two broody chickens and 60 guinea eggs

[joker468]

My situation is as follows;
first of all, I have two broody hens sitting two separate nest but they are side by side without partition. Under these hens I have set several clutches of guinea eggs. It was really cute in the beginning as I had only one broody hen and I marked with dates several clutches of eggs and put them under her at different times with the intent that when she left the nest after the first clutch hatched I would raid the nest and put remaining eggs in an incubator. Sounded like a good plan to me. The second broody took to setting right next to first broody in an adjacent nest. I was like "WOW, so cool, now I can hatch more guinea eggs!" So I collected more guinea eggs from my neighbors flock and went to set them and found the first broody had given second broody about half her eggs. UH OH! this is getting complicated now! so now I have close to 60 guinea eggs under the two hens due to hatch all within about 9 days of each other. I know the hens will leave the nest within about 24 to 36 hours after the hatch begins but my question is .....
Will they leave the nest together if I keep the eggs from hatching under both hens at same time? I candled eggs and put all of the most mature eggs under broody number one in hopes that broody number two will stay with the remaining eggs in the nest.
12 eggs are due in the first clutch and 8 more due two days later. My plan is to take the 8 eggs (2nd clutch) and put in incubator and graft them to first broody at night. I am hoping to keep the second broody on the nest for at least a week after the first clutch hatches under the first broody. What, if anything, can I do to succeed? Also they seem to be swapping eggs with each other.
OH! all the pencil markings have just about worn off. That complicates things even more, guess I have to use a sharpie next time?
Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated!
Thank you.

 

[DesertLab]

Wow.. No advice on that one but post how this works out. Everyone I chat with suggests using an incubator. Maybe take the most mature eggs and incubate them? Sounds like the hatch(s) will be a fun time at your place.

Good luck =)

 

[chippysmom327]

Hmm.... I'd say just see what happens. If anyone's in serious danger then intervene. I've heard of broodies taking turns and sort of making shifts for eachother when brooding together.

 

[joker468]

Ultimately I want the hens to mother the keets so they will be more favorable to staying in the coop with the chickens when they are grown. Guineas don't last long on free range in these parts. For the purpose of tick, flea and chigger control they must free range.

I hope they team up like some hens are known to do. If they do, I'm hoping to get the entire flock grafted to the hens. I'm thinking now....? Perhaps I should take the most mature eggs and put in bator? IDK?
If I do it that way instead of letting hen hatch first clutch she can hatch the second clutch and I will try to graft the two day old keets to her before she leaves the nest? HUM? Now ya really got me thinking. If I take the first clutch and finish them in incubator that will move the broody down to the second clutch that is due 2 days later? Ok? Then take the 3rd clutch and incubate them leaving the second broody to hatch the fourth clutch that is due 2 days after the 3rd clutch is due. Again I should have two day old keets to graft to her when her hatch begins. The 5th clutch is due the day after the 4th is due, just maybe she will stay on the nest long enough to hatch the 5th, if not I will take remaining eggs to incubator and graft those that hatch to her during the night?

The problem with using an incubator is I have only one small (42 egger) bator and no hatcher. I am not experienced enough to know all the crutches to get by with one small bator. Don't currently have funds available to get another incubator, that will have to wait until next year.

I will post the outcome. I am expecting a good outcome and the hens to accept all the keets. They both appeared very eager to accept new eggs. I hope that is a good sign?

Thanks for the idea DesertLab!!!

 

[DesertLab]

I have been out of town when eggs hatched in the incubator. The keets run around and up and over the other eggs ... But everyone was fine. Once I oopsed and left them on the egg turner and they hatched and they were fine. Our neighbor incubates and hatches in the same incubator. He will have eggs in there that are due to hatch a few days apart and his hatches go just fine too. Our neighbor said the only time he has problems is when he has one group of eggs on lockdown with higher humidity but the other group of eggs is not nearly as far along and they are not ready for the higher humidity required for lockdown. I believe he leaves the not as far along eggs with the chickens and hatches the ones ready for lockdown in the incubator.

All the best and good luck =)

 

[joker468]

Wow.. No advice on that one but post how this works out. Everyone I chat with suggests using an incubator. Maybe take the most mature eggs and incubate them? Sounds like the hatch(s) will be a fun time at your place.

Good luck =)

Hmm.... I'd say just see what happens. If anyone's in serious danger then intervene. I've heard of broodies taking turns and sort of making shifts for each other when brooding together.

I've got KEETS! and lots of them. I took the first 13 eggs (12 hatched) to the incubator and left the hens to sit the remainder. I have put food (game bird starter) and water in the nesting boxes with the hens and their brood. Keets have been hatching under them since July 3 and they are still on the remaining eggs. I'm hoping to keep them on the nest until the 11th. That's quite a stretch I know but I will keep food and water available to them as long as they stay put, so far so good. I also put 5 of the youngest keets from the first hatch (that I finished in the incubator) under them during the night last night and they have accepted them nicely. One little chick that hatched too, lol, the only chick in about 20 keets with more keets to hatch and no more chicken eggs to hatch. These girls are doing a WONDERFUL job!

So funny, I was just outside and I heard a hatchling in distress then I heard the broodies clucking and growling. I went to investigate and found the only chick in the floor behind the door, couldn't find its way back and the hens couldn't see it. I put it back in the nest and they settled right down.

I can hardly wait for the hatch to be complete so I can watch them free range with the brood.

They switch nest every so often too, for some reason?

 

[DesertLab]

Congrats on your new additions! Sounds like lots of excitement at your place. Sorry, no idea why they change nests... perhaps they like a little variety.

All the best to you on continued success =)

 

[joker468]

Congrats on your new additions! Sounds like lots of excitement at your place. Sorry, no idea why they change nests... perhaps they like a little variety.

All the best to you on continued success =)

They left the nest later in the afternoon. I brought remaining eggs in for incubator. so far hatched three. they are already under hens. have about 15 more to hatch between now and friday
6 of the eggs were quitters that I brought in. hens seem happy as can be with the babies.

I noticed that they had pecked open two eggs before they gave up the nest. I suppose they were trying to help a hatch ? but the keets were fully developed and should have hatched on their own? any ideas on this?

 

[joker468]

Congrats on your new additions! Sounds like lots of excitement at your place. Sorry, no idea why they change nests... perhaps they like a little variety.

All the best to you on continued success =)

All eggs have hatched that are going to hatch. The broodies are the way to go in my opinion, anyways until I get a better incubator/hatcher set up. I hope to have hundreds of eggs to hatch next spring.

The broodies have accepted all the keets I have given them and they are free ranging them now. I do keep a light on in the hen house where they nest at night so the younger keets that stay in during a portion of the day can keep warm and have food and water there for them as well. It is working quite well. I will for sure use these two broodies next year if they are still alive, lots of predators around these parts.

Was strange though, the other day the broodies were out with the keets and my rooster was picking a fight with them. I shooed the rooster away and the two broodies continued to fight with each other...? I thought that was really odd...? So I took one and locked her in the pen for about 2 hours then let her out and observed to see that they were going to be friendly and they were. I guess the rooster started it, I don't know...?

I have about 27 keets. I had to share the hatch with the neighbor that supplied me with most the eggs. Of the 62 eggs that were under then hens, about 52 hatched. That is pretty good considering some the eggs were over a month old before they were incubated.

The only thing I will do different if I do this again, have a separate pen for the broodies and their hatchlings and to keep them penned up for about a week after the last keets are introduced. Keets have great difficulty keeping up until they are about 5 days old.

 

[chippysmom327]

That's awesome, so glad it worked out for you. My hen is still sitting on her eggs, and when I candled them last night (day 23) there were internal pips! Can't wait for her to hatch them, I'm so nervous she'll be a homicidal broody... :/