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

[New adventure]

I just read on PurelyPoultry.com that in a 32 week laying season, a guinea averages 160 eggs. Do they always try to hide them, or will they lay in the coop/nests?

 

[Marlinchaser]

I know people that keep thiers locked up, and they will sometimes lay in nest boxes, or just dig a whole in the floor shavings lay thier eggs, and consider them hidden.

 

[featheredfriendlover]

thanks for everyones advice. i am wondering if she had 40 eggs in her nest why she didnt sit on them. well i would lock them up if i could catch them but thats not gonna happen. there to fast. well i can catch 1 easily but the female(the one i need most) has her boyfriend(s) that let her know when something is comming and then she takes off. so i cant catch her. i know how to find there nests now all i got to do it listen to her call. then go to where ever the call is commming from.

 

[CurlyLindsay]

If they'll go in the coop- could you just lock them in?

 

[Marion]

Guineas are strange critters for sure. We pen ours up when they start laying if we want eggs, other than that they free range and nest where they please. When a hen hatches her chicks on her own we gather them up and brood them in a brooder though because of the wet grass thing, but I can tell you from experience that they (mom AND dad) will go after you full force when you try to get close to their offspring!

 

[deeszoo]

We just took the keets and the rest of the eggs away from one of our hens. She set her nest until 3 of the keets hatched, and then abandoned the rest of the eggs. We have 10 keets that hatched so far, and there are at least 2 more that are moving. But, they aren't all on the same day of incubation.

The other hen was dividing her time between 3 nests. Two were in the chicken nests in the barn, and one was in the grass behind the barn. Something got the eggs in the grass. Last week I candled her nests, and surprisingly most of them were developing. We just left things the way they are. I am going to candle again and put all the live ones in the same nest this week.

We don't have a running incubator this year, so we are letting the hens hatch their babies. But, they aren't such good mammas. Year before last, we coudln't find the nest. She hatched like 20 babies. We found them in the morning before work but had to wait until after work to catch the babies. There were only 7 left. So it pays to bring them in right before they hatch if you can.