HENS LAYING FERTILE AND INFERTILE EGGS...

[critters]

THEY ARE YOUNG GUINEAS I HAVE PENNED UP...
DO YOU THINK THEY ARE LAYING INFERTILE EGGS BECAUSE THEY ARE YOUNG?

I HAVE 4 MALES AND 4 FEMALES PENNED UP.....OUT OF SAY 20 EGGS, MAYBE 4 WILL BE FERTILE...
THE BIRDS ARE UNDER A YEAR, THINK NOVEMBER THEY TURN 1 YEAR....MID TO LATE NOVEMBER...
THEY WERE A LATE HATCH.....

MY FREE RANGERS, WHEN I CAN FIND THEIR EGGS, SEEM TO BE DOING WELL....100% FERTILE.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? JUST AGE??

 

[PeepsCA]

Nope, my first timers/pullets are fertile myrtles, lol. IME, being penned up during the breedings season stresses them out (too much aggression) and affects their breeding "routine". My breeding flocks that are allowed out to free range at least 4-6 or so hours a day have a pretty decent fertility rate, but it's never 100% like it is with my full time free range flock. I had a full time penned flock 2-3 seasons ago and the fertility was horrible. So free ranging, even a few hours a day does help.

If all 4 of your Hens are laying eggs but you are only getting 4 out of 20 that are fertile, then my guess is that only 1 Hen is being or has been bred so far (remember Hens can carry the sperm in their body for about a couple of weeks and use it to fertilize their eggs). The males are probably spending too much time being territorial and possessive over the Hens and they just aren't getting the deed done like they should be doing, plus the Hens are probably staying clear of all the aggression between the males.

Your fertility with that flock should improve some as the season progresses, but I realistically wouldn't ever expect it to be 100%.

 

[critters]

ok...guess that sounds right...

as I said the free rangers are doing well...

afraid if I let the penned group out, I won't get them back in...

have several free rengers wanting in tho...

....if they only knew!

 

[6Esandchicks]

Will they fight ..........well we have two guineas about 6-7weeks old we are going back to Nebraska while my dad deploys, and it will take two days to get there and I want to know if I should put two 11week old calm chickens in with them . Should I do that?And also how do you get the smiley faces and quote to work? (I can't figure that our)

 

[critters]

Will they fight ..........well we have two guineas about 6-7weeks old we are going back to Nebraska while my dad deploys, and it will take two days to get there and I want to know if I should put two 11week old calm chickens in with them . Should I do that?And also how do you get the smiley faces and quote to work? (I can't figure that our)

can't answer if they will fight for sure but think they would be ok?? hopefully someone else will see and answer....maybe
ask that question on new thread, started by you...

using "quote"....after you have read something and u want to quote just click on "quote" box in lower right corner and it will set you
up with the quoted post.....
smiley faces can be obtained when you post something by clicking on the 'smiley face' in the boxed area at top of your post.
just click and pick

 

[PeepsCA]

Have the chickens and Guineas been exposed to each other at all before this? If not, it may not work out so well unless you have a large coop with lots of roosts and places for the birds to hide behind (but not get stuck behind) while they are penned up. I would make sure there is more than one feeder and one waterer. Typically keets that young aren't overly aggressive, but you just never know what will happen. If you can keep them in the same coop, but separated by wire... that would be my first choice on what to do, so that they have their own space, but also have company at the same time.

 

[critters]

Peeps knows her stuff. Take her advice if you have the space.