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

[JLeigh]

I DID IT! I FOUND THE NEST!

I let her out at 2:15. She went straight to her nest and has been there for over an hour. I sat there for about 45 minutes and I'm pretty sure she layed the egg, but wouldn't come off the nest, and I'm guessing it's because I was there. So I came back and am going to give her some time, then I'm going to go back and take all but two eggs, or one, or three depending on how many are there. I'll mark the ones I leave.

I can't believe I found it, and I can't wait to see what's in it. I thought about taking her off the nest, but decided I wasn't in the mood to fight guineas today, or to go running through thick brush for my life. I know where it is so I'll go back, it isn't far. I'd like to let her keep that nest, and am open to suggestions on the best way to handle it. I don't want to have to go finding another nest.

They are usually back in the yard by this time, so I'm supposing that I've really disrupted their routine. As soon as I see them, I'll go raid the eggs. Watch - today will be the day she decides to go broody, and she won't come back. What do I do then?

 

[PeepsCA]

YAY! YOU found it! I knew you could do it!

I think your plan is the right thing to do, take all but a few eggs, mark them and then go put what you take right into the incubator! (Maybe leave the dirtiest eggs in her nest, if there are dirty ones). Hopefully she will keep laying in that spot. If not, you can go back to the lock-up routine. If she doesn't get her butt off the nest by tonight when the sun is going down then push her off with a broom or rake and chase her back to the coop then take the eggs.

Glad you found those eggs, I know you have got to be shickledtitless about that!

 

[JLeigh]

Well, Peeps, considering you told me exactly how to go about it, I have to give you the credit. But, yes, I'm shickledtitless. You have no idea. I want to get to that nest and raid it so bad I can't stand it.

I'm going to take my husband with me to get the eggs. I'd go now, but he's having a rather heated argument with his weed-eater at the moment, so I think I'll wait. I hear the guineas now, but I can't tell if they're on their way home or not. Patience is extremely difficult. But I have my basket with nice soft towel, broom and pencil ready -- I'm all sprayed up with DEET, and I'll wait to see who wins the weed war, husband or weed-eater. Smart....

I'll let you know what I get. It feels like Christmas. WOO HOO!!!! I love Christmas.....

 

[JLeigh]

The guineas came home on their own just a few minutes ago. I collected 12 eggs. I have three from when I kept her penned, and one waiting in the egg carton, sooooooooo.....what a GOOD guinea! I think it's safe to expect some keets. Somewhere around 16. ****. These eggs are WAY better and TONS cheaper.

I marked and left three eggs in the nest - very dirty - and will keep checking her nest daily.

I may need another incubator.

 

[prairie]

I found one of our guineas' nests out in the yard and confiscated the 2 eggs in it several days ago and replaced them with golf balls --- but she has not gone back and laid any eggs in it again. Can she tell the difference between eggs and golf balls??

 

[NonnasBabies]

Here's my Memorial Day Bucket Batch

Beautiful!!

 

[daylily]

Leigh~ I knew you had it in you to find those eggs! Congrats!

Well , my plan to keep the birdies in failed as hubby felt sorry for them. He let them out after telling him not to!

So no new eggs today. My arthritis in my neck and back have prevented me from looking for those other eggs in the nest. I need to get it across to him that I need to collect eggs and not to let them out. They came home tonight so wet and bedraggled. They looked awful tired and cold. They were very happy to go in the coop.

I wish my camera had a zoom lens as the squirrels and chipmunks were all over their coop today trying to break them out! The squirrel even chewed part of the door frame off! I'm sure that the guineas were just telling them " You got to help us, we will give you all our grain if you just open the door!"

Peeps your memorial Day hatch is just adorable! I want some of those cute brown ones with the little white faces! Too cute!

 

[perchie.girl]

Woo Hoo my first Eggie hatched......

None of my chicken eggs hatched and out of four guinea eggs one was clear. Oh and I took them all out of the turner when the chicken eggs went on lock down....... So those Guinea eggs were un moving for the last week.

The incubator is at moms house. Long story. So I had given up..... But I got a call tonight at about 11:45 Mom said her dog started going nuts barking and going into my dads laboratory. And mom kept hearing bird cheeping...... She says the keet is dark and still wet. So Hopefully over the next three days the others will hatch too.

Peeps you are a Grandma..... hee hee.....

deb

 

[PeepsCA]

Woo Hoo my first Eggie hatched......

None of my chicken eggs hatched and out of four guinea eggs one was clear. Oh and I took them all out of the turner when the chicken eggs went on lock down....... So those Guinea eggs were un moving for the last week.

The incubator is at moms house. Long story. So I had given up..... But I got a call tonight at about 11:45 Mom said her dog started going nuts barking and going into my dads laboratory. And mom kept hearing bird cheeping...... She says the keet is dark and still wet. So Hopefully over the next three days the others will hatch too.

Peeps you are a Grandma..... hee hee.....

deb

Bummer about the chicken eggs

, but yay! I a keet hatched, and I'm a Grammie!

Good luck, hope the rest hatch!

 

[PeepsCA]

I found one of our guineas' nests out in the yard and confiscated the 2 eggs in it several days ago and replaced them with golf balls --- but she has not gone back and laid any eggs in it again. Can she tell the difference between eggs and golf balls??

Possibly... I have never personally used golfballs, just marked incubator duds or brown chicken eggs, but I know some have fooled their Guineas with golfballs before with perfect success. Did the Hen see you messing with the nest? That may be why she abandoned it.