LinearDefine Guinea egg appearances
by Heritage Hens 
, Vermont, Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 13:02
Today when i went out to the barn for chores I found a small egg in the middle of one of the coop floors. I have not seen one like this before and I am wondering if it is a Guinea egg. Mine are from June keets.
The egg is small, but not the smallness of a new chicken hen egg. It is medium brown with a kind of tapioca look. It is like a creamy tan background with medium brown tiny spots all over it. As if dirt got into the pores of skin.
I have not seen a chicken egg that looks like this.
It is a little under 2" long and a little under 1 1/2" wide.
I am afraid to get my hopes up!!!
Advice would be appreciated!
Define Guinea egg appearances
That sounds like a good description of the eggs my guineas make, Heritage Hens. I'll add that my guinea eggs have a soft point on one end.
You may have a guinea egg there! Can you post a photo of it?
Define Guinea egg appearances
by David Burton Flint 
, Mars Hill, NC, Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 13:31 @ K
I bet ya it is, and maybe she didn't get back in time to where she possibly has prep. for her nest!
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David Burton Flint,NC CELTIC BREEZE LANE GUINEA FARM
Born 250 years too late
Define Guinea egg appearances
by Heritage Hens , Vermont, Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 14:37 @ David Burton Flint
I will try to take a picture of it.
I don't think they have made any nests. I have nest boxes in various places in the barn. I rather think she doesn't even know she is laying it.
They are nine months old.
We'll see what happens tomorrow!
img: Guinea egg appearances
by Peeps , BFE, Northern California, Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 15:51 @ Heritage Hens
edited by Peeps, Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 16:08
When my young Guineas first started laying this year I would find random eggs ALL over in places that made no sense, especially under the tree they roost in... I'm guessing the exertion of jumping up to fly up into the branches forced an egg out, LOL... would have loved to get that on camera! It took a while before I found nests with a few eggs in them, but they are definitely laying now. I posted a pics of some eggs below, and I have a pic of a collection of eggs from multiple hens on this post as well... http://www.guineafowlinternational.org/forum/index.php?id=22909 .
Lots of variation to my my Girls' eggs. Does your egg look anything like any of these?
![[image]](images/uploaded/201003101551014b9822555b9d7.jpg)
![[image]](images/uploaded/201003101607264b98262e71a6f.jpg)
![[image]](images/uploaded/201003101608264b98266a8d4f8.jpg)
IMO: "jumping up to fly into the branches" does NOT force an egg out. They will however, drop an occassional egg from a roost, however high, & the egg rarely breaks, when it hits the ground. Personal observation.
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Common sense ain't all that common.
egg drops
by Peeps , BFE, Northern California, Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 16:26 @ LarryTX
Hmmm ok, just thought that mighta been what caused about half a dozen or so eggs to be on the ground under their roosting tree. I've never witnessed any of my hens laying any eggs, and so I'm not educated on the actual egg laying process, as far as the muscles, effort or force it takes to "push one out". I can't say I actually saw it happen on "lift off", but I can't say I didn't either. Entertaining thought tho 
. Some had soft shells, some were normal. Some were broken, some were whole.
egg drops
by treeNWVA , Northwestern Virginia, Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 19:04 @ Peeps
Peeps, it's as Larry said .. before they are "experienced" and know what they're doing, they'll sometimes produce eggs while sitting on the roost. I've had some young chickens do that also, with much messier results ! (chicken egg shells aren't nearly as tough as guinea eggs)
tree
img: Guinea egg appearances - BINGO!
by Heritage Hens , Vermont, Thursday, March 11, 2010, 07:39 @ Peeps
Peeps, mine looks exactly like the ones in your pictures with the dots! I am so excited. This is my first guinea egg!
I cooked it for my dog this morning because I wasn't sure how long it was on the ground. It had a huge yolk even though the shell was small.
Today I am getting out there to make my nesting area in corner of the barn with logs, branches, leaves, etc. Similar to the pictures that have been posted.
Thanks so much for the pictures! Next I need to figure out how to post pictures.
Define Guinea egg appearances
by Bodillymill , Helston, Cornwall, England, Thursday, March 11, 2010, 02:44 @ Heritage Hens
Sound like a Guinea egg for sure...
HH have you noticed any of that odd mating behaviour I talked about a few day's ago...
Things to look for are flattened flapping wings with subservient crouching and the boy's wrangling with their wattles fully flattened forward...
If so i think the season's kicking off for you... Good luck..
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Tone
Define Guinea egg appearances - mating not observed
by Heritage Hens , Vermont, Thursday, March 11, 2010, 07:43 @ Bodillymill
Bodilly, I have not seen any of the mating behavior BETWEEN guineas, and I did pay attention to the previous posts on this.
The only behavior is with chicken rooster mounting guinea hen. I think I will post a new topic to see if I can get some answers.
Define Guinea egg appearances - mating not observed
by Peeps , BFE, Northern California, Thursday, March 11, 2010, 13:14 @ Heritage Hens
I didn't see any mating behavior either, just males chasing each other... guess mine like their privacy, lol. I have seen it going on recently tho. Glad the egg pics helped you identify your mystery egg :) Hope you get many more, Guinea eggs that is, not the mystery eggs!
Define Guinea egg appearances - mating not observed
by Heritage Hens , Vermont, Thursday, March 11, 2010, 16:42 @ Peeps
Thanks to you and your pictures, my quest is over! You should hve seen the look on my face when I picked up that first guinea egg and tried to make sense of it.
About the same reaction when I am driving along my street and a moose runs across the road in front of the car. You know you saw something BIG, but it don't look like no deer! 
img: Odd shaped Guinea egg
by Peeps , BFE, Northern California, Thursday, March 11, 2010, 17:07 @ Heritage Hens
edited by Peeps, Thursday, March 11, 2010, 17:19
Check out this oddly shaped egg I found today. Both of these are out of the same nest of 23 eggs.
![[image]](images/uploaded/201003111705094b99853567904.jpg)
Piper has laid an egg like that consistently since spring of 2007
![[image]](http://www.guineafowlinternational.org/forum/images/uploaded/200909191305434ab5399735d16.jpg)
![[image]](http://www.guineafowlinternational.org/forum/images/uploaded/200909191306294ab539c587b63.jpg)
Piper's egg
by Peeps , BFE, Northern California, Thursday, March 11, 2010, 20:57 @ CarlNC
Do her odd shaped eggs ever hatch into keets? Or do you eat them? Just curious if I should put this one in the bator or not...
Define Guinea egg appearances - mating not observed
by Bodillymill , Helston, Cornwall, England, Thursday, March 11, 2010, 14:14 @ Heritage Hens
excellent, I think your guinea seasons kicked off...
Tell me.. Is the cross between a chicken and a Guinea yours the one called 'Miracle'... I can't remember..
Sounds to me like your going to have some real fun over the next few weeks
and it is just possible you may get a cross....
I wonder if anyone in the forum knows if Chicken Guinea crosses are fertile.. I know the crosses between Vulturine and standard guineas tend to be infertile... It would be interesting to know if anyone knows...
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Tone
As a rule, guinea/chicken crosses are not fertile
by BarbaraNH , New Hampshire, USA, Thursday, March 11, 2010, 20:31 @ Bodillymill
Apparently, the reproductive organs in these crosses are almost always underdeveloped. I do remember reading about a cross that did lay eggs, although none of the eggs were found to be fertile.
