What to do with guinea eggs

[Ndahly]

I know this isn't about chickens but I figured people on here probably have guineas too.

My guineas are laying eggs and I have one thats been sitting on a nest for about a week now. I just found her today, she's pretty well hidden in a big brush pile. I've read a ton of conflicting advice on guineas and hatching their own eggs I don't know what to do! I bought an incubator but I've never used one. I don't know if I should just leave her or take the eggs and try to hatch them. As soon as I discovered her I left her alone. Thankfully we don't have many predators because we have 5 dogs roaming around and they're good about leaving the guineas alone too. Shes very dedicated, I haven't seen her leave the nest at all this past week. I think if she is able to hatch them I will take them and put them in a brooder to raise and sell.

I also discovered another guinea nest but as soon as I found it she left the nest, but theres only 10 eggs so I think she's still laying. Should I leave this nest alone and see if she lays more and then take them? Or take the 10 now?
Any advice is greatly appreciated! I'm new to owning guineas.

 

[nchls school]

The guineas I had in the past did a good job of hatching keets, but because they roamed far and wide, they quickly lost their young. I'd go with your plan of taking the keets as soon as they hatch and raise them in the brooder. The hen with ten eggs is likely to lay quite a few more, so it depends on you and how many eggs you wish to incubate in the incubator. My guineas always had huge clutches of over twenty eggs; nature's way to ensure some survived. Personally, I'd leave incubation to the hen.

 

[Ndahly]

The guineas I had in the past did a good job of hatching keets, but because they roamed far and wide, they quickly lost their young. I'd go with your plan of taking the keets as soon as they hatch and raise them in the brooder. The hen with ten eggs is likely to lay quite a few more, so it depends on you and how many eggs you wish to incubate in the incubator. My guineas always had huge clutches of over twenty eggs; nature's way to ensure some survived. Personally, I'd leave incubation to the hen.

Thank you for the advice. I'll definitely leave the guinea alone that's been sitting on them snd see how she does. So far she seems to be doing well! The other hen that is still laying I'll leave alone as well to see if she keeps laying.

 

[BauerWFarm]

I grew up with lots of guineas that came with our property…. And they were just loose to open pastures around the barn… if you have hen that’s it showing she is a good brooder i would leave her…. The problem can be if she starts laying too many eggs she can’t warm them all…. We would find group nests of minimum 60 eggs and hens trying to sit or not sit… so usually we would incubate as many as we could in a small beginner incubator we had… I can’t even remake many it held…. But it definitely helps…. Our were not the best at brooding. LOL

Now I am trying to bring them back because over the years predators, wild cats, etc diminished our flock. I started with 10 and have 6…. With only two hens . I was going to order more…. But have discovered 3 eggs so far in the area I’ve been raising them…. And idk what to do with them either lol.

 

[BauerWFarm]

I grew up with lots of guineas that came with our property…. And they were just loose to open pastures around the barn… if you have hen that’s it showing she is a good brooder i would leave her…. The problem can be if she starts laying too many eggs she can’t warm them all…. We would find group nests of minimum 60 eggs and hens trying to sit or not sit… so usually we would incubate as many as we could in a small beginner incubator we had… I can’t even remake many it held…. But it definitely helps…. Our were not the best at brooding. LOL

Now I am trying to bring them back because over the years predators, wild cats, etc diminished our flock. I started with 10 and have 6…. With only two hens . I was going to order more…. But have discovered 3 eggs so far in the area I’ve been raising them…. And idk what to do with them either lol.

Correction we always incubated and what was left they would try on their own…. Because as noted by someone else, the guineas can tend to loose their keets, they are so tiny.