Laying eggs

[dudefromtampa]

wow lovely guys!
to me talking about guineas is like to eat a cheese' lol

Hi to everone" i've read your questions/answew about broody/laying.
guineas fowls take longer to hatch than chickens, but lay earlier than chickens(16 to 18 weeks)
in breeding time, breeding season generally follow good rains of early spring to late summer, if you want guineas to lay in the coop. in the early spring of breeding season provide covers like boards on the coop walls, and lock them until they lay an egg. the laying time in guineas is usually later mornings to early noon. guineas who lay in coop should have some hidden spots to hide their nests for privacy. they are good layers than chickens laying large clutches of 30 to 60 eggs and go broody but this is caused by egg dumping by other females, a single hen usually lay 15 eggs or 20 and then go broody. guineas who are enclosed to lay in coop are less interested of going broody because of feeling no privacy in the coop wich makes them lay more eggs and scatter them all over the coop.
oww funny bird"s

Thanks for this info. It seems like if you have a broody hen, you have to keep ALL of the guineas in (no free-ranging) during this time. Good if you want fertile eggs, bad for the morale of the flock.

;-)

 

[malinois]

If you keep them in, and gather eggs daily..( and the let them out??) do they still go broody after they lay the 30 eggs, or so? How many eggs a day can one hen lay? I have a chicken coop building, with nesting boxes built into the one side. I believe i have 7 hens, the coop has 8 boxes...will they chose a favorite laying box?
Sorry for the dumb questions, this is ALL new to me. Thank you in advance for all the information!

 

[Hotcookie]

Not true, Dude. I was lucky, I guess. One of my females started laying eggs in a nest outside of the coop, but we found it before she went broody. We took all the eggs out of it and knocked it down so she couldn't use it anymore. We then placed all the eggs in one of the nest boxes inside their coop. From then on, they continued to lay their eggs in the coop's nesting box, until there was a clutch of 30+ eggs. One of my females had successfully hatched out (and raised by herself) keets last year in the coop, so she was familiar with the procedure. While she was broody, though, all the rest of the flock would go outside everyday to free range. One or two of the males would always stay close by the door to the coop, keeping an eye on her. Keeping them locked inside until they lay their eggs is a good way to ensure where they'll lay. I think a lot of folks don't give the females enough credit when it comes to raising the babies. After they hatched, I made sure Mama didn't get out of the coop with the other members of the flock, and she did a fine job showing the babies where the food & water was, how to eat out of my hand, etc. They were finally old enough to leave the coop this week, and they followed her all around the yard, with one of the other females becoming her "helper" watching all the babies. What a cute sight that was!! Anyway, good luck with your flock, and keep us updated.

 

[Tacampbell1973]

If you keep them in, and gather eggs daily..( and the let them out??) do they still go broody after they lay the 30 eggs, or so? How many eggs a day can one hen lay? I have a chicken coop building, with nesting boxes built into the one side. I believe i have 7 hens, the coop has 8 boxes...will they chose a favorite laying box?
Sorry for the dumb questions, this is ALL new to me. Thank you in advance for all the information!

No such thing as a dumb question here....if they pertain to keepingn your animals happy and healthy then they are important.Plus you don't realize how many other peoples questions are being answered simultaneously. I was interested in the same questions you were, so we're all learning together,thhis is my first year with my own guiineas too

 

[Hotcookie]

Malinois........good questions!! : ) First of all, if you keep your girls inside until after they lay their daily egg, sure - let them go out afterwards to free range. You'll have much happier guineas! But in reality, that wasn't necessary with my females. If they see a clutch of eggs forming inside their coop (and that would be because you've gathered their eggs up and put them in one particular nesting box), more than likely, that's where they'll continue to lay their eggs - unless they've already started a nest outside. A female lays one egg per day. The reason why a clutch of eggs happen so quickly is because the other females will also begin laying their eggs in the nest - it will become a communal nest. Hope this answers some questions for you!!!

 

[dudefromtampa]

Malinois........good questions!! : ) First of all, if you keep your girls inside until after they lay their daily egg, sure - let them go out afterwards to free range. You'll have much happier guineas! But in reality, that wasn't necessary with my females. If they see a clutch of eggs forming inside their coop (and that would be because you've gathered their eggs up and put them in one particular nesting box), more than likely, that's where they'll continue to lay their eggs - unless they've already started a nest outside. A female lays one egg per day. The reason why a clutch of eggs happen so quickly is because the other females will also begin laying their eggs in the nest - it will become a communal nest. Hope this answers some questions for you!!!

Definitely good intel to have on these unusual creatures. Thanks Hotcookie and everyone else for the valuable information.

Now, we have winter to battle. It's supposed to snow today/tonight.

Last night, when I went to close up the A-frame (I let the guineas out for about 2 hours to free range before dark), 5 of the 10 guinea we have, flew up high in the tree near the A-frame I built for them. I am guessing they don't like the fact I keep them confined most of the day now, and they were making a statement.

 

[malinois]

Thanks to all of you for making us newbies feel welcome, and not so dumb! I wish i had more time to post pics and other questions, but with dogs, cats horses and guineas, and self employment, my only time to chat is this late at nite. But i really do enjoy the company of this forum. Thanks. Keep the info coming?

 

[malinois]

So tonites dilema, at dusk, the one male, and other 6 hens had gone into the coop. They CONSTANTLY harass one blueish hen...she is always on the outside of the group....way outside. WHY would they do this to her? She was set down in the grass and snow...about 10 feet from the coop. I maneuvered her around, and got her to go into the coop but if i had not come along, i am not sure how the night would have ended for her. What do you all think?

 

[ludwing]

i have no idea to what to say to your question because sounds odd to me, first are you sure the bluish guinea is a hen
because i' never heard/saw any guinea hen get harassed by other guineas. as i' can tell is female guineas are more social than males but for now im just sooo cleulesssss"

 

[enola]

Guineas like to eat bugs that are stuck in vehicle grills.