talk about eggs!

[lovinlife]

I had a guinea that found a great nesting spot underneath some pencil cactus (nasty buggers, long arms like pencils with very severe thorns and spikes all over). She sat on that nest for at least three weeks. I would check on her daily and she was still alive and looking good. Then, we had a "hard" freeze for central Texas (got down to a whopping 28 - anything under 32 is memorable here). She disappeared after that. Maybe a racoon got her, I'll never know. Anyway, I started counting eggs in the nest and got to 42! No joke! I have no idea how many were fertilized and growing babies and now I'm scared to do anything with them because of what I'll find in the eggs. Maybe I'll just take them back to the woods and put them under a tree.

42 eggs!

 

[feathersgalore]

Sounds about right for a guinea nest. They like to use one nest. We had up to 60 eggs in a nest with 2 or 3 hens sitting. I never let mine nest outside the coop (unless I can't find them and the nest). If they start a nest outside, I gather up the eggs and put them in an incubator. A sitting guinea is an easy snack.