Brooded within flock experiment going poorly

[R2elk]

Off topic but I saw something different for the first time ever yesterday evening. When I was putting the guineas in for the night, I caught a guineas cock on the nest with his mate. I had never seen a cock actually laying on the nest before.

 

[Sydney65]

Off topic but I saw something different for the first time ever yesterday evening. When I was putting the guineas in for the night, I caught a guineas cock on the nest with his mate. I had never seen a cock actually laying on the nest before.

The big grays I was able to spot & watch- as she was coming off of it, he glided right in and settled over them. They stayed on the nest all day every day, but both returned to the coop at night so lost their eggs. But at the time, they had the 2 RPS standing guard abt 5' away. The guards were kept busy running back and forth between the two nests.
The lav I never saw "on" the next to her. But he didn't bother to stay w/her all the time like the gray did.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

it would be more work, but what if you made it so your electric fence were perimeter defense and then put your mesh or hardcloth a few inches in? That way keets can't reach electric fence and predators can't as easily reach keets. Or set up a "playpen" in the center where they can roam but be safe when you aren't watching.
You have a lot more babies to watch than I did- at first I put them in baby pool with a screen over it, then moved them to https://www.ruralking.com/pet-companion-folding-kennel-60105

Still had to line the lower sides bc Nugget was small enough to slip through wires (and antagonize everyone else bc they cldnt fit). But it gave them shade and kept them safe. Chances are you have something laying around you can create similar with.

Thanks for sharing that Sydney. I’m sure an inner perimeter fence would be safer in some ways, but I don’t have much confidence that I could build a tight fence without creating other issues... This thing was a bear to put up so I think I’m going to give it a chance and see if it works. A Playpen isn’t practical as 1) keets and moms aren’t letting me close enough to grab them, and they would totally freak if I touched a keet! 2) it’s sunny and hot, so when they are penned, birds go from run to coop and back constantly.

I might build a proper run for them in the fall/winter so I don’t have all of these issues, but for now, I’m too overrun with projects to scrap this electric fence and start over. The electric fence was expensive, so I’m inclined to make this work if I can!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Off topic but I saw something different for the first time ever yesterday evening. When I was putting the guineas in for the night, I caught a guineas cock on the nest with his mate. I had never seen a cock actually laying on the nest before.

For the coop nest, there’s a lot of swapping of nest sitting duties, though it’s usually the females doing that. I’ve seen a few males sit near the hen when she’s laying in the coop nest, then follow them off when she’s done. The broody then takes over the nest again. With Viceroy and now Welch, both reached a point where they wanted no more eggs added! My nest situation is chaotic now, as the rest of the hens have made a nest just on the coop floor since Welch stopped letting them use her nest. Most of the girls haven’t resumed laying- they were broody until the snake attack broke them, and now they just aren’t laying.

My biggest current concern: Welch is on eggs that I planned to replace with the expensive incubator eggs when they are at about 21 days. That would be next Sunday, but we have a run of 105F days forecast for right then!!!! What timing! I’m looking at portable evaporative coolers to put near Welch in hopes that will get her and the eggs through!