Our first time incubating Guinea eggs. (Lil Giant)

Wow. Lucky you......I have some in a Lil Giant and hesitated to buy this as someone in the store looking for one said she had heard the temps were not easy to regulate. BUT, wanted/needed then and no time to have sent in. Mine was touchy to turn the tiny "know" but, once set it has held very nicely. Of course, I swore I wouldn't touch it again!!!!!

I have 2 hens (& 3 males), who were laying and not setting. Wanting more hens and a hatching, I felt I "needed" to save eggs -- thus the incubator -- and took eggs that were no more than 2 wks old. The hens (?) had been turning them---I could see the movement---took 20 from one nest and left the 2nd, later started nest. About a week later I find both hens laying in 2nd nest and I was getting 2 or 3 eggs a day (yes, someone laying 2). As that nest increased I became increasingly concerned about incubation. I told myself that was not even valid thought as I did NOT need more, did not need to eat the eggs as I give away LOTS of chicken eggs already............................I am NUTS!!!!!! Finally, one of the hens began to set. THANK YOU!!!!!

Don't know how many eggs are under there, last count was 26 and it was a few more days before set.
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So I am stupidly happy.

The one thing I can say about incubators is this --- buy the turner!!!!!! LOL, wow, never again. I like that automation and blessed are the setting hens!


So, I do have a couple questions. During all the above, I had minimal issues with the nests (they are in a 3 sided shed where the guineas roost, and even in a "caged" area) When I took the 20 eggs, I marked and left 5. The 2nd nest had started and had only 3 eggs. They continued using the 2nd nest and when there were about 20 eggs, I found 2 broken one AM....removed shells and all good. About 4 days later, another shell....3 days later 2 more. I found no evidence of predator and assumed one of the guineas did this (??) Also, another egg had been laid in the first nest with the 5 left.

When the hen decided to set, I found the last of the laid (#6) removed from nest one, old 5 still there. Next AM all 5 gone, no shells, just gone. Hen ok and setting. Of course, I can't move her --- or sit until she gets up to eat -- so, any input as to anything? Could they move these?? The nests are about 6 ft apart. My concern now is that one hen is setting and is the 2nd adding eggs??? LOL I'm hoping she'll nest up somewhere else so I can collect -- otherwise, after hatching I need to rush in to incubate others for a while, or well, I hate to say destroy the partially developed eggs. HELP.
 
One more thing ---


THANK YOU for identifying the type of dog. LOL Pretty girls and I could see some Doxie but, the rest was hmmmm.......

Cute mix.
 
Yeah, mindless this AM.

I loved the light greys in your batch. I know that my flock is from a white female and a pearl male. Although there was also a white male around, he apparently did little, LOL. EVERY egg had pied chicks. I am really hoping that I will be lucky and get a couple whites. My dream.
 
Great pics Phil, and there's no such thing as overdoing it with the pics!

Congrats on not just 1 but 3 Lavenders!!!!
 
MiniHorses, sounds to me like a predator is getting the eggs. Opossum maybe, snake, maybe... combo of more than one predator possibly. Guineas don't usually break their own eggs, at least not so many. And there would be evidence of egg goo left behind...

And yes, Guinea Hens can move (roll) their eggs to different nests, 6 ft isn't an unreasonable distance. The Hen setting will pull the freshly laid eggs under her, especially if the other Hen lays close to her nest, but my guess is the other Hen is squeezing in and laying her egg in the same nest, then getting off the nest.

Sounds like you'll have a mess of a staggered hatch, especially if the 2nd Hen does not get on the nest to brood the pile as well, so I'd be ready to gather the remaining eggs before they go cold and die, and put them in the incubator once the setting Hen hatches out her keets. Candle them, check for development/movement and get them in the incubator if they look viable and are still warm.

Then you get to deal with the rest of the eggs hatching 1 at a time... fun fun (not). I'd try to keep the humidity at around 50% (that's a little low for hatching, but you don't want to drown the rest of the developing keets), and then just hope for the best. Your other choice would be to close the setting Hen in on her nest, and not let the other Hen lay eggs there any more.


Pied X Pied will produce 50% Pied keets, 25% White keets and 25% Colored
keets


White X Pied will produce 50% White keets and 50% Pied keets
 
Great pics Phil, and there's no such thing as overdoing it with the pics!

Congrats on not just 1 but 3 Lavenders!!!!

Thanks Peeps..

I never dreamed I would get 3 Lavenders..
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I still have 14 eggs in the incubator.. They were chirping when I removed the keets.. No action so far.. I hope they are just late, but then today is 28 days.. The others were just early.. lol

@MiniHorse - I agree with everything Peeps said. It does sound like something is getting your eggs.

I agree about the turner.. I wouldn't have done it without one... lol I bought the fan kit also..

Phil

P.S. I did have to cull the first one that pipped in the turner. After 2 days she still hadn't pipped out.. She was crying & crying. I went to peel the shell off & she was stuck to the shell. She cried loud at that point. I placed here in a zip lock bag & placed her in the deep freeze. I hope that was the right way to do it..
 
Thanks, Peeps. Yeah, I thought predator but, usually they do more than one or two with so many available. Yes, hatching/staggered/incubate will be challenging. I am definitely going to pen her to keep other hen out -- that will help some. You know, I just felt the distance was too much effort for them, LOL, but pulling one under close by, that seems readily doable. Darn, you wouldn't think they'd want to move so many!!

I thought of snake but, 5 eggs at once? that seems a stretch. May have to watch until she's off and check this nest! Curiosity abounds.

Guess I will be busy first week of June, LOL.

As to color, well, healthy is best but, a white would be nice. I used to breed horses and ANY color live, healthy foal was beautiful! Same with birds.
 
We have another keet in the incubator.. So that makes 20 so far..

So far we have a 57% hatch rate. Not great but not real bad for a new cheap incubator. Plus this is the first time these Guineas have layed. They were keets themselves last May..
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Maybe this lone keet will get some of the last eggs to hatch.. We will see.. She hatched about a hour ago.. Right at 28 days almost to the hour..

I'll keep everybody updated tomorrow..

Phil

P.S. Happy Mothers Day to everybody..
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Thanks, Peeps. Yeah, I thought predator but, usually they do more than one or two with so many available. Yes, hatching/staggered/incubate will be challenging. I am definitely going to pen her to keep other hen out -- that will help some. You know, I just felt the distance was too much effort for them, LOL, but pulling one under close by, that seems readily doable. Darn, you wouldn't think they'd want to move so many!!

I thought of snake but, 5 eggs at once? that seems a stretch. May have to watch until she's off and check this nest! Curiosity abounds.

Guess I will be busy first week of June, LOL.

As to color, well, healthy is best but, a white would be nice. I used to breed horses and ANY color live, healthy foal was beautiful! Same with birds.
Snakes will consume as many eggs as they can, then try to slither off. Usually successfully. And opossums will slurp up all the egg contents and eat the shells if they are extra greedy... not sure what your predator population consists of, but the possibility of it being a predator issues was food for thought.

Healthy keets is of course always the the ultimate payoff, I was just letting you know your odds of hatching pure White keets.
 
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We have another keet in the incubator.. So that makes 20 so far..

So far we have a 57% hatch rate. Not great but not real bad for a new cheap incubator. Plus this is the first time these Guineas have layed. They were keets themselves last May..
jumpy.gif


Maybe this lone keet will get some of the last eggs to hatch.. We will see.. She hatched about a hour ago.. Right at 28 days almost to the hour..

I'll keep everybody updated tomorrow..

Phil

P.S. Happy Mothers Day to everybody..
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That's not too bad for a first hatch Phil
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