An egg incubator is a great way to raise guinea fowl. What are the differences between incubating guinea fowl and breeding other bird species?

Almost every poultry farmer has an incubator. Using this equipment, you can remove birds regardless of the time of year. And in this review we will talk about how guinea fowl are hatched using an incubator, how long it can last.

High-quality incubation is impossible if the rules for egg selection are not followed. Their mass must be determined with high accuracy. For these purposes, it is worth using special scales. Experts recommend taking the Guinea Fowl egg that is the largest. This is due to the fact that it contains greatest number nutrients that are required for hatching to be successful.

It must be remembered that the shell is the most reliable barrier that protects Guinea fowl from environment. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that there are no cracks or other damage on it. Cracked eggs can spoil quite quickly. In addition, they can harbor numerous pathogenic organisms.

It is important to pay attention to the shape of the eggs. Deformed specimens are distinguished by the fact that the volume of air in them is at an insufficient level. For this reason, incubation will not be successful. The embryo will simply die.

In order for the hatching of eggs to be successful, each specimen must be viewed under a magnifying glass. An ovoscope can help in finding damage. It may show small grooves with notches that are on the surface. Such defects cannot be seen with the naked eye.

Incubation of damaged Guinea Fowl eggs will not be successful. For this reason they should be discarded. However, you can use a special adhesive solution based on starch. With its help you can cover up the cracks.

As experts' observations show, homemade, “marble” eggs hatch poorly. Products can be identified by spots of light or dark shade. They are located on the shell. As numerous studies demonstrate, embryos simply do not get the time they need to form.

Defining Conditions

Incubation of Guinea fowl eggs must be accompanied by disinfection. With its help, it will be possible to prevent the development of harmful microflora on the surface, which can harm the embryo. To do this, it is enough to treat the egg with a special solution made from iodine or chloramine.

To obtain healthy Guinea fowl, it is necessary to maintain the temperature at a certain level. Humidity conditions play a big role in incubation. If it is elevated, the growth of the embryo will slow down. A reduced mode will result in fluid loss.

Optimal humidity should be at 75%. The temperature on a wet thermometer should reach 29 degrees, on a dry thermometer - 37 degrees. It is best to purchase a device that can independently monitor these parameters. In other words, the incubator must be equipped with an overheating protection system in order for the eggs to hatch successfully.

Not only can it play a big role temperature regime. Guinea fowl eggs should be hatched in a device equipped with a ventilation system. It is necessary to ensure a constant flow fresh air.

Bookmark

You can make a bookmark at any time. However, many experts recommend doing this in the evening. In such a situation, in the morning it will be possible to sample dried chickens. Eggs should be placed in a vertical position. If the tray is not filled completely, the products will need to be secured using metal strips. You can use a sheet of cardboard.

Incubation mode

The incubation period can be divided into 4 stages. There are many different variations in how Guinea Fowl are bred. Much will depend on the breed. Each mode has advantages and disadvantages. How many days will each individual stage last?

The first stage usually ends 7 days after the eggs have been laid. The end of the second stage occurs on the 11th day. The third stage lasts until the first squeak. The fourth stage will take as long as it takes until the first shell pecks.

During the incubation period, it is important to monitor the temperature of the shell. With its help, it will be possible to determine how much the temperature and humidity correspond to the needs of the embryo.

Before placing eggs, the device will need to be heated until it reaches room temperature. On the first day, it is recommended to maintain a temperature of 37.8 degrees. At stages 2 and 3, the temperature should be reduced to 37.6 degrees. At the last stage it should be increased to 38.8 degrees.

After watching the video, you will learn how Guinea fowl chicks hatch if you follow the above recommendations and observe the temperature regime.

Control over embryo development

As already mentioned, Guinea Fowl eggs must be checked before laying. Otherwise, they may explode during the incubation process. This will happen due to increased heat and pressure.

To prevent this, it is recommended to recheck it on the eighth day after laying. Those eggs in which embryonic development is not observed must be disposed of.

How many days must pass before the second inspection? When two weeks have passed after the start of incubation, the products should be illuminated again. At this stage, you need to get rid of eggs with “blood rings”.

The third check is carried out 24 days after the start of incubation. This time, eggs with frozen embryos should be discarded.

Video "Bird Breeding"

How to breed birds, how long does it take incubation period How to keep Guinea fowl - this will be discussed in the video.

The only one in an effective way obtaining young animals is considered artificial breeding. The fact is that females are very bad hens, have a restless character and leave the nest at the slightest noise. That is why incubation of guinea fowl in an incubator is in high demand.

In this article you will find useful information about the features of breeding chicks, as well as a description of the modes with a special table. You will also learn how to choose the right raw materials for breeding young animals, and what regime to maintain at all stages of artificial incubation.

Incubation of guinea fowl in an incubator

In order for the young to be healthy and viable, you need to correctly select the eggs intended for hatching.

Note: Three weeks before hatching, females are fed heavily to increase their productivity and egg quality.

Material intended for hatching young animals is gradually collected over the course of one week. For storage, choose a dark room with good ventilation, placing the eggs in trays with the blunt ends facing up. The room is maintained at a stable temperature, no higher than 10 degrees.

Terms

For artificial incubation, only high-quality specimens of the correct shape are selected. They should not be too large or small, since different sizes will cause chicks to hatch unevenly. In addition, they must have a strong shell without cracks, growths and other defects (Figure 1).

To successfully complete the process, several important conditions must be met:

Shell disinfection using iodine or chloramine solution. This condition is necessary, since harmful microbes can accumulate on the surface, which often penetrate inside, causing the death of the embryo or causing serious defects in the chicks.
In the process of breeding young animals constantly support optimal level temperature and humidity (37.5 degrees and 75%, respectively). If these indicators deviate from the norm, the embryos will grow more slowly.
Lay eggs better in the evening so that in the morning you can remove the defect from the device.

Figure 1. Preparing eggs for incubation

It is also important to provide fresh air as embryos excrete carbon dioxide and without an influx of oxygen, the chicks can quickly suffocate.

Peculiarities

Incubation of guinea fowl eggs has some features that must be taken into account. Firstly, they are not placed in the chamber immediately after storage. They need to warm up a little, so they are transferred to a warm room where the device is located.

Secondly, it is necessary to ensure regular revolution. To simplify this process, it is better to buy a device with automatic rotation. In this case, the eggs are laid with the blunt end up, and if turning is done manually, then horizontally. The first revolution is carried out 12 hours after laying.

Advantages

The main advantage of artificial hatching is that it significantly increases the percentage of chicks hatched (Figure 2). Females of this species are poor brood hens. They have a very restless and fearful character, and wildlife They most often hide from people in bushes along the banks of water bodies.

Figure 2. The process of hatching chicks and their further maintenance

In the case of domestic keeping, the birds are equipped with a spacious enclosure, but even if the birds are in a calm environment, the hen can easily abandon the nest, frightened by even a small noise.

Requirements for eggs for incubation

Guinea fowl eggs are quite large: their weight can reach 50 grams. The highest opportunity to get offspring is in April, since at this time the active period of fertilization begins in males.

It is better to collect eggs in the morning and store them for no more than a week in a cool, dark room with good ventilation. Before laying, they are transferred to a warm room for several hours.

Note: To ensure that the young animals are hatched simultaneously, the raw materials are distributed according to size.

They should have a smooth shell without cracks or irregularities. It is advisable to treat them with iodine solution or a quartz lamp to destroy pathological microorganisms on the surface (Figure 3).

Requirements for the incubator

A regular incubator is suitable for hatching young animals, but since bird eggs are larger than chicken eggs, you need to prepare a grid of the appropriate size for them in advance.

Figure 3. Selection of eggs and checking them with an ovoscope before laying

It is advisable to buy models with automatic system turning, ventilation and maintaining temperature and humidity. This will ensure a higher percentage of hatching of young animals due to the support of stable temperature and humidity conditions.

Incubation of guinea fowl at home: video

To learn in detail how guinea fowl are hatched at home, we recommend watching the video. In it you will find useful information about preparing eggs for laying and further caring for them.

Incubation mode: table

It is impossible to imagine hatching chicks in an incubator without strict adherence to the regime. To do this, use a special table, which indicates what the temperature and humidity inside the device should be, how often ventilation and turning should be done (Table 1).

Table 1. Guinea fowl incubation regimes

Guided by this table, you can successfully breed young birds at home.

Guinea fowl incubation period

The incubation period for these birds is 28 days. Before laying, it is advisable to check with an ovoscope in order to remove damaged specimens in advance.

During the process of hatching young animals, transillumination with an ovoscope is repeated several more times to monitor the development of the embryo.

Domesticated guinea fowl, belonging to the order Gallinae, are considered royal food. They were brought from Africa, but they thrive in the climate of Russia and Ukraine and continue to reproduce even in the cold season. It is possible to keep birds both in roosts and on the run, but free-walking animals should have their wings trimmed as they grow older, as they run quickly and can fly.

A significant advantage of guinea fowl compared to chickens and other farm birds is their high resistance to disease, easy care and inexpensive maintenance.

Guinea fowl eggs are smaller in size than chicken eggs, however, like meat, they are considered extremely healthy. The retinol content in chicken eggs is up to three times lower than in guinea fowl. They can be stored much longer than eggs of other bird species. However, the guinea fowl is a rather capricious bird that easily falls into a state of stress. Restlessness makes hatching of chicks more difficult. The hen can leave the nest, so to hatch the babies, they are often placed under another farm bird or placed in an incubator.

Benefits of Incubation

Because domesticated guinea fowl make poor brood hens, chicks are often raised in incubators. This leads to the fact that the number of babies hatched from the hatchery increases significantly. In addition, they can hatch from the egg in one day, which is important for summer fattening. At the same time, the eggs in the incubator will require additional care, maintaining the required temperature and humidity during the various stages of hatching. Breeding chicks using an incubator is more complex.

Guinea fowl chicks

Preparation

The incubation conditions for chickens, guinea fowl, and pheasants are similar. Birds are unpretentious to conditions and food. They can be kept in the same room and on the same perches. The weight of a mature and healthy individual reaches 2 kilograms.

Depending on the breed, the number of eggs per year may vary.

Fact! Egg breeds can produce up to 180 eggs per year weighing up to 50 grams.

To incubate the eggs, they will need to be fertilized, so males must be kept together with females at the rate of one rooster for three or four hens. Birds begin to mate when the average daily temperature is high, most often from mid-April to early May. They continue to reproduce for up to six months, and then take a break for the winter. However, with properly designed artificial lighting in the room where the bird is kept, they can lay eggs for up to three seasons, leaving the owners without products only for the winter. Most of the eggs with a healthy rooster and females will be fertilized. In the best case scenario, up to 85% of eggs are suitable for incubation. After incubation is complete, three-quarters of the eggs hatch into healthy chicks.

Before collecting eggs, the livestock should begin to be intensively fattened so that the birds can gain energy and produce viable offspring. They should be fed porridge mixed with leftover meat and fish and added with fermented milk products.

Before laying, you should make sure that the cells in the incubator are of a suitable size for guinea fowl eggs, since they are small. The incubator must have an automatic temperature and humidity control system. For incubation, you will need to monitor the readings of dry and wet thermometers. If necessary, turn on the evaporator to remove excess moisture. The incubator will need to be ventilated as the embryos will require a lot of oxygen to develop.

Breeding guinea fowl in an incubator

To hatch chickens in an incubator, you will need eggs from healthy females, checked with an ovoscope in the light in dark rooms for the presence of an embryo. Before laying the eggs, it is recommended to check them by lightly tapping them against each other. If you hear a slight crackling sound, there are microcracks in the eggshell. They should not be placed in an incubator. It is also advisable to place clean samples in the incubator.

When hatching guinea fowl, you will need to turn the eggs at least twice a day. How many days do guinea fowl hatch in an incubator? From 26 to 29 days, longer than chickens, so the incubation mode for other chicken representatives will not suit them.

Breeding guinea fowl in an incubator

The incubation period of guinea fowl will require close monitoring of laid eggs. During development, they will need to be examined from time to time for blood rings or frozen embryos.

Important: If eggs without an embryo are mistakenly placed in the incubator, over time, due to increased internal pressure, they will burst, spilling over the remaining eggs, which can lead to difficulty getting air inside and the death of the embryos.

Eggs should be inspected before incubation begins. Further inspection is carried out at the end of the second week of incubation; eggs with blood rings must be removed. And just before hatching, on days 23-25, eggs with dead embryos are thrown out of the incubator.

Guinea fowl egg incubation mode

To successfully complete incubation, guinea fowl will require certain conditions of humidity, temperature and access to air. Compared to chicken eggs, guinea fowl eggs are smaller in size and will take longer to hatch. later, their air capsule, located inside is smaller in size.

Incubation of guinea fowl eggs, incubation mode: table

Period	Temperature °C	Humidity	Ventilation
1-2 days	37,8-38	65	Leave without ventilation
From 3 days to two weeks	37.6	60	5 minutes
From 15 to 24 days	37.5	50-55	7-10 minutes
25 days	37.6	50	10 minutes
From 26 to exit from the egg membranes	37.2	68	Leave without ventilation

How to hatch guinea fowl in a home incubator

As can be seen from the table, over time the temperature and humidity in the incubator should be gradually reduced. At the same time, in the last stages it is worth, on the contrary, increasing the humidity.

To successfully incubate chicks in an incubator, you will need to follow the scheme presented in the table. To be placed in an incubator, they must have the following features:

Guinea fowl begin to lay eggs at the age of six months. At the same time, the highest percentage of success is achieved when eggs from guinea fowl aged 8 months to a year are placed in the incubator. In this case, the number of chicks reaches 70-75%.
You will need to monitor the egg mass. It is advisable to select only those weighing from 39 to 50 grams. They can be stored for up to a week at low temperatures, up to 12 degrees, and very high humidity. It is recommended to keep it in a vertical position only. Eggs stored for a longer period suffer a significant loss in hatchability.
Eggs that are too small, weighing less than 38 g or have an atypical shape, are not recommended to be placed in the incubator. It is also better not to use double-yolk ones or those that have problems with the oxygen chamber. If there are problems with the shell, it is also worth discarding.

Dirty eggs are thoroughly washed with a manganese solution and dried. Before laying, it is worth grouping the eggs by size and placing them in different trays.

Important. Incubation of guinea fowl occurs in two stages. Due to the density of the shell under the shell, first the chick must peck out a crack in it and break through the shell. Then the shell will break and the chick will be released into the world. However, the degree of plumage of a bird may vary.

For incubating chicks, it is better to choose incubators with automated system monitoring temperature and humidity, the presence of built-in dry and wet thermometers. It is also desirable that it has an automatic egg turning function.

Incubation, in fact, is not an easy task, because you need to adhere to certain technology and clear rules for creating an artificial environment when the brood is born.

Incubation conditions

From the moment you notice that your adult bird is ready to produce offspring, you need to carefully sort through its eggs. In order for the young to be healthy and hatch at the same time, choose eggs of medium size, smooth (without unnecessary growths and pimples), the shell should be strong, without defects and cracks.

Experienced poultry farmers follow the rules incubating guinea fowl at home:

The shell must be disinfected with a solution of iodine and chloramine, which removes all harmful microbes from the surface. This is a kind of precautionary measure, without which there is no guarantee that the chick will be born at all or will be healthy.
Maintain temperature and humidity in the room where the young animals will be hatched. If you do not adhere to the required indicators, the embryo will develop much more slowly.
Provide guinea fowl embryos with oxygen by ventilating the room and briefly opening the box.
Observe correct technique laying eggs. It is recommended to lay out the eggs in the evening, because in the morning you need to remove the defective specimens.

Incubation Features

For incubating guinea fowl eggs at home You need to prepare special equipment that will allow you to keep the eggs in the correct position and at the optimal temperature.

Before laying the eggs, you need to keep them somewhere warm and warm them up to 19 degrees. And set the container to 38 degrees and 60-70% air humidity. The thermometer should be placed directly above the testicles and the surface of the shell should be constantly checked. After all, the slightest decrease or increase in temperature threatens to disrupt the chick hatching process.

Worth considering physiological feature subshell membrane - it is very dense. Therefore, if not properly cared for, this shell sticks (dries out) to the embryo and, in the future, can lead to death.

Attention! For the full development of the embryo, you also need to turn the eggs regularly. To make your work easier, buy a special automatic device that will control the turning process and thereby save time.

What is the advantage of hatching guinea fowl in an incubator?

In nature, guinea fowl are very cowardly, so they look for a hidden place to hatch their eggs. If you frighten her during this period, then there is a high probability that the nest will be abandoned along with future offspring.

At home, it is even more difficult for a guinea fowl to hatch chicks on its own. In such cases, breeders use incubators, creating a favorable environment for the brood.

Guinea pigs are extremely sensitive, sometimes natural phenomena can be fatal for them: sudden rain or morning dew lead to death. But in the incubator it is possible to exclude everything negative factors, it is safer and more reliable.

Egg requirements

It is important to choose the right eggs for incubation. There are certain rules:

lay eggs of an adult one-year-old bird;
select only large eggs, weighing about 50 grams;
By external signs the shell should be light brown and with red spots;
exclude the presence of cracks or dents (preferably examined under a microscope).

Important! As soon as the guinea fowl has laid eggs, do not rush to pick them up, because the first ones may be unfertilized. Only on the 20th day from the moment of laying, select the best specimens.

Requirements for the incubator

It is best to purchase an automated incubator, place it in a room with a temperature of at least 18 degrees, and then it will maintain all indicators at normal levels.

It should have: a thermometer, a system for protecting embryos from overheating, humidity control sensors and a device for turning eggs.

Incubation at home: video

You can learn more about all the nuances of breeding guinea fowl at home thanks to the video, which we suggest you read further.

Incubation mode for guinea fowl eggs: table

The requirements for caring for guinea fowl eggs and young chicks will seem complicated at first glance. But it is much easier to comply with all measures if you have an incubation regime table at hand.

Term	Temperature	Humidity	Ventilation	Coup
1-2	38	65	no need	6
3-14	37,5	60	5 min.	4
15-23	37,5	55	8 min.	3
24-25	37	50	10 min.	2
26-28	37	68	7 min.	no need

The health and further development young animals, so come to this issue with full responsibility.

Guinea fowl incubation period

From the moment the eggs are placed in a container intended for incubation, it is necessary to monitor their condition. Guinea fowl incubation period differs in duration (for example, in chickens it will be shorter).

Already on days 12-14, using an ovoscope, you can see the embryo (a dark red and grayish spot with precise outlines). If the spot is blurry, it means the embryo is dead and should be thrown out immediately.

After 25-28 days, the chick is formed and ready to hatch. After the first peck, it may take about 24 hours until the small individual completely emerges from the egg.

Conclusion

Guinea fowl incubation process - interesting activity, despite all the difficulties, as well as financial costs for equipment and special instruments. Having seen the first “fruits” of your efforts, you will not be able to refuse such an exciting business, which, moreover, can bring considerable profit. But only if all the rules, requirements and technologies for breeding guinea fowl are correctly observed.