Uh oh... found an egg today! ... - A journal of sorts, from finding eggs to hatching them... Update

[cowman1970]

How important is it to use a mirror?

 

[PeepsCA]

Well, it depends... it offers stimulation to them, but it also comforts the keets because it makes them think/feel that there's more keets in the brooder with them. Especially if they are separated from a large hatch, they tend to cry and peep for the others for a while until they adjust... the mirror helps hurry that up. Keeps them happier and quieter (and that's important to me

)

My adults love mirrors too, they talk/chatter to themselves and preen in front of them, lol. Sometimes mirrors help keep your Guineas home too. (But... sometimes the ding dong males will beat the mirrors up tho, thinking it's another male

and the mirrors need to be put away until the hormone season is over!).

 

[perchie.girl]

When I need to contain mine I just walk around a bit in the coop and ALL the Guineas get in their brooder cage Where their mirror is. We are talking about a 36 x 15 x 15 cage..... all seven of them. I can shut the door and then rake or spread shavings with the big door of the coop open.

deb

Well, it depends... it offers stimulation to them, but it also comforts the keets because it makes them think/feel that there's more keets in the brooder with them. Especially if they are separated from a large hatch, they tend to cry and peep for the others for a while until they adjust... the mirror helps hurry that up. Keeps them happier and quieter (and that's important to me

)

My adults love mirrors too, they talk/chatter to themselves and preen in front of them, lol. Sometimes mirrors help keep your Guineas home too. (But... sometimes the ding dong males will beat the mirrors up tho, thinking it's another male

and the mirrors need to be put away until the hormone season is over!).

 

[PeepsCA]

See, the mirror is their security blanket lol. And that's actually pretty useful, not just for cleaning the coop, but if you ever need to catch any of them you won't have a total skitzo Guinea fiasco goin' on, plus they are used to being a a small cage so they don't go bonkers, feel trapped and beat themselves up trying to escape either

.

Gettin' any eggs yet? Still nada from my other flocks... but I'm not complaining, lol. Would be nice to have a few extras to eat/cook with tho, lol

 

[perchie.girl]

Nope no eggs. Its still petty dang cool up there at night time though. I am thinking that one that I thought was a male might just be a female that doesn't buckwheat.... He/She doesn't say anything at all not even when they are all screaming about something.

deb

See, the mirror is their security blanket lol. And that's actually pretty useful, not just for cleaning the coop, but if you ever need to catch any of them you won't have a total skitzo Guinea fiasco goin' on, plus they are used to being a a small cage so they don't go bonkers, feel trapped and beat themselves up trying to escape either

.

Gettin' any eggs yet? Still nada from my other flocks... but I'm not complaining, lol. Would be nice to have a few extras to eat/cook with tho, lol

 

[perchie.girl]

 

[PeepsCA]

I had one stubborn Hen hold out on me for my last sale, I knew she was a Hen but I wasn't gonna sell her to the guy until I heard her buckwheat. Not a peep, in like 6 dang hours! I even moved her to 2 different cages, kept her out of sight of all the others, but noooooooo she clammed up, lol. She didn't even scream the alarm with the others either. I don't think she buck-wheated 'til 3 days after I put her back in the pen, lol.

So now I have 1 lone Hen in the sale pen with 14 males. She'll pay for her mistake, eventually, lol.

 

[Country Chickens]

We just sold five 'boys' that we think may have had a girl in the bunch. Had them in there for almost two weeks, but she'd never make the sound unless some other girl was around (even remotely around) and could take the blame. Spent an entire day working on the barn and listening, but never could be sure. Well, I don't think the new owner will be upset if he got a girl, and she'll certainly get plenty of attention! She shouldn't 'ave been so dang discreet in her call if she wanted to stay with the gals!

 

[PeepsCA]

She's either a lil hussy and wanted to go with the boys, or she'd already been beat up and told to keep her mouth shut, lol

How's the Guinea eggs doing, any pips yet? Hearin' and peeping keets? And did ya lay the eggs on their sides or stand em up in egg carton bottoms? How bad is that, I'm already anxious for another hatch, even if it's not my own, lol. Somebody is eventually going to have to do an intervention on me, I just know it

 

[Country Chickens]

Hearing very faint peeping...trying not to worry that it's so quiet. Do the thicker shells of guinea eggs make it harder to hear the keets? I can't remember from last time, and we've been hatching enough chicks I might just be comparing too much. No pips yet, but they don't technically start their first hatch day til late tonight. Just hope, hope, hoping all will be well!

Oh, and I suspect I'd be the wrong person to do that intervention!

She's either a lil hussy and wanted to go with the boys, or she'd already been beat up and told to keep her mouth shut, lol

How's the Guinea eggs doing, any pips yet? Hearin' and peeping keets? And did ya lay the eggs on their sides or stand em up in egg carton bottoms? How bad is that, I'm already anxious for another hatch, even if it's not my own, lol. Somebody is eventually going to have to do an intervention on me, I just know it