After moving the nest and eggs...........

[prairie]

Well, I finallly got a count on the babies my hen hatched -- 12 keets and 6 eggs didn't hatch. We had moved the nest so that we could keep her penned for a few days and all went well with that. They are about 5 days old now.

I finally had to remove the cage because the babies could get out but couldnt' figure out how to get back in and I found another hen cuddling them all and mama in the cage was having a fit. So opened up the cage and let them all run with mama -- but boy is she protective! We have a large chicken house (abt 20X15) so I was hoping she would not take them outdoors too soon cause it is really getting cold here in KS. This morning I tried to change their waterer that was in the chicken house and all the guineas outdoors started raising a racket and which got mama upset and she comes flying at me. I ducked back out the door and decided to wait for hubby to help me after lunch. I was about 6-7 feet away from her babies!!! Geesh!!

So after lunch we went out to change the water and give them more food but no one to be seen inside the chicken house! She had taken them out into the sunshine! It is about 78 degrees today-- really cold over the weekend. They have been running all over the place with her! The mama is from a group of guineas I got last summer and the group all still stay with her and the babies -- like guard dogs! We do free range all our chickens and guineas.

Finally got some pics -- sorry I couldn't get any closer! 2 died and we have 10 babies.

 

[Wynette]

Awe...congrats on the keets! CUTE pics of them following mamma. Sorry you lost 2.

 

[PeepsCA]

Love the family shots, Thanks for sharing Prairie! It's great that you have a wonderful flock that gets along and works together so well, hope they continue to do a great job with those babies.
Congrats again

 

[prairie]

Well mama kept them out all afternoon and when i went to check about 6pm to make sure all had returned to the house she was not in the chicken house with her babies. Finally found her behind the chicken house snuggled with her babies and her 4 guard guineas around her!

Got hubby and we shooed her and the babies into the chicken house-- she was none too happy but we finally got her there. She has never stayed all night outside so don't know what her problem was but she is in lock down now in the coop and run for a week!

This was her first day out with the babies but still can't figure out why she didn't go back in -- oh well I don't think like a guinea so prob won't figure it out.

Thanks everyone.

 

[PeepsCA]

She may have gotten frustrated trying to gather her keets, and just bed down on the majority of her brood and then let the stragglers climb under... then the other adults joined her and that's where they decided to sleep. Or she may feel too crowded in the coop. It's probably best to keep her and the keets confined (or at least herded into the coop each evening before she has a chance to bed down with them anywhere else) until the keets are a little heartier. Keeping her and the keets confined also helps you make sure they are getting the protein they need in their diet, as well as insuring their survival while they are still so fragile/chilled easily. Guineas can be good Mommas/protectors, but not all of them have common sense when it comes to where a safe place to bed down with the babies is!