Questions about incubating Guinea Fowl Eggs!

[goatee]

There is one making some noise. Tonight is lock down at 10 pm. The rest appear to be doing nothing. They appear to have developed some and quit. They aren't weeping or anything so I'll leave them for now.

 

[oweirdo]

Mine went on lockdown on Monday, I woke up to one already pipped

 

[oweirdo]

I ended up with 3.... Shipped eggs

 

[goatee]

3 out of how many again?
Boy you are done already? I woke up to a plus sign crack with one piece just about free. The keet is wiggling away! Hope it makes it.

 

[bachbach1]

There is a lot of good info here. I picked up 50 guinea eggs today, I am stabilizing the temp in the Hova Bator, I am going to start them on monday if there are not any complications

 

[Guineaqueen14]

We acquired a small farm with guineas. Never seen them before but will never be without them. The first year I found 1 egg, laying out in the middle of the horse pen; then 1 by 1 the guineas all disappeared except for 1 (named 13). We got 12 smaller keets and kept them penned for about 2 1/2 months. We had been overrun with grasshoppers for two years, so we started catching them and feeding them to the babies. They went NUTS!!! They are now about 10 months old. I have 3 hens sitting on huge clutches of eggs and I have an incubator full. Well, today...I have eggs starting to pip! I am both excited and scared at the same time! I have brooders set up...just waiting for the babies...whether from the brooder or from the hens. Ok, so my question...I cannot find gamebird feed with medication. I did find high protein chick starter so I bought that, and some stuff to add to the water. I don't want to overmedicate the keets. So which way to I go?

 

[R2elk]

We acquired a small farm with guineas. Never seen them before but will never be without them. The first year I found 1 egg, laying out in the middle of the horse pen; then 1 by 1 the guineas all disappeared except for 1 (named 13). We got 12 smaller keets and kept them penned for about 2 1/2 months. We had been overrun with grasshoppers for two years, so we started catching them and feeding them to the babies. They went NUTS!!! They are now about 10 months old. I have 3 hens sitting on huge clutches of eggs and I have an incubator full. Well, today...I have eggs starting to pip! I am both excited and scared at the same time! I have brooders set up...just waiting for the babies...whether from the brooder or from the hens. Ok, so my question...I cannot find gamebird feed with medication. I did find high protein chick starter so I bought that, and some stuff to add to the water. I don't want to overmedicate the keets. So which way to I go?

As long as the feed is high enough protein (26 - 30%) the feed will be fine. I know that PeepsCa recommends medicated feed but I only have access to non-medicated feed and my keets do just fine on it. I cannot answer on the medication being added to their drinking water because that is something else that I do not do. This year I have been adding ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar with the mother) at the rate of 1 tablespoon per gallon of water but that is all I have added.

Good luck with your babies. Mine have been hatching in the incubator since yesterday morning.

 

[Guineaqueen14]

Ok...lots of pipping and...A KEET!!! I am a little concerned that the first one to pip is almost fully opened but it seems to have stopped. It's been well over 24 hours...and no keet from it. It has been peeping all day but nothing now.

 

[Littlebird6]

Hi! I've been referring to this thread while working on our first incubator hatching. I started with about 19 eggs collected from one of our guinea nests on May 4th. There are also 6 peacock eggs that were added four days later.
I don't think all the guineaeggs were fertile, which I discovered after candling. So I'm down to 11 with 9 looking really good with that tipped air sac as of last night and several were moving a little at the edge of the air sac.

We have a Little Giant incubator with the added fan kit. We usually turn seven times a day. I noticed this morning that three eggs have cracks! So I'm worried about lock down. We still have to turn the peacock eggs. I can put a glass bowl over the guinea eggs with a little cup of water inside. Sound OK?

I'm also confused about humidity. We've been at 60-65 and now I just read about this 45% stuff. Seems like I should raise it from what it was for hatching?

Thanks! Can't wait for the babies!

 

[Stormimay]

Don't raise the humidity!! They'll drown or be too big to move around in the egg. I lost six full developed keets this way.