Will Guineas hatch their own eggs if I give them the chance?

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Adorable! With your RP, keets white, RP grey, -white and tan stripe is =????

They were white, Pearl grey, Pearl grey pied, and one Violet. That was Macbeth who disappeared one day, presumably gotten by a red tailed hawk. He was so gorgeous too!

 

[Sydney65]

Oh

They were white, Pearl grey, Pearl grey pied, and one Violet. That was Macbeth who disappeared one day, presumably gotten by a red tailed hawk. He was so gorgeous too!

Oh, I remember Macbeth.. didn't recognize the coloring as a keet, although I'm sure we discussed it at the time. You're right, he was stunning.

 

[daydreamtime]

One of my chickens just hatched 17. I'm in Florida.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10158110950188733

 

[Vaughnr007]

I had one hen who nested in the coop and did a great job of raising her own. Most importantly was the rest oof the guineas accepted them. I had several other hens who nested outside. And went broody. Unfortunately, I assumed varmints got them. I'm surprised yours nest in the coop. If they free range do you just lock them up until they nest and start laying? After they start laying do you let them free range again?

 

[Sydney65]

When they start laying or mating, mine go in lockdown. That doesn't mean they don't get to go outside. I have a covered kennel they go in, and toward the end of the day when I know she's laid an egg, I might let one run free for awhile before it's time to lock up for the night. But I try to avoid letting females out together-monkey see monkey do, and the males tag along. With mine, if only one female is free, she'll graze w/her mate and roam about, but she's already laid an egg so that need to build a nest has diminished. Even if she does, there's nothing in it, so she comes home when called.
Their nest is under the drop board and I put up a towel infront for privacy, so I'm not sure who is managing it, but someone is because things are repositioned everyday when I look in.
In the fall when eggs have pretty much stopped, they all go back to free ranging and cont. until the following spring. During that period, no one leaves the property..and it's so quiet...

 

[Sydney65]

Oh

Oh, I remember Macbeth.. didn't recognize the coloring as a keet, although I'm sure we discussed it at the time. You're right, he was stunning.

We DID discuss it-I remember looking at pictures bc we were trying to fig out what his coloring was!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I had one hen who nested in the coop and did a great job of raising her own. Most importantly was the rest oof the guineas accepted them. I had several other hens who nested outside. And went broody. Unfortunately, I assumed varmints got them. I'm surprised yours nest in the coop. If they free range do you just lock them up until they nest and start laying? After they start laying do you let them free range again?

Our used coop nests well when confined to a coop and run! Unfortunately, my run fell apart and I have yet to rebuild it, so mine are currently out nesting in whatever tick and chigger infested brush they can find! It’s so ironic that we have the guineas to eat ticks, but I have to traipse through the most tick infested areas to find their nests! C’mon guineas, less nest building and more tick eating, please!!!

 

[minaayindra]

I have 6 guineas, 4 male and 2 female. The females hatched last year so this is their first year of laying eggs. I was reading all the other comments but I still had a few questions. Please bear with me for the length of this:

One hen has attached herself to a guy who had no luck with the ladies last year and they seem to be a blissful couple. Her name is Georgia and she started laying first- but Georgia is somewhat "challenged" and laid the eggs all over their fairly large coop (at least she didn't put them out in the run). She has laid 1 egg a day and this has been going on for around a month. My other gal, Giselle, started later but she has actually made a nest in the corner of the coop and someone is rolling Georgia's eggs into it. We currently have around 50 eggs piled up! They go out for around an hour a day and neither has attempted to go off in the woods and make a nest. These guys were all brooded by a chicken hen and then placed together after the hen started getting grouchy with them.

Last year we had a female who laid eggs similarly to Georgia and I started picking them up after a week and disposing of them because I thought they would rot. As I was told later, I should never have messed with the eggs because I then destroyed her security and she decided to lay them outside afterwards. She was picked off by a coyote her first night out.

So, considering all that, what am I supposed to do?
*Leave the eggs alone and hope they don't rot?
*Pick them up and then have to worry the hens will go off outside like our former gal?
*I would place the eggs under my former broody hen but then how will they integrate with the larger number of guineas I currently have? It took a while for the bigger guys to be nice to the smaller but the females have finally blended in- the young male is still chased around.
*Would the males and females accept the keets because they would somehow know they were theirs (I know that's expecting a lot of brain power from a guinea, but maybe they have an instinct?).
*Because there are so many eggs piled up now, how do I tell the new ones from the old ones in case I should remove the formerly laid eggs?
*If they do hatch with their moms, do I need to immediately remove them and place them in an incubator or will the hens watch them?
*Would it be better to hatch them in an incubator and then place them in with the guineas immediately or do I run the risk they would kill them?

Sorry for so many questions but I have found conflicting info everywhere. I'm hoping to find some consensus on my favorite site. I LOVE these quirky guys and I want to do what is best for all involved. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[R2elk]

I have 6 guineas, 4 male and 2 female. The females hatched last year so this is their first year of laying eggs. I was reading all the other comments but I still had a few questions. Please bear with me for the length of this:

One hen has attached herself to a guy who had no luck with the ladies last year and they seem to be a blissful couple. Her name is Georgia and she started laying first- but Georgia is somewhat "challenged" and laid the eggs all over their fairly large coop (at least she didn't put them out in the run). She has laid 1 egg a day and this has been going on for around a month. My other gal, Giselle, started later but she has actually made a nest in the corner of the coop and someone is rolling Georgia's eggs into it. We currently have around 50 eggs piled up! They go out for around an hour a day and neither has attempted to go off in the woods and make a nest. These guys were all brooded by a chicken hen and then placed together after the hen started getting grouchy with them.

Last year we had a female who laid eggs similarly to Georgia and I started picking them up after a week and disposing of them because I thought they would rot. As I was told later, I should never have messed with the eggs because I then destroyed her security and she decided to lay them outside afterwards. She was picked off by a coyote her first night out.

So, considering all that, what am I supposed to do?
*Leave the eggs alone and hope they don't rot?
*Pick them up and then have to worry the hens will go off outside like our former gal?
*I would place the eggs under my former broody hen but then how will they integrate with the larger number of guineas I currently have? It took a while for the bigger guys to be nice to the smaller but the females have finally blended in- the young male is still chased around.
*Would the males and females accept the keets because they would somehow know they were theirs (I know that's expecting a lot of brain power from a guinea, but maybe they have an instinct?).
*Because there are so many eggs piled up now, how do I tell the new ones from the old ones in case I should remove the formerly laid eggs?
*If they do hatch with their moms, do I need to immediately remove them and place them in an incubator or will the hens watch them?
*Would it be better to hatch them in an incubator and then place them in with the guineas immediately or do I run the risk they would kill them?

Sorry for so many questions but I have found conflicting info everywhere. I'm hoping to find some consensus on my favorite site. I LOVE these quirky guys and I want to do what is best for all involved. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

It is common for first time layers to drop their eggs wherever they happen to be when the urge to lay hits them. You can encourage them to lay in a specific nest site by seeding it with eggs or fake eggs.

 

[minaayindra]

It is common for first time layers to drop their eggs wherever they happen to be when the urge to lay hits them. You can encourage them to lay in a specific nest site by seeding it with eggs or fake eggs.

They are pushing them into the corner of the coop as their nest site but they have a monster nest now with eggs from both girls. Many of the eggs are also more than a month old due to everything I wrote above. Plus the other 1000 questions I listed! lol