2 nests or hen taken? Nervously waiting!

[PeepsCA]

Yeah, we have nine keets. 6 grey pearl/pied and 3 lavender? (Not so good on my colours
yet!). Now to get her to take them into the pen. Any ideas?

I'd get a helper or 2, and quickly gather up ALL of the scattering keets while someone keeps the Hen back (she will be EXTREMELY viscous and aggressive, so be ready for her to attack you and not cooperate... and the keets will scatter like ants so be ready for that too).

Put the keets in a bucket or box inside the pen that is set up with high protein starter food and a shallow water dish or chick waterer with marbles or clean rocks in it to keep the keets from drowning in it... leave the pen but make sure you can reach the bucket or a box to tip it over and let the keets out. Momma Hen will come to the keets' peeping cries. Shut her in as soon as she's in and let her have her babies back.

You might want to steer clear and leave her and her brood alone as much as possible for a few days to let her settle down/adjust. Guinea Hens are usually very mean/nasty when it comes to protecting their keets, so don't turn your back on her when you are feeding and watering them, she will get you if you give her the chance.

If you have other birds in the same pen, they may kill the keets... so you may want to get the Hen and keets all corralled into a separate area of the pen and then prevent the rest of the flock from getting at/to them for a couple weeks. If you don't keep them contained, as soon as you let the Hen and keets out she will most likely wander off with them (and possibly lose most of them) and then just bed down where ever she feels is safe (which usually isn't a safe spot). She won't want to bring them back to the pen each night, you will either have to keep her penned until the keets have grown some and not so fragile, or do the gathering routine each evening. It's up to you as to when to let them out but the longer you keep them penned the better chance they have of making it once you do let them out.

Good luck, and we'd love to see some pics!

 

[MiniHorses]

I have never had a guinea hen with keets (hope to this Spring if they do right) BUT...

Once upon a time, many yrs ago, one of my hens sat a communal nest which was discovered when it was WAY too big -- but she did hatch out about 15. Had to catch due to cats, etc., so set out to do so and of course the fight & flight ensued. I got a long handled crab net, scurried hen into a corner and put the net over her. She sent out some unreal squawks and those chicks just laid down on the ground like little airplanes! All of them.........I walked about and scooped them up and into a bucket while she alarmed and kept them down. LOL


Soooooooooo........think this might work with the guineas? Maybe?

 

[PeepsCA]

LOL @ laid down like airplanes while Momma sounded the alarm! Glad it was you collecting them and not a predator, yikes.
Never had that happen yet when I'm trying to gather up keets, they always scatter like ants when the Momma screams, lol.

 

[glutten]

My Guinea hen had the same reaction as yours PeepsCA. I put on the welding gloves and went to grab her and she took off like a rocket and the keets scattered everywhere! My hubby and I managed to gather them all into a small cage, much to Mums disgust, but then she followed us and her precious little babies all the way back to the pen. Hence she doesn't like me much now and tries to attack everytime I get too close!
I must admit though I have a new found respect for Guinea Fowl hens now. This is our first batch of "Guinea raised' keets. Everything I had read told me that they were bad parents but so far I'm impressed. My hen is very protective of them and at the first feeling of cold or rain and she calls them in and keeps them warm under her. Dad is not so good. The keets keep escaping the pen through small holes that they find and run around pecking with Dad. Mum frantically paces the fence until they come back. Dad scares off the other Guinea fowl but runs away if I come near.
So far I still have 8 out of 9 keets. Unfortunately one of my ducks sat on one of the keets that was in a sunny spot catching some rays, poor little thing. But the rest are doing well and getting their first wing feathers, so cute!

 

[PeepsCA]

Ouch, sat on by a fat duck, what a way to go, lol.

A lot of the times it's in the first week or so after the hatch that keet counts start dwindling, especially if they aren't penned/contained. Momma Guinea typically goes traipsing around free ranging right away, losing her most fragile keets in the tall grass, puddles and plus hawks can swoop down, cats pounce (ducks sit on them, lol), etc. Momma may or may not try to gather her keets after a predator scare (or something else traumatic happens that makes everybody scatter), and the keets that don't re-group end up snacks or they get chilled and die when left behind. Sometimes other birds in the flock see them as a threat to the flock and will kill them too. And Momma Guinea Hens have also been known to wig out and kill an entire clutch as each keet hatches... so there's quite a few reasons Guinea Hens are labeled as bad Moms. But in a controlled environment that is set up for a Momma and her batch of keets the Guinea Hens can be excellent Mom's (and yes, very protective). Not everyone has the set up nor wants to battle a vicious Guinea Hen for the sake of a saving batch of keets tho. Glad you have yours safe, congrats