How long and how often to Gunieas go Broody?

[Joe.G]

I am just wondering how often and how common is it for Guniea hens to go broody? I have two Hens that get mounted by my Chicken Roo very often. My Buddies Guinea Hens has been sitting in a hollow tree stump for like six weeks now, and has hatched some Keets, she has Chicken eggs under her now.

 

[PeepsCA]

Guineas are seasonal layers, and typically in most areas (and depending on the set up, environment and predator load) a Hen can brood a clutch in the spring, raise them up until they can survive on their own, then breed again and start laying and hatch out one more clutch later in the year before the season is over... in the Fall when the days shorten. (Some Hens manage 3 broods per year). If not allowed to brood any keets then a Hen will normally just continue to lay 20-30 eggs at a time then go broody and if the eggs are taken or if she abandons the nest after going broody on it for a while for some reason (usually predators of some kind) she'll usually take a week or 2 to start laying again, and give it another try. I don't normally let my Hens go broody (I collect and incubate/sell/eat their eggs), so usually I collect anywhere from 150-200 eggs per year from each of my Hens.

 

[Joe.G]

Ok so un like a chicken guineas go broody very often if allowed, so in a few weeks when the chciken eggs hatch, we should take any eggs that are left away and that should stop her from being broody?

 

[PeepsCA]

Yes, take away the remaining eggs and destroy the nesting site (put a big rock or log in it). She will probably start laying again in a new spot tho, so I'd keep an eye on her.

 

[Joe.G]

Ok so I found her nest, it's about 100 Yards from the coop though the woods in a fern patch next to a rarely used out building. There seems to be a lot of eggs under her, My question is now what should I do, Take the eggs when she isn't around or let her sit. If they are fertile they are by my Chicken roo.
I found the nest by following her.

 

[PeepsCA]

Glad you found the nest. If possibly hatching some hybrids is worth the risk of losing your Hen to a predator, then leave her. If not then chase her off the nest, collect the eggs, destroy the nest and toss the eggs. She'll more than likely find a new place to lay again tho, unless you pen her up so she can only lay in the pen.

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

So, I have a question. Can you hatch out half guinea, half rooster chicks? Is that even possible? I tried to hatch out some once but none ever developed.

 

[JLeigh]

Hi, Erin. You can hatch hybrids if the eggs are fertile. They're very interesting looking. Do a search online about "Guin-hens" to get more info. I can't remember if the articles said that hybrids fathered by roosters are more hardy, or hybrids fathered by male guineas are more hardy. But if you let your female guinea sit on the nest, she's at high risk of being dinner for a predator. Me? I'd toss the eggs like PeepsCA said. If I really wanted a hybrid, I'd try to incubate the eggs myself.

Hey Peeps, I have a couple of questions about his too. Would a hybrid chicken/guinea be less likely to roam? Would the hybrid bird be infertile?

 

[Joe.G]

I wonder if the mixes lay good eggs? If I toss the eggs and get rid of the nest If she would start to come home again at night.

 

[PeepsCA]

Hi, Erin. You can hatch hybrids if the eggs are fertile. They're very interesting looking. Do a search online about "Guin-hens" to get more info. I can't remember if the articles said that hybrids fathered by roosters are more hardy, or hybrids fathered by male guineas are more hardy. But if you let your female guinea sit on the nest, she's at high risk of being dinner for a predator. Me? I'd toss the eggs like PeepsCA said. If I really wanted a hybrid, I'd try to incubate the eggs myself.

Hey Peeps, I have a couple of questions about his too. Would a hybrid chicken/guinea be less likely to roam? Would the hybrid bird be infertile?

I don't own chickens, so I've never experienced any hybrids in all my hatching, and I can't say if the hybrids would stick closer to home or not. If they are raised with chickens they might, but it's hard to say, especially since 50% of the (wild) blood and pea brain still comes from a Guinea, lol.

As far as I know all Guinea/chicken hybrids are sterile... like mules. I've also read that Guinea/chicken hybrids do not live very long...

Do a search here on BYC for "Miracle", a Guinea/chicken hybrid. There's a great thread all about her (I think it was an EE rooster that fathered her, I can't remember exactly tho since I'm not a chicken person, lol). There are good pics and updates as she matured. Unfortunately Miracle did not live very long