How old are guineas when they start laying fertile eggs?

[fgdiii]

I just got a dozen 3 month old guineas. When can I expect them to mate and when will they begin laying fertile eggs?

 

[Cindiloohoo]

May or June

 

[Mourningdove]

I would like to know the answer as well, I have 5 almost 3 months old too!

 

[chickenlittle32]

It actually doesn't go on the age of the guinea...they are seasonal layers..and since yours were born in Oct...I'd say that they may start laying Aug-Sept....They lay the same time turkeys will usually lay....

 

[Love my babies]

I just hatched my babies towards the end of march and today sept. 11 found the first nest from my 6 month old's. I hard started noticing one kinda cowering down to some of the others and making odds sounds, then found the nest this evening with 12 eggs in it. Now only time will tell if they will hatch.

 

[PeepsCA]

The eggs may be fertile in that nest, but it's kind of late in the season for a young Momma Guinea to be hatching/raising keets. In another month the temps will be even cooler than they are now, especially at night. And young keets may not make it very far into the winter months without some human intervention. If you don't have a sheltered coop for the Momma and keets, I would not let her set the clutch of eggs unless you plan on brooder raising them until that are fully feathered and able to regulate their own body temps and stay warm enough (6+ wks old)...

 

[MTerry]

It seems I will be having the same problem, I just found a nest with 5 eggs in it. I plan to go out and mark those, so I can collect the fresh eggs, but what will I do with the original 5. I really don't want any more guineas right now, I have 10.

 

[jbirds2012]

so ours are 2 months old and im guessing they won't statr laying till next spring ???

 

[PeepsCA]

It seems I will be having the same problem, I just found a nest with 5 eggs in it. I plan to go out and mark those, so I can collect the fresh eggs, but what will I do with the original 5. I really don't want any more guineas right now, I have 10.

I would leave the 5 marked eggs in the nest to keep the Hen laying in that spot so you don't have to egg/nest hunt... and collect the fresh eggs daily and eat them, feed them to your dogs, or give them away etc as long as she continues to lay this season. If she ends up going broody on the 5 marked eggs... then I'd take them away and toss them (or freeze them first then toss them if you are concerned about tossing eggs that contain live embryos). She probably won't lay any more eggs for the year after that... but keep an eye on her just in case. Many Guinea Hens have been known to NOT follow the general Guinea rules, lol. Typically when the daylight hours shorten, and temps drop considerably all the Hens in my flocks stop laying tho.

 

[PeepsCA]

so ours are 2 months old and im guessing they won't statr laying till next spring ???

Probably not... you may see a few random eggs in the coop thru the colder months,(mainly depending on if you have a light on in your coop each night or not) but generally most Guinea Hens will start laying early the following Spring after they were hatched and will lay Spring Thru Fall every year (they are seasonal layers). Each year my older Guinea Hens will start laying a little later in the Spring, but the pullets always start early, like clockwork, usually in early-mid January (here in CA where I have fairly mild winters, that may not be the case for pullets in other states tho).