Incubating Guinea Eggs

[chicksooner]

I think due to the crazy weather we have had this year my guineas are laying rather regularly. I was thinking of collecting and incubating to see what I get. Is the process any different than chicken eggs? Can i incubate with chicken eggs? How does the keet get out of that shell. They are hard as rocks to crack.

 

[JLeigh]

Chickens incubate in about 21 day, guineas in about 28 (some hatch earlier though). I wouldn't incubate them together because you would have a dramatic fluctuation in temp and humidity in the incubator when the chickens hatch out - but I'm a novice at hatching so I do things the safest way possible. Peeps, for example, has a TON of experience hatching.

My opinion? If you're new to hatching, keep it simple.

I asked myself the same question about those shells, . Those tiny little birds breaking those thick shells...I guess nature has it figured out though!

 

[chicksooner]

21 days vs 28 days would complicate lock down. I really need a hatcher.

Same temps and humidity levels apply?

 

[PeepsCA]

Same temp and RH, tho IME keets do hatch a little easier with a little higher humidity for lock-down... I usually have my RH up around 70-75%, sometimes 80%. You can incubate both types of eggs together, just put the chicken eggs in 7 days after you start your Guinea eggs, so whatever is fertile will all hatch together.

 

[chicksooner]

Same temp and RH, tho IME keets do hatch a little easier with a little higher humidity for lock-down... I usually have my RH up around 70-75%, sometimes 80%. You can incubate both types of eggs together, just put the chicken eggs in 7 days after you start your Guinea eggs, so whatever is fertile will all hatch together.

Of course. I should have thought of that.

With the dry air here I usually lockdown with 70-75% as it tends to dry up little faster. Might just experiment after the bator is cleaned up from this hatch. Do you store guinea eggs for hatching like you would chicken?

 

[PeepsCA]

I store mine in my spare bedroom which is always under 70 degrees and somewhat humid from a fish tank that's in there... I put the eggs in clean/new egg cartons, with one end elevated up on a couple books, switching ends a couple times a day while they are stored (to simulate turning them). I try to incubate them within 7-10 days of collecting them, but you can get away with up to 14 days. That's about the point the viability starts to decline, fairly rapidly.

 

[chicksooner]

I store mine in my spare bedroom which is always under 70 degrees and somewhat humid from a fish tank that's in there... I put the eggs in clean/new egg cartons, with one end elevated up on a couple books, switching ends a couple times a day while they are stored (to simulate turning them). I try to incubate them within 7-10 days of collecting them, but you can get away with up to 14 days. That's about the point the viability starts to decline, fairly rapidly.

That is how I store my chicken eggs. Thanks for the help.