Guinea fowl

[hailie16727]

hello i need some answers my guinea fowl are mating but i can’t seem to find any eggs and they have been in there run recently so im not sure why they aren’t laying they are 7 months old so that may have something to do with it also my male guinea( who dont have a mate) go up to my female guinea fowl stretch their necks and open there mouth and then the females will do it back even if they already have a mate im not sure why i would like if anyone had any answers

 

[WhiteCollarWeezy]

i can’t seem to find any eggs

I have been raising guineas for a little over a year and just found a nest. Guineas like 2 lay in the most treacherous of places. Thorn bushes, very tall grass, honeysuckle, vines, berry bushes, overgrown thickets,etc. If these are free rangers pay attention to them as soon as they come down off their roost, first thing in the morning and they may lead you to their nest. Also after I found their nest I noticed the hens were sharing this nest. At one point I saw 5 hens just waiting patiently in line to be the next to lay in the nest. Guineas are what I would call "seasonal" layers, when cool weather starts they will stop egg production and start back in spring.

and they have been in there run recently so im not sure why they aren’t laying they are 7 months old

i am unsure when they reach adulthood and befin laying. Someone here @ BYC will be able to tell you.

s my male guinea( who dont have a mate) go up to my female guinea fowl stretch their necks and open there mouth and then the females will do it back even if they already have a mate im not sure why

I have never noticed my guineas acting that way but mine will chase each other alllll day and be sooo exhausted they just fall over still trying to fight. Best of luck finding your nest though. I searched for a year and found it in my overgrown garden spot under some chicken wire I had used for the cucumbers 2 climb.

 

[hailie16727]

mine go down next to the road every morning in prickle bushes searched them and got scratched up everywhere they weren’t there it is spring in australia and we have hawks so now they are living in the run until the hawks sort of clear out the run is large but it may just be cause they are not old enough but one of our two females will hop into my chickens nesting box and make a nest every afternoon so i hope for guinea babies very soon cause keets are adorabllee

 

[R2elk]

mine go down next to the road every morning in prickle bushes searched them and got scratched up everywhere they weren’t there it is spring in australia and we have hawks so now they are living in the run until the hawks sort of clear out the run is large but it may just be cause they are not old enough but one of our two females will hop into my chickens nesting box and make a nest every afternoon so i hope for guinea babies very soon cause keets are adorabllee

It is entirely possible that they just haven't started laying yet. When they first start laying, they tend to drop the eggs wherever they happen to be at the time the urge hits them. It can take them several weeks to realize what is happening at which time they start the hidden nests.

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

Mine bury their eggs. One day I noticed an egg partly buried in the corner of the barn. When I picked it up, I saw another egg in the dirt directly underneath it. Started digging and ended up uncovering nearly 2 dozen guinea eggs there! So I started watching them, and sure enough, they will lay, then immediately kick and fluff dirt over them. So it's not something stealing them and burying them.

 

[TexasTurkeyMama]

Hello gooney bird fans! My first flock of guineas is now six months old. I had started seeing eggs laid which I picked up and added to the fridge. Then the summer temps kicked in to the Air Fryer setting and stayed that way until the first day of autumn. I haven't found any guinea eggs. I have identified three hens, one rooster, and a lot of extraneous roosters. My yard has been aggressively hunted this spring and summer by one pest coyote (another story) so my flocks stay inside until I can sweep the yard for predators.

My question would be when to expect my guineas to start their community nesting behavior. I can expect no frost or freezing temps until December. I don't expect to be
able to turn out my guineas without worrying about predators sailing over my fence as if it were a croquet wicket. It probably cramps their style.

 

[R2elk]

Hello gooney bird fans! My first flock of guineas is now six months old. I had started seeing eggs laid which I picked up and added to the fridge. Then the summer temps kicked in to the Air Fryer setting and stayed that way until the first day of autumn. I haven't found any guinea eggs. I have identified three hens, one rooster, and a lot of extraneous roosters. My yard has been aggressively hunted this spring and summer by one pest coyote (another story) so my flocks stay inside until I can sweep the yard for predators.

My question would be when to expect my guineas to start their community nesting behavior. I can expect no frost or freezing temps until December. I don't expect to be
able to turn out my guineas without worrying about predators sailing over my fence as if it were a croquet wicket. It probably cramps their style.

They probably already have their hidden nests. When you keep gathering all their eggs they quickly find more hidden places to lay. They really don't like their nests being messed with. One of these days you will start missing hens in the evening because they are sitting on their hidden nests.

FYI, male guineas are not roosters.

 

[TexasTurkeyMama]

They probably already have their hidden nests. When you keep gathering all their eggs they quickly find more hidden places to lay. They really don't like their nests being messed with. One of these days you will start missing hens in the evening because they are sitting on their hidden nests.

FYI, male guineas are not roosters.

I'll bite, Bob; what is the proper name for a male guinea fowl?

 

[R2elk]

I'll bite, Bob; what is the proper name for a male guinea fowl?

Cock is the proper terminology for a male guinea.

 

[TexasTurkeyMama]

Cock is the proper terminology for a male guinea.

Well, alrighty then.