Who can watch this...

[GuineaLady93]

WHen do they start laying eggs? Is it like turkeys Spring?

It depends, some started in Jan. but mine wouldn't start til April.

 

[PeepsCA]

I am kind of dreading what my lot will get up to this year, my flock has multiplied tenfold since they hatched out 24 underneath our deck last summer (just magical watching that happen!) Should I be concerned about 'interbreeding' through????? I cannot get rid of any of my 'babies' although they are driving me crazy with their madness right now, but just so funny!

Well if you don't want keets Brit... as soon as they start laying, leave them all locked in the coop/pen each day until you get eggs from all the Hens, then let them out to free range (unless you enjoy daily egg hunts? LOL). I do this for ease of collecting eggs from my breeding flocks, but keep in ind they do lay a little later each day and sometimes one or more Hens will skip a day, or lay so late in the day that they have to stay in that day. (They hate it, but it's just during the laying season and it drastically cuts my predator losses). You can either eat the fresh eggs you collect, cook and feed them to your dogs, give them away or sell them to neighbors or friends, or sell them as hatching eggs. You can always advertise on craigslist and by putting up flyers at your local feed stores. but of course if you don't keep track of or collect the eggs... you will either end up with gobs of more keets or lose a bunch of Hens/eggs to predators, both are inevitable with Guineas

And yah, I bet they are just full of themselves now, everybody's hormones are kicking in for breeding season!


PS...
Sorry to hear about Rosie

 

[PeepsCA]

Quote:

Guineas are seasonal layers, Spring thru Fall. Some Hens start earlier, some start later, depends on weather/temps, daylight hours and the age and condition of the Hens. Seems with my flocks the young pullets are the ones that start laying first (usually in early January, but I am in Northern California, with fairly mild winters). The older Hens in my flocks sometimes wait until mid Feb or even early March. Usually the young pullets are clueless about laying in one spot for a while and will just drop eggs where ever, until they finally figure out to go find a nice well hidden spot in the bushes/tall grass to lay (and I should clarify well hidden from us, but not from the predators!). Once a Hen lays a clutch of around 20-24 eggs and goes broody on it, she will of course stop laying, brood her clutch, hatch them out, raise them for a while and maybe lay a 2nd clutch for the season... that is IF a predator doesn't get her and her eggs. If you continually collect the eggs, each Hen can lay anywhere between 100-150 eggs each season. The whole flock should be eating a layer feed prior to their laying season starting, and always have access to oyster shell.

 

[SuttonHeritageFarm]

Too cute! I have 3 guinea eggs in the bator now along with 10+ Turkey (yes, they are confused) and some chicken eggs. Let the hatching begin!

 

[PeepsCA]

Too cute! I have 3 guinea eggs in the bator now along with 10+ Turkey (yes, they are confused) and some chicken eggs. Let the hatching begin!

Ooohh congrats! How far along are they all? Have ya candled have ya candled???? LOL, I'm a hatch-a-holic... I hatch any egg I find, or try to, lol. Actually this year I'm doing a little better... I have given away a few dozen, eaten a few dozen and cooked a few dozen for my dogs... so I'm not hatching every egg this year, at this point anyway, lol. Might be a different story once all 45+ of my hens are laying regularly tho

 

[southern oaks]

So glad you are finally admitting you are addicted. And how many people you have had to follow you into your addiction..... lol

 

[PeepsCA]

So glad you are finally admitting you are addicted. And how many people you have had to follow you into your addiction..... lol

LOL hush!

I'll take responsibility for my own moments of weakness, but not anyone else's!