Raising Guinea Fowl 101

[R2elk]

I have a genetics/color question for all you Guinea experts. I went to lock my Guineas in the coop tonight and saw that my two hens (who are sitting on about 30 eggs together in the same nesting box) had hatched 5 keets so far. The keets are as follows: 2 are pearl gray, 1 is buff dundotte, and 2 are pearl pied. The potential parents are as follows: one hen is a pearl gray and the other is a buff dundotte. I only have 2 males. The older dominate male is a pied pearl gray and the younger male is a light lavender. (By the way, I have no white Guineas in my whole flock). I thought that the only way to get a pied pearl Guinea was to cross a white with a pearl gray. Is this correct, and if so, can someone explain how I got the pied keets?

You have a Pied Pearl Gray male and can expect him to pass his one white gene to half of his offspring if you have a large enough sample size. It only takes one white gene to create a pied guinea. What you can't expect is to get any white keets since you don't have any other white genes in your flock other than your pied male.

 

[guineapeeps]

You have a Pied Pearl Gray male and can expect him to pass his one white gene to half of his offspring if you have a large enough sample size.  It only takes one white gene to create a pied guinea.  What you can't expect is to get any white keets since you don't have any other white genes in your flock other than your pied male.

Thanks.....that definitely makes sense! Thats was what I was thinking but I remembered someone on here saying that a pied wouldn't produce any pied because it was a recessive gene that caused the color and that you need a solid white Guinea to make a pied. Maybe I read it wrong? Anyway, thanks for clarifying!

 

[Tikkijane]

When I look at that picture, all I can think is how hard my DW the WWD would hold the pillow over my face as I sleep If I let mine in the house...

 

[Pyxis]

Can anyone ID the color of these keets for me? The ones with the white may be pied.

 

[guineapeeps]

Can anyone ID the color of these keets for me? The ones with the white may be pied.

In the top picture, the one second from the right (with more white on its head with a widows peak look to it) may be a pied. The other two "pied looking" ones (the one on the far right and far left), I think, are not actually pied. To me, they look more like chocolate or violet color since they mostly have white wings and belly. The other two darker ones with no white look like slate as they don't seem to have any striping from the pictures. These are just my thoughts.....I'm by no means an expert. I'm sure a lot of people on here are much more experienced than I am and will hopefully give you their opinion as well.

 

[Victoria-nola]

Thanks to everyone for your input about keeping more than 1 rooster, your descriptions of the guineas keeping obnoxious roosters in check is amusing and acceptable, for sure, and I love the images of them hunting cooperatively. Although, my EE/Ameracaunas like to spread out in a line and walk across the lawns scaring up everything in their path. My 10 new chicks are 4.5 weeks old and totally integrating with the adults, but still sleeping on the ground, starting to seriously wonder if I shouldn't be encouraging them up to the lower roosts.

QUESTION: Have 36 guinea eggs in my incubator currently. Candled at day 7 and four-five are possible clears but left them in place, and the air cells are developing fine. But my concern is the length of the hatch and when to "lock down". The official length for guinea hatches is 28 days, but several people on BYC have said their guineas come at 26 days. If this is true, when should I lock down-- i.e. remove turner, increase humidity, don't turn/don't disturb?

ONE MORE: I've been assuming that the air cell development/size should be about the same ratio as for chicken eggs. I didn't weigh the eggs, just going by sight of air cell. Same ratio as chicken eggs?

Thanks for any info and insights.

 

[R2elk]

Thanks to everyone for your input about keeping more than 1 rooster, your descriptions of the guineas keeping obnoxious roosters in check is amusing and acceptable, for sure, and I love the images of them hunting cooperatively. Although, my EE/Ameracaunas like to spread out in a line and walk across the lawns scaring up everything in their path. My 10 new chicks are 4.5 weeks old and totally integrating with the adults, but still sleeping on the ground, starting to seriously wonder if I shouldn't be encouraging them up to the lower roosts.

QUESTION: Have 36 guinea eggs in my incubator currently. Candled at day 7 and four-five are possible clears but left them in place, and the air cells are developing fine. But my concern is the length of the hatch and when to "lock down". The official length for guinea hatches is 28 days, but several people on BYC have said their guineas come at 26 days. If this is true, when should I lock down-- i.e. remove turner, increase humidity, don't turn/don't disturb?

ONE MORE: I've been assuming that the air cell development/size should be about the same ratio as for chicken eggs. I didn't weigh the eggs, just going by sight of air cell. Same ratio as chicken eggs?

Thanks for any info and insights.

I normally lockdown guinea eggs on day 25 but recently switched to day 24 to avoid the one really early one. I don't know where you found an "official" length of hatch as 28 days. All of the official ones that I have seen state hatch is 26 to 28 days. In the incubator I have had a single guinea hatch on day 25 two times. The first time I blamed it on the eggs being shipped and kept too warm but the second time it was from my own eggs. My most recent hatch had one pip on day 25 and 5 hatch on day 26 followed by 19 hatching on day 27 and 2 more hatched on day 28.

I have one chicken hen that will hatch all guinea eggs given to her on day 26 and one that hatches all of them on day 28.

Yes, the same ratio for air cell development as for any other type of egg that is going to take up to 28 days to hatch.

Good luck.

 

[MeepBeep]

I normally lockdown guinea eggs on day 25 but recently switched to day 24 to avoid the one really early one.  I don't know where you found an "official" length of hatch as 28 days.  All of the official ones that I have seen state hatch is 26 to 28 days.  In the incubator I have had a single guinea hatch on day 25 two times.  The first time I blamed it on the eggs being shipped and kept too warm but the second time it was from my own eggs.  My most recent hatch had one pip on day 25 and 5 hatch on day 26 followed by 19 hatching on day 27 and 2 more hatched on day 28.

I have one chicken hen that will hatch all guinea eggs given to her on day 26 and one that hatches all of them on day 28.

Yes, the same ratio for air cell development as for any other type of egg that is going to take up to 28 days to hatch.

26 days in the magic number for me where most of my guinea eggs hatch as well...

I first though my temps were too high in the incubator, but that was double and triple checked, using a fake egg my temps hold a near perfect 99.5°.... In my incubator chicken eggs are always on time at 21 days average while peafowl are at 28 days, guineafowl at 26 days...

 

[duluthralphie]

I have always used day 25, but I have had them hatch day 28 also.

I have some that should have hatched yesterday day 25. I peeked through the port hole and I see I have a pipped one today on day 26. I read somewhere it was 25 days, but it seldom is. Guineas refuse to be pigeon holed into anything including incubation time.

 

[Starseed]

Did you guys see the video of the guinea fowl roosting on the donkey? Not just perching... Literally roosting... as in, sleeping there, all night... XD