It's been awhile since I been on BY Guineas but lately I've been reading threads looking for answers about broody hens. It was a tough April and May here for my guineas, lost three to foxes and one I presume to a Goshawk by the tears left on the barely alive guinea when I found it having heard a ruckus. My plan to have at least four pairs got shot down so now I am left with 3 hens and 2 cocks ,one of which is the last bird of my original 10 I got two years ago. He is the dominant cock and after his mate of 1 ½ years was plucked out of my yard by a fox he took up with the younger pearl. That left my younger male who paired with my white hen (my son named her ebay because I bought 6 eggs on ebay and she's the only one who hatched)and a lavender hen who was always kind of a loner even when they all started to get out this late winter and spring when they could, and some of my former older males just left her alone too.
So fast forward to now, I have my Lavender who is the most broody, but no definite mate with 6 keets so far and still some more eggs to go, my white female spends some time on the nest with the lavender in the morning, then leaves, but the most stressful part is 4 or 5 times a day my dominant male and his hen chase my lavender out of the coop for 20, 30 or 40 minutes and that hen sits on the eggs and hangs with the keets. My lavender goes crazy, paces nervously outside in the run, the big male comes after her if she tries to come in. Then after there allotted time they just leave ,all the doors are open ,they range and she goes back in. Some times she kinds of fakes the big male out and pretends to just be feeding but as soon as she sees him moving a way she runs in the coop. I'm guessing this is pretty normal behavior but a couple times the keets have come out in the run when the dominant pair is there alone with them and last week I came home to a keet ,one of the first hatched, dead in the run. The lavender keeps them all in the coop and drinks water with them and is way more attentive. I'm not in control and I see disaster looming.
So your having problems too Mixed I see with your broody flock and think yes it would be less stressful to rear them in the large dog crate like I have with all of my first guineas and then comes the problem with integrating with the others and yes I have done it, but I just felt like seeing how this turns out and maybe even learning some more about these birds. I may see things going south and put them all in my small coop and there my older guineas could see them but I'm trying this for now.
Her's a couple pics with my lavender and Ebay with her.
So fast forward to now, I have my Lavender who is the most broody, but no definite mate with 6 keets so far and still some more eggs to go, my white female spends some time on the nest with the lavender in the morning, then leaves, but the most stressful part is 4 or 5 times a day my dominant male and his hen chase my lavender out of the coop for 20, 30 or 40 minutes and that hen sits on the eggs and hangs with the keets. My lavender goes crazy, paces nervously outside in the run, the big male comes after her if she tries to come in. Then after there allotted time they just leave ,all the doors are open ,they range and she goes back in. Some times she kinds of fakes the big male out and pretends to just be feeding but as soon as she sees him moving a way she runs in the coop. I'm guessing this is pretty normal behavior but a couple times the keets have come out in the run when the dominant pair is there alone with them and last week I came home to a keet ,one of the first hatched, dead in the run. The lavender keeps them all in the coop and drinks water with them and is way more attentive. I'm not in control and I see disaster looming.
So your having problems too Mixed I see with your broody flock and think yes it would be less stressful to rear them in the large dog crate like I have with all of my first guineas and then comes the problem with integrating with the others and yes I have done it, but I just felt like seeing how this turns out and maybe even learning some more about these birds. I may see things going south and put them all in my small coop and there my older guineas could see them but I'm trying this for now.Her's a couple pics with my lavender and Ebay with her.
So, we could join July if you like! It’ll be interesting for you anyway to get a sneak peak of everyone’s hatching experiences!
