Guinea fowl are fast becoming the guard dog of choice on small farms and ranches. It’s no wonder that folks are searching the internet for guinea fowl hatching eggs for sale. Folks around the world have discovered the benefits of having a flock of guinea fowl. Sales are up in the USA at hatcheries offering guinea fowl. Most of the top hatcheries will sell guinea fowl as day old keets, as well as fertilized guinea fowl eggs for hatching yourself at home in an incubator.
If you are just starting your new flock of guinea fowl, hatching eggs at home can be a very big project to manage. To begin with, you’ll need to spend some time finding a hatchery that has guinea fowl hatching eggs for sale – more on that later. Once you do, look for customer comments from other people who have purchased hatching eggs for incubating at home. This can save you from getting into a bad situation before it’s too late.
Guinea fowl do not lay eggs year-round. They only lay eggs during long periods of daylight, as in late spring, summer and early fall. Some exceptions are found way down south where they have longer days, warmer temperatures and nicer weather in general. Owners of guinea fowl report having eggs right up to January, if the weather is just right. The problem with hatching eggs laid out of season is that they may not be fertilized. Another benefit of buying hatching eggs from a hatchery is that they guarantee them to be fertilized. So be aware of the season before you start looking for hatching eggs, you may have to wait.
There are many great hatcheries to be found in the United States. One that I have used on several occasions is Cackle Hatchery in Lebanon, MO. This hatchery sells day-old keets from May through August. Cackle Hatchery has several colors of guinea fowl available: white, pearl, lavender and purple. But they don’t sell hatching eggs. For warmth purposes, you’ll be buying at least 15 day-old guinea fowl keets. Cackle Hatchery won’t ship any less than 15 at one time to ensure the keets stay warm. I purchased 30 pearl grey Guinea fowl one time and all of them arrived in a very small, secure cardboard box, and in perfect condition.
This hatchery is considered the world’s largest rare breed hatchery, and they offer guinea fowl for sale as day-old keets or hatching eggs. McMurray Hatchery in Webster City, IA is a big fish in the guinea fowl breeding business. They have more colors of guinea fowl than any other hatchery, by far! They insist on you buying at least 30 keets so that the birds are warmer during their trip through the postal system to you. Hatching eggs and day-old keets are shipped via Priority Mail.
If you want to start out smaller than 15 or 30 guinea fowl, try searching on Craigslist for smaller guinea fowl breeders in your area. If you can drive a few miles and pick up your guinea fowl hatching eggs or day-old keets, you’ll be starting out with nature on your side. Just imagine the trip those hatching eggs will have to endure while going through the postal system. Even if they are securely packed, the odds of a complete and healthy hatch are relatively low. Most experienced guinea fowl keepers agree that a 50% success rate is good. Don’t forget to call your local feed store or farm supply; they often have day-old keets for sale during the region’s hatching season.
Another great place to find guinea fowl hatching eggs is from the breeders list on the GFIA website. The Guinea Fowl International Association, among other things, helps to put people in touch with small local breeders. Often these breeders will have day-old keets as well as hatching eggs for sale. Call one of the breeders in your area and ask them what color guinea fowl they have, how long they have had their flock. You might even want to take the time to visit the farm so you can see how it all works. This is a good thing to do if you are starting your first flock of guinea fowl. Here is a link to the Guinea Fowl International Association breeders list: http://www.guineafowlinternational.org/breeders/.
Finding hatching eggs for sale will not be the hardest part of the process. The hatching period for guinea fowl eggs will last anywhere from 26 to 28 days. If you don’t have an automatic egg turner in your egg incubator, you will need to be around three times a day to gently hand turn the hatching eggs. This is critical to the success of a hatch. Guinea fowl eggs must be turned so that the embryo doesn’t stick to the side of the shell. Turning also promotes rapid growth and a stronger developing keet. Incubator temperature and humidity are also very important. So you see, there is a lot of work that goes into hatching guinea fowl eggs. If it sounds like too much work, simply buy day-old guinea fowl keets.
If you have the time and space for a flock of guinea fowl, these birds will actually work for you, not to mention the hours of entertainment they will provide. They are one of the few creatures that will guard your property, alert you to strangers and eat your ticks, bugs, and weed seeds. They will also drive off or kill snakes. So get your incubator ready, or find the day old guinea fowl keets you want and get started.
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com
