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

[JLeigh]

Okay, Peeps, I don't blame you completely.

 

[PeepsCA]

LOL, not today anyway. It'll come full circle eventually and YOU'LL be the one gettin' blamed, lol

 

[JLeigh]

In all seriousness, I'd love it when/if that day comes. There is SO much to learn!!!

(Now, where can I get a free bucket...)lol.

 

[StevenW.]

Our feed store has "Free 5 Gallon Bucket" day every once in a while. Every $10 you spend there you get a free 5 gallon bucket!

 

[PeepsCA]

Oooooh hook me up Duckie, send me 20 buckets!

 

[daylily]

Okay it is final........ The hatch is over for me and I just finished checking the eggs.

I had 4 keets who died during development. They were little pearls. Don't know why but they were almost fully formed. I feel pretty rotten myself right now. the other eggs died earlier but were fertile.

I haven't given up on hatching just this one group. So now I sterilize what I have and look for a nifty incubator on craig's list or ebay. It's raining like crazy here and windy so the guineas are cooped for the duration. That should be about Thursday. So now that I only have one hen laying I should have 6 eggs by then, I'll probably hold her a few days longer until she finishes laying til I get at least a dozen. Got one today and marked it with pencil the date and hen. No washing this time!

Now how do I get my other hen to start laying again? I'm feeding game bird crumble once a day when they free range. And twice a day when not. They have the oyster shell bits which they like. So should I switch them over to a laying feed? I could really use some advise as she hasn't laid since May 4th.

 

[PeepsCA]

Sorry you had to give up on your hatch, huge bummer, but glad you haven't given up completely. It may have been the temp and humidity fluctuations, it may have been bacteria... it's hard to say.

I'd keep your Hen in each day until she lays for the day and you have collected 10-14 eggs! Then you can set all those eggs... they can stay viable up to 14 days (if stored correctly, and turned twice a day), but it's usually better to set them all by the time the oldest egg is 10 days old. (I have pushed the limit to 16 days before and have done ok with eggs that old too tho). And good idea not to wash the eggs.

I'd definitely put the whole flock back on the layer feed as their main diet, the Hens need the calcium, and the layer feed has everything init that the males need too. Keep the oyster shell available free choice too. A little game bird feed mixed in is fine too, for a little extra protein. I'd also give them greens/grass every day too if you can while they are locked up.

Your other Hen may already be laying somewhere well hidden if she has not been locked up... if this is the case then she'll have to lay her eggs in the coop too. Guineas lay Spring thru Fall, so I doubt either of your Hens are even close to being done for the year.

Good luck with egg collecting, and hope you find an incubator soon!

 

[JLeigh]

That's my fear, Daylily, that I'll get to the end of this and no keets will hatch. But all we can do is see it through, learn from our mistakes (I've made more than one) and try again. That's my plan.

I'm cooping my female and she lays an egg everyday at about 2-3 o'clock. So far, that's as close as I can get to timing. After that, she free-ranges. She HATES it, and I've noticed that at about 2:00 she gets anxious to get out - pacing, buck-wheating...but I remain steadfast and keep her penned. As soon as I get the egg, I let her out. Tomorrow I may let her out when I see that behavior and try to follow her. Maybe she'll go right to the nest then. Who knows?

But I'm sorry it didn't work out. Out of my 14 eggs, only three remain alive today. I have about two weeks to go. Anything can happen.

But I'm building a nice collection of my own guineas eggs, and believe it or not, after 3 or 4 days, I see a spot in the eggs. It isn't like the kind I see with veins, etc., but it's more than a yolk shadow. Weird. So "home-layed" eggs rock!

I'm stayin' in - - -you?

 

[PeepsCA]

Leigh, she is most likely having an anxiety attack because she wants to to go lay her egg in her nesting spot, you know, the one you can't find, lol. My Hens usually have a pacing back and forth, non stop buck-wheating fit when they fell the need to lay. I think the sensation (maybe even cramps or contractions?) freaks them out and they don't know how to act. But yah, if you let her out when she is acting that way she just may lead you right to the nest, but... she may just drop the egg on the4 way as she's heading there too.. lol. And I agree, IMO fresh home laid eggs rock, you have a much better chance for getting a higher hatch rate with them.

 

[JLeigh]

I've watched her for three days to make sure she lays her egg at the same time every day. She does - between 2:30 and 3:00. I'm letting her out at 2:30 so I can follow her, hopefully, to her nest. I need some luck today! I'm taking a basket just in case.....