Hi All,
I have just received an email asking about a guinea fowl hen found on her nest.
" i just found my one and only guinea hen laying on eggs,since the male both were killed about 2 mos ago would it be safe to say these eggs are not fertile???? should i just leave her alone or remove the eggs? thank you. Rhonda"
Any help and advice you have for rhonda would be great.
I said "Hi Rhonda,
Thanks for visiting farmingfriends and leaving your question.
I don't suppose the eggs will still be fertile but I don't know how the breeding of guinea fowl works and if the eggs will be fertile once mating has stopped. I am assuming that after a 2 month absense of a male the eggs will not be fertile.
You could consider candling the eggs http://farmingfriends.com/candling-eggs/ if you are able to get at the eggs, although I know from experience that guinea fowl hens don't take kindly to being disturbed once they are sitting and once they are disturbed are unlikely to get back on the eggs.
Is your guinea fowl hen sitting on a nest in a place where she is safe from predators? If she is then you could let her continue to sit although you will want to make sure that she gets water and food every day so you could leave some near her. Then if the eggs are not fertile the guinea fowl hen will eventaully get off the eggs.
If she is just sitting in the open and is not protected then I would consider giving her some protection by placing a run over her or moving her on from the eggs so that you can candle them to see if they are fertile. If the eggs were fertile you could encourage the guinea fowl to sit somewhere where she will be protected from predators by placing the eggs there although she may not sit back on them or you could incubate them.
Let me know what you decide to do. Sara @ farmingfriends"
Thanks
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends