Way way back on July 1st we placed 72 guinea eggs into the incubator. We found two nests in the hay field. The birds were very upset with us. We had to remove the eggs. Guineas don't make the best parents. They love to set on eggs but will walk off and leave the newly hatched young. It's like they just don't have a long enough attention span to remember they are parents. Heck these birds will watch a car run them over even though they can fly. They really keep the ticks and bugs down and are wonderful watch dogs.
Yesterday morning we heard a cheeping coming from the incubator. We didn't know when they would hatch because we didn't know when the eggs were actually laid. Guinea eggs take 28 days to hatch per the internet. Well this is what we found when we opened the door. We had taken the eggs and placed them in the bottom hatching drawer so they wouldn't tumble down and get hurt once they started hatching.
They spent the last 24 hours hatching. So this morning we gathered the 18 little keets up into a container.
Then took them out to the barn and into a nice warm (100 degree) brooder.
They look so small in the big brooder. It looks like we have a few pearl and the rest regular.
At least they will have plenty of room to run around.
I just looked a few minutes ago and there are more keets hatched. I put an add on Craigs List and Uncle Henry's. Hopefully we will be able to sell some of these little darlings. If not we will have a noisy farm. A very, very noisy farm. Ted said that we will get a fine for the noise. Thanks for the incubator Mom. I think we will send a few guinea keets to her in Florida. I bet her neighbors would complain a bit.
Our prayers go out to all of you in the "heat dome". We were up to 100 degrees for a couple of days and thought we wouldn't make it. Today our high is in the upper 70's. More like Maine weather should be. Stay safe and remember to hydrate!
Much Love and Prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm.
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7 comments:
Woohoo for the babies. I'd take some off your hands if I was closer or the city would allow it.
I can have chickens and rabbits but, no guineas. I don't see why not. There are chickens down the street and I can hear the Rooster crow every morning. Maybe one day.
How exciting! To tell you the truth, I wasn't holding much hope of them hatching, after they were hiding their eggs. How wonderful! Can't wait to watch them grow. I just turned ours out on their own today and they went high, high up in a tree. Now I am worried.
I really need to google these birds and read the whole story on guineas. Good luck!
They are very cute. But so many! And, since you said they aren't big in the brains department and have no parents present to give them an example, how will they know what to eat? Hide the Peanuts.
I'll take some!! I don't know much about guineas. We have two roos and 6 hens. Need to get rid of the roos.... but we have 12 acres... will they be grown up enough by winter? Do they stay in the barn, or need a coop. Can they roost with the hens?
What a lovely bunch of keets you have there. We are hoping that ours lay more eggs as they are all pretty good parents (except for trampling a few to death). The males are excellent teachers for the young.
Oh the babies are so much fun to see! Love the little pearl ones. And yes that heat was something else now wasn't it! ~Lili
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