information-station

Hatching Your Guinea Fowl Shipped Eggs

Wed, 16 May 2018 18:11:35 +0100

To successfully hatch any eggs, begin with fresh, clean, fertile eggs. Clean off any degree. For Eggs purchased by mail order, it is important to ensure that the eggs receive proper care in transit. Extremes of temperature and poor handling can destroy prospects for a good hatch.

Let the Eggs rest for 12-24 hours, pointy side down prior to incubation.

Guinea egg hatch after 26-28 days of incubation. My experience is that, with a properly calibrated incubator, they will start pipping on day 25 and hatch day 26.
The incubator should be stable at 100oF in forced air incubators and 102oF in a still air incubator. I am a fan of the "dry" incubation method. The humidity using a calibrated hygrometer being in the 30-45% range.

Eggs should be turned up until day 23. As with all eggs, turning from day one is critical in embryo development. It is often suggested to not turn shipped eggs for 24-72 hours but studies show that failure to turn eggs in the first few days can increase the dead in shell losses by as much as twenty five percent - the yolk compressed the embryo to the side of the egg and though it will appear to develop nicely - the keet won't be able to maneuver into a hatching position.

Never turn eggs full rotations. If manually turning, best results will occur by turning in the following pattern. Turn one: Anticlockwise 180 degrees. Turn two: Clockwise 180 degrees. Turn 3: End to end with small end down. It is recommended to turn eggs an odd number of times each day. This concept is based on the fact that most people have a pattern of not being next to the incubator for periods of time - we all have to work and sleep. Basically - the odd number will alternate the long and short time periods, i.e. while you are at work for more than eight hours. The more turns the better but never drop below three turns a day - especially in the first week. If using an auto turner, just set the eggs on day one and turn on the turner.

Wash your hands before you handle eggs. Candle eggs on day 10, 17 and 23 to evaluate air cells and look for clears, blood rings and intra-incubation deaths. Use a gram scale to measure weight loss - targeting 11-13% on day 23. Smell the incubator for signs of a bad egg. Remove any stinkers as they are infected and will wreak havoc on your hatch as well as your incubator.

On day 23 place the eggs in hatching mode. I prefer them on their side. Increase humidity to greater than seventy five percent and leave the eggs alone. In an incubator with the correct uniform heat, using fresh eggs, they will pip on day 25-26 and most will hatch within 24 hours of the first pip. If you have older eggs, then the hatch will be delayed on those eggs.

Wait till 24 hours from the first keet hatched to pull the dried keets and place in a warmed brooder. You can re-up the humidity by spraying some warm water on the sides of the incubator and pull the second batch the following day.
As you place Keets in the brooder, show them the water by dipping their beaks in it. The Keets will thrive best on 26% protein.

Basic information in Caring for Chicks

Mon, 04 Dec 2017 23:14:32 +0100

People are increasingly starting to realize that experienced breeders offer the best quality chicks vs hatchery birds. A good breeder will breed towards a standard. More commonly known as the Standard of Perfection. Breeding towards a goal of egg laying capabilities, breed temperament, health and type are some very important traits. Culling out chicks that do not meet the standard, as using improper breeding stock can cause a whole host of issues for the future breeding.

So now that you have your quality chicks, what now?

In order for chicks to grow into healthy adults, they should be given the best of care. Proper nutrition at an early age is critical during their development stages. You must help them to build up their immune system. This is especially important for extremely rare breeds that may need an extra boost, as gene pools that are limited can cause chicks to become less vigourous. They may also not be able to ward off infections and disease quite so easily. Chicks are small, delicate and sensitive to any treatment they are given at their tender age.

In order for chicks to transform into a healthy hardy adults, they have to be and placed in a hygienic environment that will keep away pathogens from attacking them. A clean ventilated chick brooder must be used. Drinking water should be clean. Proper chick feed should be suppled to your chicks. Wired floor is a great choice to keep chicks on. Dirty water with feces that the chicks drink out of can cause gut rot in your birds. They have to be kept in an environment that has a suitable temperature that will enhance their growth. Improper temperatures can accelerate coccidiosis in chicks. Some experts recommend medicated chick starter to help inhibit this parasitical growth. Chicks are all born with low levels of Coccidiosis. Keep the brooder clean and dry with the correct temperature as per chick age requirement. It is important to not over crowd your chicks. Over crowding can cause stress which can also accelerate parasites to grow in your chicks. Moving chicks to a new area can cause stress in your young chicks, ensure they are given a proper vitamin supplement during this period.

Giving this proper care will ensure a long health life for your birds with plenty of eggs to come.

Candace Shatokhin

Why purchase hatching eggs and what to expect.

Sat, 22 Aug 2015 16:42:53 +0100

What are the benefits and risks of purchasing hatching eggs? What are your expectations? Here is a simple to read article that can simplify the process. Know and understand the risk before purchasing.

Few experiences in life compare to the wondrous event of witnessing a baby chicken labor with instinctive determination and emerge from an egg. Being a spectator of this miraculous event is the motivation that prompts many people to attempt incubating and hatching eggs. Regardless of the reasons behind your decision, knowing what to reasonably expect when purchasing shipped hatching eggs can make your experience more pleasurable and helps to ease potential disappointment.

When discussing shipped hatching eggs with an individual, I always remind them of the risk involved when purchasing eggs and the difference between an infertile egg and a nonviable egg.

Shipped hatching eggs may travel a great distance and experience excessive variations in climate, including temperature, humidity and pressure changes that may occur with fluctuations in altitude. These conditions, coupled with the possibility of simple human carelessness when handling the package, can decrease the likelihood of a successful hatch.

Because of these factors, a fertile and viable egg can be packed into a box, shipped to you and arrive in a nonviable state. When candling the eggs, nonviable eggs appear clear, just as infertile eggs do. When cracked open upon completion of incubation, you can see by close visual inspection that these nonviable eggs were fertile and became nonviable from exposure to extreme conditions.

So, why would a person accept the risk and purchase shipped hatching eggs when they understand that there is a possibility the eggs may not hatch? There are a variety of reasons:

The minimum order requirement for baby chicks from hatcheries is 25 chicks (too many for some people to manage).
A particular breed may only be available from an individual breeder who doesn’t ship live chicks.
Ordering hatching egg, instead of live chicks, may be more affordable.

Incubating eggs that have been shipped through the mail can be and is successful for countless people just like you everyday. With simple preparation and correct incubation techniques, you can successfully hatch your own chicks.

To increase your chances for success, clean and turn on your incubator a couple of days prior to the arrival of your hatching eggs. Be certain that your incubator is maintaining proper, consistent temperature and humidity for the kind of eggs you are hatching and for your type of incubator. Still air units will require a slightly different temperature than forced air units (follow the manufacturer’s instructions).

When your eggs arrive, carefully unwrap the eggs and inspect them. Discard any broken or cracked eggs and notify your supplier of the damage. If the eggs are very dirty, a light and gentle rinsing under water will not harm them. Place the eggs to be incubated pointy end down into an egg carton or egg-hatching tray at room temperature for 24 hours prior to placing them in your preheated incubator. This “resting” period can greatly increase your chances of a successful hatch by allowing the air cell within the egg to settle back into proper position. This resting period is the same if you are using a broody hen as your incubator.

Acquiring hatching eggs has never been easier. The resources are vast and hatching eggs can be found everywhere from online auction sites to websites that specialize in the sale of hatching eggs.

Incubating your own hatching eggs can be very rewarding and enjoyable. Understanding and accepting the reality that even the most experienced person has unsuccessful hatches occasionally, will help avoid the disappointment that we each have felt at times from a failed attempt at hatching shipped eggs. The successful hatches far outweigh the latter. Proper technique and perseverance will reward you with an incubator full of peeping chicks.

Article by Julie and Michael Gabbard own and run Gabbard Farms.