]

What kind of incubator do you use?