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

[JLeigh]

Thanks, Daylily. My suggestion would be to let your husband write the checks for shipped eggs. That'll cure him. Just the shipping charges alone did it for me! Sorry about your arthritis. That's a bummer, but just take some good meds before you go out.

I was stunned to find 15 eggs in the nest (I took 12, left 3......I'm also very good at math...) They were beautiful, probably fertile, most are viable, and they were FREE.

 

[prairie]

The guinea never laid anymore eggs in her nest with the golf balls but in another nest I replaced the guinea egg with a Cornish banty egg and she is still laying in that nest.

We will see how things go in the next few days.

 

[perchie.girl]

Woo Hoo the other two hatched today.

The last one hatched this evening. It was shrink wrapped and couldn't turn his head. But it was cheeping very strongly so I stepped in with a damp paper towel and some tweezers. And chipped away the shell around the shrink wrap and he popped out. Hes still got some stuck to him. But His eye is now uncovered and he is learning how to stand up.

From the looks of them I now have a Pearl a Royal purple and a pied. The first one out is the Pearl and I thought it was teeennnyy. But the next one out was the Roal Purple and he is teenier yet he has some shrink wrap stuck to his feathers but he got out on his own. The last Keet out is Huge pied.

My son took pictures so I will post them later. after he downloads them for me.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Keet one Pearl?

Keet two poking his beak out

Keet two exploded out of his shell See those little white wing tips



Its funny they dont walk after they get out they kind of tumble and thump trying to figure out which end to keep up and which end to keep down.

We didnt get pictures of the last one but its drying in the incubator and will go into the brooder with the others tomorrow.

whew.

deb

 

[PeepsCA]

AWWWWWW!!!!! Congrats deb!!

 

[perchie.girl]

AWWWWWW!!!!! Congrats deb!!

Thanks Peeps I think those times where the humidity went down to 20 percent didnt help but those keets are survivors. Something is taking all the eggs up at the house. I cant gather every day so I will have to buy my next batch.

Sumatras hear I come.

deb

 

[daylily]

Way to go Perchie girl! They are adorable! So lucky that you were able to help keet #3. Good save.

I found keets for sale just two towns away from me for $6. on craigslist. I'm going to check those out. I also found a 7 year old male for $1.00. I've got three eggs now. I am so torn as to whether to hatch or buy the ones available. I guess when I call the lady tomorrow, if she still has any left. Her post was from the 1st, so she may not.

I really hate to be so indecisive! It is so not me!!!!

I'm just still so sad about the lost hatch.
I really love these silly birds!

At all stages.

 

[perchie.girl]

Way to go Perchie girl! They are adorable! So lucky that you were able to help keet #3. Good save.

I found keets for sale just two towns away from me for $6. on craigslist. I'm going to check those out. I also found a 7 year old male for $1.00. I've got three eggs now. I am so torn as to whether to hatch or buy the ones available. I guess when I call the lady tomorrow, if she still has any left. Her post was from the 1st, so she may not.

I really hate to be so indecisive! It is so not me!!!!

I'm just still so sad about the lost hatch.
I really love these silly birds!

At all stages.

I would do all three.... Baby birds Older bird and throw the eggsies in the incubator. The older bird probably just needs a home... I am a softie for homeless critters. The Keets are just the filler to fit in between the ones you hatch and how many you need to keep . In my opinion its better to have more than less. Plus you get biodiversity.

Last year I started out with ten tween age keets and 40 keets from PeepsCA. I got wiped out litterally by predators. By the end of the summer I was down to seven. I am in predator central.

deb

 

[daylily]

Deb that is terrible that you lost that many to predators! Yikes! We have our share and my three remaining guineas have been very savvy so far. But the Turkey Vultures are getting more aggressive and have even tried to strike right up next to the house and a large oak tree. This was last week. I'm not sure how our male would take to an older male being around his two hens. The man wanted to get rid of 5 males of various poultry. "$1 each or $5 for the bunch", I know that is sad. The keets are a great idea as I have the brooder all ready and an extra coop we had just bought for the other two guineas who didn't make it. Mine are almost one year old. They were hatched last July.

I really need the guineas to keep the ticks away as I have been bit twice now over the last six years by deer ticks and have had two bouts of Lyme disease!!! NO FUN!!!!! It is very debilitating. I was bit again a week ago but not on our property. I am just praying hard that I am not reinfected! I did take some preventative doses of the Lyme meds right away and used antibiotics. Last year it was "only" a mild case because I caught the tick early, this one had a good hold, though not as good as the first one.

I can name over fifty people in town who have it or have had it and it is in remission. We are in deer haven here and they do think that mosquitos are also carrying the disease now as well. Guineas may be our only defense against these critters, and to me are my little heroes!

Thank you for the advise.

Daylily

 

[perchie.girl]

I was devastated. I had planned every thing out. Raise up some local Keets then when they went out to the house I got 40+ keets from Peeps. Her very first shipped order I got them up to fully fledged and waited till they were bigger than the chainlink to let them out in the coop. Once they were turned out it was like setting out the signal flair. I lost the older birds first. then lost the others at the rate of two or three per week. As I patched up possible openings they would find another till I had a coop that was like a fortress. Now I am afraid to let them out at all.

We have everything here in the high desert, Bobcat, Mountain Lion, Coyotes, Desert Fox, Weasel, Raccoon, feral dogs. The last one is the worst... feral dogs. and thats just the terrestrial preds.

And yep we have ticks. Deer ticks mostly. but I want my Guineas for Burglar alarms mostly.
I cant imagine having lime disease. I have been tested and the results were negative. I have been involved with horses in some aspect since 1967 thats 45 years now. Been bit big time nothing that dug in though. One trail ride I wound up pulling 35 ticks off of one horse. that night I found at least five, on me.

deb

Deb that is terrible that you lost that many to predators! Yikes! We have our share and my three remaining guineas have been very savvy so far. But the Turkey Vultures are getting more aggressive and have even tried to strike right up next to the house and a large oak tree. This was last week. I'm not sure how our male would take to an older male being around his two hens. The man wanted to get rid of 5 males of various poultry. "$1 each or $5 for the bunch", I know that is sad. The keets are a great idea as I have the brooder all ready and an extra coop we had just bought for the other two guineas who didn't make it. Mine are almost one year old. They were hatched last July.

I really need the guineas to keep the ticks away as I have been bit twice now over the last six years by deer ticks and have had two bouts of Lyme disease!!! NO FUN!!!!! It is very debilitating. I was bit again a week ago but not on our property. I am just praying hard that I am not reinfected! I did take some preventative doses of the Lyme meds right away and used antibiotics. Last year it was "only" a mild case because I caught the tick early, this one had a good hold, though not as good as the first one.

I can name over fifty people in town who have it or have had it and it is in remission. We are in deer haven here and they do think that mosquitos are also carrying the disease now as well. Guineas may be our only defense against these critters, and to me are my little heroes!

Thank you for the advise.

Daylily