Mom left nest - Amazingly one hatched!

[glenolam]

I found one of our guinea's nests in a thick brush pile. She was heavily covered by the brush and only came out once a day, usually in the late morning. It took me two weeks for me to find her nest and once I did, I made sure to just vaguely look in on her every now and then so I didn't disturb her.

Well, when we got hit with "Hurricane Earl" (actually it was quite pathetic in my area, thankfully, and we only got a little wind and rain) she left in the morning and returned to the chicken coop that night with everyone else. I decided to take her nest as it was obvious she wasn't returning that night and I didn't want the eggs out in the cold and rain. We fired up the incubator, didn't even give it a chance to warm up and put the eggs in. I had little hope as all were wet, cold and dirty and I didn't see any movement when candled.

Yesterday, a little over a week later, I noticed a pip and later in the evening a little keet hatched out! I was completely amazed! Now I'm just hoping for the best that the rest of them also surprise me. Luckily, I had two chicks hatch out about a week ago, so the new keet has some company.

Wish them luck!

 

[MuranoFarms]

awwwwww!
Good luck keets!

 

[glenolam]

The first keet made it through so far and when I checked the incubator this morning we had another pip! 5 eggs to go, 1 pipped, I'm so hoping the rest hatch! I'm still just amazed they lived through a day of rain and no hen!

 

[cgmccary]

It is always amazing when this happens. So many times I have been so careful with incubator eggs and then have a poor hatch. Once I had a brooding (chicken) hen whose nest got invaded, and I found one of the eggs out in the run on a cold, rainy night (35-40 F out that night). It had fallen a couple of feet, and the egg was completely cold, laying in a puddle of cold water. I could not detect any movement or life when I candled it (about a week before hatching). I had it on the kitchen counter for about an hour. Since it wasn't cracked, I put it back under the hen. It hatched with the other eggs. She hatched them all.

When your stock has vigor, the eggs can go through a lot and still end up hatching. Also, the first week is the most critical in the incubation period & if the Guinea hen sat on the eggs for all that time during the initial period (2-3 weeks), they all will probably end up hatching as she incubated them through the imporatant time. Let us know about the remaining eggs. When we have hatches go poorly in the incubator, a lot of times it is that initial week that spells the doom.

 

[glenolam]

So far out of 6 eggs I had 4 keets hatch, 1 of which died (took too long after the pip to zip). I still have the remaining 2 in the incubator just in case, but I think it's about time those go. I'm going to candle them one more to look for signs of life and if I don't see anything...out they go. On to enjoy my 3 live ones!

We had 2 other guineas who have been missing the same amount of time and still haven't returned. Last weekend I found tufts of lavendar feathers and three cracked eggs, nothing in them. I sure hope one of them appears with keets in tow, but it's hard to stay optimistic. Needless to say the 5 other adults are kept with the chickens everyday and only let out for a few hrs every day so they learn to lay in the hen house....