Broody guinea hatch

[Sydney65]

That was what I was wondering but- lol- you went to the same site I did. I love this guy's site!

Oh. The "but" part- I don't see red, and can't focus to decide the colors in back-gray?

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Oh. The "but" part- I don't see red, and can't focus to decide the colors in back-gray?

As an adult, Violet is a muddy brown/grey color on her trunk and back, with reddish wings.

 

[Sydney65]

When are they considered "adults"? I've seen reference to that before saying 2 yrs, and even suggesting hatches shldnt be encouraged before then? The ones in the incubator come from 4 yr olds, but I've just let Rosie be w/her nest out there. Appearance-wise, I do see cont color changes in the RP & Lav. The RP is getting a bronzing across his shoulders, and Nugget a deeper purple on the neck. Likewise more coloring in their neck/face than just white. But they just hit 1 yr this month.

 

[R2elk]

When are they considered "adults"? I've seen reference to that before saying 2 yrs, and even suggesting hatches shldnt be encouraged before then? The ones in the incubator come from 4 yr olds, but I've just let Rosie be w/her nest out there. Appearance-wise, I do see cont color changes in the RP & Lav. The RP is getting a bronzing across his shoulders, and Nugget a deeper purple on the neck. Likewise more coloring in their neck/face than just white. But they just hit 1 yr this month.

Guineas are physically adults by the time they are 6 months old. I have hatched eggs from one year old through 7 years old.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Guineas are physically adults by the time they are 6 months old. I have hatched eggs from one year old through 7 years old.

Yes, I was going to say adult feather coloration by six months. As for hatching eggs, I think that it’s probably best to avoid hatching the small pullet eggs, as is also the case in other poultry. Those small eggs could produce an undersized and unthrifty hatchling... Once the eggs normalize, I don’t know that age matter a lot, though I have no old guineas. In chickens, older hens can lay oversized eggs with decreased hatchability.

 

[R2elk]

Yes, I was going to say adult feather coloration by six months. As for hatching eggs, I think that it’s probably best to avoid hatching the small pullet eggs, as is also the case in other poultry. Those small eggs could produce an undersized and unthrifty hatchling... Once the eggs normalize, I don’t know that age matter a lot, though I have no old guineas. In chickens, older hens can lay oversized eggs with decreased hatchability.

I haven't had any issues with pullet or small guinea eggs. The keets or chicks start out smaller but quickly catch up.

 

[Sydney65]

Thinking ahead: So I had a thought about brooders. It seems like the bigggest challenge was keeping them at the right temp. I had some better luck with the heating pad, but even at that, it's still coming from above and heat rises.
I thought I was going to have to get creative, but someone already did that part for me.
So what do you think of this?
https://www.amazon.com/Pet-Products...QY1E3MMNTZK&psc=1&refRID=G5F4C2WXQQY1E3MMNTZK

Do you think they'd still need heat from above or just a cave to get into? I'm leary of lightbulbs in the house over a plastic box w/ grandkids in and out.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Thinking ahead: So I had a thought about brooders. It seems like the bigggest challenge was keeping them at the right temp. I had some better luck with the heating pad, but even at that, it's still coming from above and heat rises.
I thought I was going to have to get creative, but someone already did that part for me.
So what do you think of this?
https://www.amazon.com/Pet-Products...QY1E3MMNTZK&psc=1&refRID=G5F4C2WXQQY1E3MMNTZK

Do you think they'd still need heat from above or just a cave to get into? I'm leary of lightbulbs in the house over a plastic box w/ grandkids in and out.

It might work, though I’d be hesitant to try something so different from what works for most people. I use an inexpensive brooder plate from Tractor Supply:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-brooder-and-coop-heater

Something like that seems like a better bet to me if you don’t want to use a low wattage heat bulb. Ive used both the brooder plate and 60-100 W reptile heat bulb for a plastic tote brooder, with a secure hardware cloth top on the tote. If I use a light bulb, I wire it to the hardware cloth so it can’t slip onto the plastic. If I use the brooder plate, I tilt one side high and one side low, so the keets or chicks can get to the height they want.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I got a few more pics today. I’m currently leaving them all locked into the run until about noon (more like 2 PM today), then letting them all out but leaving Welch and chicks in the coop/run. Welch is not happy about being left behind and paces in and out of the coop and calls. However, she does care for the keets. Lemon Pie and the rest of our original flock still spend morning time with the keets, except for six week old juvenile Scout Lemon whom Welch chases away. I went in with mealworms and got some more keet pics.

Also got some pics of Scout Lemon dust bathing with mom Scout Red in the run. SL is definitely female: her call goes back and forth between a keet call and a high pitched buckwheat. She’s also getting her lovely dotted feathers now - goodbye keet feathering! SL was upset about being attacked again by Bruiser when I tossed out mealworms. I’m trying to spread them all around outside the run, but I guess I’m not scattering enough as Scout Lemon gets excited and forgets to stay back from Bruiser. Lastly, I grabbed another pic of Slate and Violet, whom I’m now thinking may be a pastel, like this reddish keet.

 

[southwind00]

So yesterday was move day for the garage keets to the little coop and let the big coop keets out for there first foray into the world (yard). Ebay and the other two adults had been climbing the chicken wire for the last few days to get out and when they did Ebay and her bf headed out. I said oh ,some mother you are! They ran as far out of sight into the the edges and ping ponged all around the yard. The young male had it hard because he had to run between my lavender and Ebay and some of the times he was half flying back and forth while trying to please them both. So after 15/20 minutes things kind of slowed down. The keets were just hanging by the coop grazing and as ebay came back that way she found my young pearl's nest and immediately got broody and started moving the two eggs that I leave in there around and then hung there for 5 minutes or so.

She finally found her way back to the keets and all was well. They all moved around the yard as a typical dysfunctional guinea family.

My big male and mate joined the party but he got kind of ornery and wanted to peck everybody so I pointed my big stick at him and he took his mate and went another way.

The six garage keets were freaked out but doing ok in the small coop. Today i'm sure they will be happier.
After three plus hours everybody was glad to run back into the coop.