Need some guinea hatching advice-- Have two WAY early hatchers!

[hmlongino]

Okay, I have an issue and I need professional advice!

I put 14 guinea eggs in the incubator on 5/28. Lockdown should be tomorrow, however, two keets hatched YESTERDAY!! The turner was still turning, and they are perfectly healthy. My temp has remained 99-100... nothing was out of the ordinary on this hatch. As a matter of fact, I had chicken eggs in their until I locked them down in a separate hatching box Sunday... and they haven't even pipped yet, so I don't think temp was an issue to make them hatch early.

My question... do I leave the turner in there (off), in expectation that the rest will hatch early? I haven't even increased humidity yet! I used a straw to add water, and I lifted one edge in a humid room to get the two keets out (humidity never dropped), because I read they aren't like chicks and cannot go for 72 hours without food and water.

What would you do? Let them hatch in the turner (off)? Move them to the hatching box with the orpingtons today (orpingtons are due to hatch tomorrow)? Go as planned and move them to lockdown, removing turner, tomorrow?

Thanks!
Holly

 

[terrilhb]

WOW I don't know what to tell you except congratulations. Enjoy them. I just hatched my 1st guinea's last month.

 

[Stingrayg4]

I don't have any experience with hatching keets, but I've had chicks hatch on the 17th & 18th days. They turned out to be perfectly normal and the hens I still have from that batch are terrific egg layers now. I'm betting your Guineas will be fine.

-S

 

[Roree-23]

Can't offer much advice as I have only hatched guineas once, but we had 2 hatch three days early, 1 on the due date and 3 three days after that. We put them in at the same time and they are all identical looking etc. now.

 

[hmlongino]

I'm just going to go with the original plan, as if they never hatched early... Take the turner out tomorrow, increase humidity and lock the rest down. Feels weird opening the box, though with two already hatched!

One of my lavender orpingtons is pipped, so maybe the guineas are just competitive!

 

[featherz]

If I were you I'd lockdown now. Every time I've hatched guineas they all hatched several days earlier than they were supposed to! I know it's not my temps as my chickens all hatch right on day 21. So now I lock down guinea eggs on day 23.

 

[Blue Hill Farm]

go with the original plan, as if they never hatched early... Take the turner out tomorrow, increase humidity and lock the rest down.

That is exactly what I did with my guineas last year after I had an early bird riding the turner. LoL Everything went great. Good luck and happy hatching!

 

[shelleyd2008]

I've never had a guinea egg take longer than 27 days to hatch in an incubator. I would remove the turner now (or just leave it in and off, though I have much better hatches with the eggs on their sides) and increase humidity. Normally, the majority of my guinea eggs will hatch in an incubator on day 25.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:

Consider 'hatch day' as day 25 for guineas, I believe the 'books' say they can hatch from24-28 days.

 

[Debbienmousey]

Yep, my guineas, under a hen or in the incubator, generally start pipping on day 25. I had one or two hatch in the turner also the first couple times. I'd move them. And I've never heard anything about keets not being able to go without food as long as chicks. I leave my keets in the incubator for at least a day after they hatch (unless they're popping out and it gets too full) but sometimes longer. You can generally tell when they're getting hungry..They get very active and peep like crazy.

Good luck on the rest of 'em hatching