This morning when I went out to do barn chores, I collected six eggs today and found a bit of a surprise. I found two tiny eggs. At first I wondered if maybe a stray wild bird had managed to sneak in. But then I realized... these are guinea eggs. Very neat... but...
What have we been collecting that we thought were guinea eggs all this time? The eggs that were somewhere between chicken and duck egg size and were distinctly pointed... If they aren't guinea eggs, and they aren't chicken eggs (Henrietta will only lay her eggs in the nest box)... Were those pointed eggs from Matt all this time? The rouen/runner cross duck we thought wasn't laying? But then how did we get five eggs the other day, if we only have five females - and obviously none were these tiny guinea eggs?
We have some of the big eggs in the incubator now, so I guess we will just have to wait and see what hatches out. My new guess is that Matt has been pulling her weight and we've been giving the credit to Iris the guinea instead.
Penelope had one kit that had died, but had a beautiful plush nest of fur and was still fat when I left. When we got back (late tonight), I re-checked and Penelope had five squirming babies and one more dead one. I didn't get a photo because I didn't bring a flashlight and my phone can't function as camera and flashlight at the same time. Photos will have to wait until tomorrow. I know there was at least one that looked like a broken fawn, but again, no way to know for sure until they're older.
Tonight, upon arriving home, we discovered 11 eggs had pipped, including one that pipped on the side, and I worry it may have drown. I won't reach in and mess up the humidity to check though.