Guinea Fowl Eggs In The Post
Today I sent 6 guinea fowl eggs to my new blogging friends at The Cottage Smallholder website.
After reading an article about The Cottage Smallholder’s chicken, Mrs Boss, getting broody, I left a comment on their site offering some of my guinea fowl eggs. I was delighted when I received an email saying that they would really like to have a go at raising guinea fowl and would welcome any eggs I had.
So after a couple of days hunting out the guinea fowl nests and trying to beat the magpies to the eggs, I managed to collect 6 eggs ready to send in the post.
This morning I wrapped each egg individually in a plastic bag and then placed another plastic bag under each egg in the carton. Then I padded out the top of the egg box with more plastic bags. When this was done, I went on the hunt for a cardboard box but I couldn’t find one in the house, so I drove to the next village to the post office to buy a parcel box. They didn’t have any but the kind post master gave me an empty chocolate eclairs box which wasn’t too big, although he didn’t have any brown parcel wrap. I knew I had some at home and just hoped that it would be large enough to cover the box. With creative wrapping I managed to get the box covered and ready for posting. Once again I headed back out to the village post office. However when I arrived for the second time that day the post office part of the shop was shut. This meant a trip to the local market town.
I am pleased to say that the parcel is now safely in the post but whether the eggs will arrive at their destination tomorrow in one piece will be a different matter.
I wait with baited breath to see if The Cottage Smallholder gets their parcel safely and then waiting to see if Mrs Boss will accept the eggs and whether the eggs are indeed fertile is a whole other story!
Guinea fowl eggs Interblog Guinea Fowl Project
A huge thank you for taking so much trouble to find, pack and post the eggs. Poor you, rushing hither and thither. We really appreciate your kindness.
Mrs Boss has been moved into her own apartment and she is enjoying the quiet away from the rest of the flock.
I’ll keep you updated on her progress.
Comment by Cottage Smallholder — June 1, 2007 @ 6:37 pm
Hi Cottage Smallholder,
I really enjoyed getting the eggs ready and the post office saga just added to the excitement. I can’t wait to find out if they have arrived safely. Fingers crossed.
Sara @ Farming Friends
Comment by Sara @ Farming Friends — June 2, 2007 @ 8:12 am
[…] Last weekend, Sara from Farming Friends generously offered us some Guinea Fowl eggs to put under our broody bantam hen, Mrs Boss. This would be an inter blog breeding event, a joint event hosted by Farming Friends and Cottage Smallholder. […]
Pingback by The Cottage Smallholder » How to breed any fowl using a broody hen: preparing a safe environment — June 4, 2007 @ 12:05 pm
[…] When Sara at Farming Friends offered to send some guinea fowl eggs for a broody Mrs Boss we jumped at the chance. This could be the break that Mrs Boss would enjoy. She would be allowed to be broody, and hopefully have some keets (guinea fowl chicks) to care for. If some keets do hatch out I have no idea what sort of mother she will be. […]
Pingback by The Cottage Smallholder » Update on Farming Friends’ and Cottage Smallholder’s interblog guinea fowl breeding event — June 16, 2007 @ 11:11 pm
[…] Hopefully this is the last weekend that we will be waiting for the arrival of the keets (baby guinea fowl). The eggs were sent by Sara at Farming Friends and are due to hatch anytime from June 27 so the next Mrs Boss newsflash may well report the addition of tiny keets to our menagerie. […]
Pingback by The Cottage Smallholder » Third update on Farming Friends’ and Cottage Smallholder’s interblog guinea fowl breeding ev — June 25, 2007 @ 1:51 am
[…] The gestation period for guinea fowl eggs is 26-28 days. This morning I jumped out of bed, pulled on my wellies and shot down to the chicken run. Perhaps the eggs that Sara from Farming Friends had sent us in the post had hatched. […]
Pingback by The Cottage Smallholder » We have keets! Fourth update on Farming Friends’ and Cottage Smallholder’s interblog guinea fowl breeding event — June 30, 2007 @ 11:39 pm
[…] Mrs Boss is the heroine of the Farming Friend’s /Cottage Smallholder Interblog Guinea Fowl Breeding event. She is now starring in her first movie, which opened this morning on YouTube. Click here to view Mrs Boss and her keets, filmed entirely on location in the hen run with a hand held camera. […]
Pingback by The Cottage Smallholder » Mrs Boss The Movie — July 15, 2007 @ 11:24 am
[…] Back in June Farming Friends sent us six guinea fowl eggs in the post to put under our broody hen Mrs Boss. Five eggs hatched out. Sadly, our favourite and the only snow white keet, Lightning, died a couple of weeks ago. The remaining keets are doing well and are nearly three months old. […]
Pingback by The Cottage Smallholder » We think that we have a male keet. Farming Friends – Cottage Smallholder Interblog Guinea Fowl Breeding Event — September 23, 2007 @ 8:10 am
[…] Back in June 2007 Sara at Farming Friends sent us six guinea fowl eggs in the post to put under our broody hen Mrs Boss. Five eggs hatched out. Sadly, our favourite and the only snow white keet, Lightning, died. The remaining keets are doing well and are now 15 week old. They are now grown up and are young adult guinea fowl. […]
Pingback by The Cottage Smallholder » Cottage Smallholder Interblog Guinea Fowl Breeding Event. Update; our guinea fowl are now 15 weeks old and flourishing. — October 19, 2007 @ 6:49 am
[…] I am growing fonder of my 19 week old Guinea Fowl by the day. They are the progeny from the Farming Friends – Cottage Smallholder Interblog Guinea Fowl Breeding Event. This event was started six months ago when Sara, from Farming Friends, sent us an egg box of six guinea fowl eggs in the post (next day delivery) to put under a unhappy and bullied broody hen. This hen has now become an international superstar and even though she is unaware of her fame, Mrs Boss is finally a happy and contented bantam. […]
Pingback by The Cottage Smallholder » Cottage Smallholder – Farming friends Interblog Guinea Fowl breeding event update, nearly six months of fun — November 18, 2007 @ 9:45 am
[…] June 2007 saw the launch of the Farming Friends’ – Cottage Smallholder’s Interblog Guinea Fowl Event. Looking back at the guinea fowl posts this is a well rounded cycle. Amazing highs and lows and even tears. Everything started here when Sara at Farming Friends sent us six guinea fowl eggs in the post […]
Pingback by The Cottage Smallholder » Update on the Farming Friends - Cottage Smallholder Interblog Guinea Fowl Event. Gentle beings. — December 22, 2007 @ 7:21 am
[…] It seems ages since Sara at Farming Friends sent us six guinea fowl eggs in the post. June 2007 saw the launch of the Farming Friends’ – Cottage Smallholder’s Interblog Guinea Fowl Event. Now the guinea fowl have grown up and I must admit I have fallen in love with these gentle creatures. […]
Pingback by The Cottage Smallholder » Update on the Farming Friends - Cottage Smallholder Interblog Guinea Fowl Event. One wife and a handful of husbands. — February 5, 2008 @ 7:51 am
[…] June 2007 saw the launch of the Farming Friends – Cottage Smallholder Guinea fowl breeding event, when Sara sent us six guinea fowl eggs in the post to put under our broody hen Mrs Boss. […]
Pingback by The Cottage Smallholder » Update on the Farming Friends - Cottage Smallholder Interblog Guinea Fowl Breeding Event. A new home for the boys. — February 17, 2008 @ 8:00 am
[…] Towards the end of May 2007, Sara at Farming Friends offered us six guineaa fowl eggs to put under a broody hen, the rest is history. Five keeets hatched out an finally last weekend, we were left with two. […]
Pingback by The Cottage Smallholder » Update on the Farming friends - Cottage Smallholder guinea fowl breeing event. Just left with a couple of birds. — February 23, 2008 @ 10:43 pm
[…] Last year Mrs Boss was the heroine of the Farming Friends and Cottage Smallholder Interblog breeding event. Four of her keets matured to replenish our local breeding stock, adding some good Yorkshire grit to our East Anglian strains. For the first time in years Mrs Boss was a happy bantam hen, absorbed by her flock and no longer bullied. […]
Pingback by The Cottage Smallholder » The Emerald Castle: update on Mrs Boss sitting on the Indian Runner duck eggs — April 25, 2008 @ 8:36 pm
[…] Last summer we discovered that Mrs Boss is a brilliant foster mother. She was the heroine of the Farming Friends Cottage Smallholder interblog Guinea Fowl breeding event. She raised four strong guinea fowl from a box of six eggs that Sara sent us all the way from Yorkshire. […]
Pingback by The Cottage Smallholder » First duckling hatched: Update on Mrs Boss the bantam and the Runner Duck eggs — May 20, 2008 @ 9:37 pm