How many eggs could/should I let in my quinea hen's nest.

[PAGuineau]

How many eggs could/should I let in my Guinea hen's nest. Must have multiple hens laying, must be 50 eggs now. Surely a hen can't hatch out that many?

 

[DobieLover]

If guinea hens are anything like chicken hens, just because they've laid eggs doesn't mean they are broody and want to set them. And once a hen goes broody, you need to set all the eggs you want her to hatch at once so they all hatch at generally the same time. She should be able to cover 25-30 eggs.
Are one of your hens broody?

 

[PAGuineau]

If guinea hens are anything like chicken hens, just because they've laid eggs doesn't mean they are broody and want to set them. And once a hen goes broody, you need to set all the eggs you want her to hatch at once so they all hatch at generally the same time. She should be able to cover 25-30 eggs.
Are one of your hens broody?

The hen isn't broody yet. Last year was the first time I had hens in the flock. One hen laid in the coop. Once there were about fifty eggs I figured she wasn't going to brood so I took 24 eggs and gave to a neighbor with an incubator. A few days later the hen started to brood and ended up hatching out 17 keets. The other hen had a nest in the shrubs outside. I thought she had been taken by a predator and had no idea she was on a nest. She also hatched out 17 keets. This year I have 50 plus eggs in the coop and just can't imagine a hen could set on that many.

 

[TwoCrows]

@PAGuineau

Sounds like this is a communal nest. Birds don't automatically go broody and want to set on eggs just because the eggs are there. The desire to hatch chicks is hormone driven along with genetics. Some birds are always broody and will even set on rocks if no eggs are available, others never once go broody in their lives. I wouldn't count on your birds doing much with these eggs unless you have seen broody activity with them. If these eggs are outside, I wouldn't leave them around to attract predators.

As for how many eggs can they incubate, all eggs must fit under the body of the bird. Eggs hanging out the sides of her body will not get incubated properly. 25 eggs under a guinea is a good clutch.

 

[PAGuineau]

@PAGuineau

Sounds like this is a communal nest. Birds don't automatically go broody and want to set on eggs just because the eggs are there. The desire to hatch chicks is hormone driven along with genetics. Some birds are always broody and will even set on rocks if no eggs are available, others never once go broody in their lives. I wouldn't count on your birds doing much with these eggs unless you have seen broody activity with them. If these eggs are outside, I wouldn't leave them around to attract predators.

As for how many eggs can they incubate, all eggs must fit under the body of the bird. Eggs hanging out the sides of her body will not get incubated properly. 25 eggs under a guinea is a good clutch.

Thanks for the information. I will remove all but 25 eggs and see what happens. Since two of the hens hatched out last year I assumed (and we know what that means) that they had the hormones and genetics to do it again. Wishful thinking on my part I guess.

 

[TwoCrows]

Thanks for the information. I will remove all but 25 eggs and see what happens. Since two of the hens hatched out last year I assumed (and we know what that means) that they had the hormones and genetics to do it again. Wishful thinking on my part I guess.

Spring and early summer may perk up the hormones, keep us posted if one starts to incubate the eggs! Oh and of course an incubator can be an instant broody.

 

[Coveykn]

@PAGuineau

Sounds like this is a communal nest. Birds don't automatically go broody and want to set on eggs just because the eggs are there. The desire to hatch chicks is hormone driven along with genetics. Some birds are always broody and will even set on rocks if no eggs are available, others never once go broody in their lives. I wouldn't count on your birds doing much with these eggs unless you have seen broody activity with them. If these eggs are outside, I wouldn't leave them around to attract predators.

As for how many eggs can they incubate, all eggs must fit under the body of the bird. Eggs hanging out the sides of her body will not get incubated properly. 25 eggs under a guinea is a good clutch.

I have a communal nest and I have one bird that sits on them during the day but also goes out to free range. She has two nests she has been sitting on. One nest had 21 and the other had 4. She sat on the big nest Saturday and Sunday sat on the little nest. When I left on Monday they had 25 in the big nest and now they have 33-35 eggs.