is it unusual for guineas to have 3 nest a year?

[featheredfriendlover]

i have 1 guinea hen who is working on her third nest this year. the first nest she had 35-40 eggs in it. that nest got destroyed. then she laid a second. she got up to 20 eggs in it and something got all but 8 of those eggs. i saved the 8 and they are under a black silkie hen ans under a white serama hen and are working on the their 6th day of incubation. well i have very skillfully learned the guineas hens call after she laid and egg so today 6,20,09 i followed the sound and found a third nest with 7 eggs in it. it is unusual for a guinea hen to have 3 nests a year and lay about 70 eggs? thanks to anyone who answers my question. im sure the guinea hen is very stressed. i feel quite bad for her.

 

[Marlinchaser]

Mine have more than that already, they tend to lay in the same spot till it is discovered then they move to a different spot, they seem to rarely go broody(thus 40 eggs did not trigger the there are enough eggs to sit on mechanism in thier brain) I have only had one decide to sit, and she only lasted a couple days then decided not to return to the nest, not sure if something spooked her but she went back to laying eggs instead of sitting.


P.S. Hens make better mothers anyway.

 

[featheredfriendlover]

thanks. the sounds like my story.

 

[bargain]

If you love your guineas and it sounds like you do! You don't want them to go broody unless they are in a protected area as when they actually do go broody, they
will NOT leave their nest. I lost 2 last year to this.

Also when the keets are born if the ground is wet at all they are soo prone to pneumonia and die within one-two days. So it's better to incubate or foster mom them.

Hope the hatch goes well.

 

[featheredfriendlover]

thanks. I ABSOLUTLEY LOVE MY GUINEAS!!!!! i have a question. i have been wondering exactually how long does it take before a guinea keet can go out in the grass without getting pneumonia .

 

[dykeswa]

It drives my wife crazzzy to have to look for the nest if you find them them and want the eggggs u need to piick them up before something else does

 

[featheredfriendlover]

yeah well it was hard for me to find the first one. but once i reconized the call she does after she lays an egg i found the other 2 very easily.

 

[featheredfriendlover]

anyone else out there????

 

[CurlyLindsay]

Sounds like a prolific layer- Have you tasted any?

My guineas just started laying about 2 weeks ago, I think their eggs are so much tastier than chicken eggs!

 

[shelleyd2008]

So far mine have layed about 40 eggs between the two hens, one is brooding right now, and the other has 8 keets. She hatched 9, but lost one. Her keets are about 3 weeks old.

But all those eggs are from one bird?? Guineas are very broody in my experience, but they usually wait till there are quite a few eggs in the nest. My two were laying in the same nest, and I was taking the eggs. They had gotten up to about 14 eggs when they both started setting on them. One of the hens quit, and about 2-3 weeks later she started laying again. I only see her in the late afternoon, pigging out and running everyone off, so I assume she is setting again. I have no idea where, but am expecting more keets in the next week or so.

But yes, they will keep laying eggs so long as you (or something else) keeps taking them, just like a chicken, or any other bird for that matter. They'll just make the nest that much harder to find the next time!