My guineas are laying!!!!

[Triple T]

This is exciting

but I have so many questions. I was finally able to get outside yesterday and check on every body and every thing after having the flu for a week.

In my guinea pen were 4 eggs, under the hutch that is in their pen. I have 3 males and 2 females (lavender), about one year old. Since I have been sick and not out there everyday like usual, I have to assume they started laying eggs on Saturday. My DH and DS have been doing chores for me and neither saw eggs in the pen until I spotted them.

If I understand what I have been reading here recently, the hens do a great job of sitting the eggs if I leave them in there but that they are not great mothers. So, should I catch the keets and put them in the brooder until they feather out good or should I leave them with the others in the pen?

How many eggs will they have and attempt to hatch? When they have enough to hatch will they stop laying everyday or does it just continue until fall?

I am going to try my hand at building an incubator but I was planning to do that when time permits. Should I replan that idea and get it done and steal the eggs from the nest? If I start taking eggs out will they stop sitting on what is left?

I thought I was ready for this but now I am afraid I do not have enough knowledge. I do want to hatch as many keets as possible.

Thank you all in advance for any information you share with me. Hope you do not mind me asking questions as I wait for my keets.

 

[Waldo]

Our guineas started laying about a week ago. Yesterday they layed 2 eggs.Up fom one a day. I have waited almost a year for this event and also have much to learn about hatching keets from their eggs. I read somewhere that you had to take the keets away from the hen at hatching if you were not going to let her raise them, as they would not eat if they were left with her for a while, and then removed. Don't know if this is true. I do not plan on keeping any keets as I have all the adults I need.

 

[Friend2Fowl]

Guineas are wonderful, protective mothers, if they are penned up. If allowed to roam with small keets, they take them through all the tall, wet grasses, run off and leave them, and who knows what else. If you keep them in the pen, they should be just fine with them.
Once the hen starts brooding the eggs, she will stop laying. She will probably lay between 15 and 30 eggs before brooding.

Edit: If you take the eggs away, the hen will continue to lay.