Keets hatching question

[Dmontgomery]

If a single hen spends 4 weeks laying eggs, then another 4 weeks sitting on them, how long does it take all the keets to hatch out? How can they all possibly hatch within just a couple days of each other?

 

[R2elk]

If a single hen spends 4 weeks laying eggs, then another 4 weeks sitting on them, how long does it take all the keets to hatch out? How can they all possibly hatch within just a couple days of each other?

The key here is if a single hen lays all the eggs in the nest and then goes broody on that clutch without laying any more eggs after going broody, the incubation does not start until she goes broody so all the eggs are due at the same time.

In real life it is rare for one guinea hen to use the nest by herself or even go broody on the nest by herself. It is also rare for the other hens to stop laying in that nest after she has gone broody. Because of these factors it is unlikely for all the eggs to hatch at the same time and is common for it to cause extended hatches or for the hen to abandon the nest before the hatch is completed.

 

[Rickba]

Hi, Keets hatch 26 to 28 days. The first ones layed will hatch first then as they were layed. You can't rush Mother Nature. Mama Guinea knows what she's doing. Be patient.
God Bless, Rick

 

[R2elk]

Hi, Keets hatch 26 to 28 days. The first ones laid will hatch first then as they were laid. You can't rush Mother Nature. Mama Guinea knows what she's doing. Be patient.
God Bless, Rick

It doesn't matter which eggs were laid first, what matters is when incubation started. Other than that, you are correct.

 

[justin shrew]

and in that, it depend on the raised of the flock for nesting grounds and egg hatchings. all the eggs hatch at the same time,new or old eggs. guineas like sharing a nest,especial if one male has more than one hen. a if one hen goes broody, the rest of the hens will still lay while shes broody, causing the eggs to hatch at different days, or even the broody hen leaves the nest still full of eggs.

In my flock, ive never heard any hens sharing the nest or cock being polygamous. when the breeding begins, they roam further to the woods, never nested in the backyard. so every season we hunt nest the woods or somewhere far hidden. some people say guinea eggs hatch in 26 to 28 days. it seems like to me its 23 to 25 days.
when a flock is raised in an enclosed background, usually all the females will share that nest. but when the flock is let wild, each female will seek its hidden spot, lays eggs. some people say guineas are not good brooders. no! guineas make good brooders, but not parenting. last year we heard a guinea hen hatch out 27 eggs which was not her own, mixed with chicken eggs. And in my experience as the hen gets older the broodiness and mothering becomes a bond a her. some make good mothers,some dont its a virse versa.