help

[caljane17]

My guinea hen sat on her eggs for 6 days outside before i found her. i moved both her and the eggs to the coop, but she refused to sit on the eggs. she sat by them, so i put them in an incubator after 36 hours. is there a chance they will hatch? do i subtract the 6 days she sat on them so the eggs should hatch in 22 days? thx royce

 

[red horse ranch]

Seems like keets are really tough little critters! I've had them hatch when the odds were very much against them making it. You should be candling the eggs regularly to check on development. If the air cell starts dropping down on one side then they are getting within a few days of hatching. Put them in lockdown at that time whether it is day 18 or 25.

 

[caljane17]

thx--this is my first time. what exactly is lockdown. i know i'm suppose to quit turning them and increase humidity. what else? also, when they hatch-how long do i leave them in the incubator before i put them in their nest under lights with food and water?

 

[red horse ranch]

Lockdown is usually the last 3 days. Eggs are removed from the turner, water is added to the humidity trays, and the lid is put back on. It shouldn't be opened again until the babies hatch.
When to remove the babies is a tough thing to decide. If they all hatched at the same time it would be easy to take them all out together. But it doesn't usually happen that way. The hatch may be 2 to 3 days from start to finish. It is recommended to leave them in for 24 hours but I rarely do that. Usually more like 6 to 8 hours for mine. Just remember that every time the lid is opened that you will lose humidity. I usually have the vaporizer turned on and pointed at the incubator to up the room humidity. I don't remove a chick or keet if another one is pipped or hatching. If you do remove a keet it should be done quickly. I will then shoot a mist of water into the incubator being careful not to get much on the other eggs.

Humidity is the most critical part of the final 3 days. If it is too low the inner membrane of the egg will shrink wrap around the keet and it will not be able to hatch without help. Feel free to ask for help here if you think this may have happened. You should never assist a hatch unless the egg has been pipped for 18 to 24 hours.There are articles on this message board about assisted hatching and always someone online to answer your questions. Good luck!

 

[caljane17]

thx--i tried to candle the eggs but couldn't see anything. i'm pretty sure they are fertilized. i saw the male and female together a could of times. when i hold the light under the eggs i don't really see anything.

 

[red horse ranch]

When you candle an egg you should hold the light against the top wide part of the egg. This is where the air cell is and you will be able to see better what is in the egg. If the light is at the small end of the egg is will be all dark. The room needs to be completely dark (at night or in a windowless closet) and the light very bright. If the eggs were sat on for 6 days there would just be a small dark spot somewhere in the egg. If a guinea egg has been developing for 10 days you will likely see the keet moving around inside if it is alive.

 

[caljane17]

oh, thx. that will be exciting. i was doing it wrong. i had it on the long side. i'll do it again. she sat on them for 6-7 days and they have been in the incubator for 3 days so i should be able to see something. i'll let you know. thx so much

 

[red horse ranch]

If you aren't sure of what you are seeing, put the egg back in the incubator and wait 3 or 4 more days. Let me know what you see.

 

[caljane17]

i did it like you said and could clearly see the babies but none that i looked at appeared to be moving. they are not quite at 10 days. also, there were the 2 days when the hen wouldn't sit on them before i put them in the incubator. i will wait a few more days. thx
ps there were 3 eggs that i had put in the frig and decided to try them. The mass in them was very condensed at the bottom. they have only been in the incubator for a couple of days. i guess i should throw them out. royce

 

[red horse ranch]

I wouldn't give up on any of them yet. Just wait a few days and try again.