WK #3

[AgnesGray]

I've enjoyed reading this thread! I have my first guinea keets ever in the brooder and I am absolutely in love with them. They were a "help with ticks" plan that came as eggs from ebay and I already adore them with their spry and feisty behaviors. So far, they're happy to come in for a cuddle and a nap, too.

Mine hatched about one every 12 hours or so starting on day 26. Good luck with your hatch, @Sydney65

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I've enjoyed reading this thread! I have my first guinea keets ever in the brooder and I am absolutely in love with them. They were a "help with ticks" plan that came as eggs from ebay and I already adore them with their spry and feisty behaviors. So far, they're happy to come in for a cuddle and a nap, too.

View attachment 2231223

Mine hatched about one every 12 hours or so starting on day 26. Good luck with your hatch, @Sydney65

Adorable!!! Are they pied?

 

[AgnesGray]

Adorable!!! Are they pied?

Awww, thanks! We sure love them! And yes, they're pied. We can't wait to see them feathered out.

 

[Sydney65]

I did get w/o auto turner basically bc whether or not I want it to be, it is an experiment.

I've enjoyed reading this thread! I have my first guinea keets ever in the brooder and I am absolutely in love with them. They were a "help with ticks" plan that came as eggs from ebay and I already adore them with their spry and feisty behaviors. So far, they're happy to come in for a cuddle and a nap, too.

View attachment 2231223

Mine hatched about one every 12 hours or so starting on day 26. Good luck with your hatch, @Sydney65

Glad you enjoyed it- some entries could have run you off from the entire enterprise, so you must not be faint of heart I've enjoyed the past year with my crew; a few times I wldve gone crazy w/o this forum. Thanks for the encouragement! The uncubator has arrived and is warming up, so ....here we go!

 

[AgnesGray]

I did get w/o auto turner basically bc whether or not I want it to be, it is an experiment.

Glad you enjoyed it- some entries could have run you off from the entire enterprise, so you must not be faint of heart I've enjoyed the past year with my crew; a few times I wldve gone crazy w/o this forum. Thanks for the encouragement! The uncubator has arrived and is warming up, so ....here we go!

Awesome! Happy hatching!

 

[Sydney65]

I'm glad you mentioned the dry method, never heard abt it so did some reading today. Has been running for abt 5 hrs dry anyway; is staying at 10% humidity. My messages combined earlier -you asked if I was doing manual turn. I am. Not a lot going on right now so I am home, and still feeling guilty abt my wild hair, so tried to keep cost down. Lol. Definitely an experiment, like it or not. Losing live ones is crushing enough, these eggs shall not be named. Lol.

 

[Sydney65]

Hatching Eggs 101 by @Sally Sunshine

I have hatched shipped eggs following all the recommendations and not following the recommendations. I have not found any noticeable difference between the methods.

I allow shipped hatching eggs to warm up to room temperature. At this point, I put them in the incubator. Once the incubator is closed, I switch on the auto turner. With shipped Guinea eggs, I normally would get about a 60% hatch from viable eggs.

If the eggs are individually bubble wrapped, be careful to not spin the eggs while unwrapping them. This can be harmful to the eggs.

With a new incubator, be sure to run it for several days in a temperature stable room to make sure that it is working properly. Double the incubator temperature with a calibrated thermometer. Check the humidity with a salt tested hygrometer.

I incubate my guinea eggs between 30 to 35% humidity and raise the humidity to 65 to 70% at lockdown. I do not bother with lowering the temperature by 1°F at lockdown.

If you are hand turning the eggs, it should be 180° at every turn but the direction of the turn should be alternated. Turn the egg clockwise during one turn and counter clockwise at the following turn. It is helpful to put a mark on opposite sides of each egg along with a direction arrow showing which direction the egg should be turned.

Since guinea eggs can hatch anywhere from day 26 thru day 28, you want to put them in lockdown no later than day 25. Some people put their guinea eggs into lockdown on day 24.

You can check on air cell development either by weighing the eggs at the start and on regular intervals during the incubating phase, or you can do it by candling.

Thank you!

 

[R2elk]

Thank you!

Good luck.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Good luck! @Sydney65

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I'm glad you mentioned the dry method, never heard abt it so did some reading today. Has been running for abt 5 hrs dry anyway; is staying at 10% humidity. My messages combined earlier -you asked if I was doing manual turn. I am. Not a lot going on right now so I am home, and still feeling guilty abt my wild hair, so tried to keep cost down. Lol. Definitely an experiment, like it or not. Losing live ones is crushing enough, these eggs shall not be named. Lol.

Is that 10% with or without eggs? 10% is drier than I go, though R2elk might have different experiences. If eggs are in and warmed and it’s stable with a calibrated hygrometer, I’d add a touch of water to get it to at least 25% ish.