Broody guinea question

[NoisyCricket]

I have managed to get the girls to lay in two of the nest boxes in the coop, most of the time, by keeping locked in the pen for most of the day. I usually collect the eggs, and clean the coop after I let them out to free range. The 10 girls share 2 of the 11 boxes in the coop.

As of this am, I have 2 broody guineas. One in each box that they use. They are sitting on the eggs from yesterday, (no more than 10 between them), and golf balls that I put in to encourage them to lay.

If I disturb them, will I make them not want to lay in the boxes again ( I opened the egg door on one of the other boxes when a hen was laying, and no one will use the boxes on that side of the coop anymore)???

I don't mind of these two girls sit, but I need to collect eggs from the other hens, and I need to go in and clean the coop. It took me along time to convince them that the coop is safe to lay in, and I hate to freak them out now. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[PeepsCA]

If you have an attached covered run on the coop... then I'd just trick them out into the pen with some treats, lock them out there for a few mins while you clean up the coop and gather your fresh eggs. The key is to not let them see you messing with their nest or eggs. Towards the the time that the keets are due to hatch the treat trick may not work any more tho... they won't want to get off the nest and will be extra vicious if you try to move them or work around them.

 

[NoisyCricket]

Thank You, Thank You!! What a great idea - I never would have thought of that! I will try that in a little while.

I risked entering the coop a few mins ago to see if they were still there. I kept my back to them and they seemed ok with that. I snapped a quick pic before I left. Now there are two more getting in on the action. They crack me up!

 

[PeepsCA]

LOL, I see a bunch of REALLY hateful dagger shooting glares coming from those nest boxes

Great pic, hope to see keet pics soon too!

 

[critters]

LOL, I see a bunch of REALLY hateful dagger shooting glares coming from those nest boxes

Great pic, hope to see keet pics soon too!

you have a great picture there!! love it!

 

[NoisyCricket]

Oh, my guineas hate me!

I tried luring them out with treats. They wouldn't budge, so I kept checking on them throughout the day, and finally, the girl on the left (as your looking at it from inside the coop) was out of the coop. I marked the 3 eggs she had under her and gently slipped them in the right hand nest, with the four that were there. That hen ran out of the box when my hand entered, so I didn't want to take the time to mark those four. She didn't leave the coop though, and got back on them as soon as I left. Now they are both in the right hand nest. I am sure everyone is going to keep adding to that nest box, so I think I will have a real mess on my hands in 28 days!

Yesterday it rained all day, so I didn't let them out of the secure run. The rewarded me with 3 eggs that I was able to get out of the left hand box. Today I opened the pen early, so no one laid in the left box. I am hoping starting tomorrow, they will lay there again if I keep them in until late afternoon.

 

[PeepsCA]

Replying way late but... the Hens that are still laying will lay a little later and later each day until they skip a day and start over the next morning. Usually skipping a day every 10-12 days is the norm with my Guinea Hens.

Hopefully if you end up having a staggered hatch one of the Hens will still stay and sit on the remaining eggs

If not you may want to have an incubator ready... they will sometimes leave the nest with the first round of keets that hatch out, and leave the rest of the eggs to go cold and die.

And Guineas are "haters" by nature, don't take it personally, lol. You will regain your position as the worshipped treat god/goddess after all the laying, setting and hatching is over for the season, lol.

 

[NoisyCricket]

Just wanted to give you an update on how things went.

About a week after they went broody, and me unable to lure them out with treats, I opened the egg door (behind them in the pics), and was able to shoo them out (hissing and snapping the whole time), long enough to mark the eggs. Twenty seven in total. I continued to open the egg door and shoo them out once a day for the next couple of weeks, and collect the newly laid eggs. I added a goose egg for kicks (given to me by a friend) and 3 call duck eggs. It was amusing watching the hen trying to cover the goose egg.

I left them alone the last week before the first eggs were due to hatch. By then 5 hens were broody in the two nest boxes.

They hatched a total of 17 keets, over 2 weeks.

When they were about a day old, I collected them and put them in the brooder. One was trampled to death by a broody, one (of only 2 lavenders) had a bleeding umbilicus. I think he was knocked out of the shell too early when the hens were coming and going from the box? He survived one day.
I have 5 left and the rest were sold. The remaining ones are doing well, outside of a newly formed addiction to freeze dried meal worms!



My only surviving lavender



Group pic after I woke them from their nap.



Big group pic with the keets and their Poult friends in a frenzy looking for the mealworms I just threw them.

There are two hens still broody. They are now sitting on 7 eggs. I was able to clean the several duds, and the clear goose egg, out of one of the nest boxes. The other box, they are guarding like rabid pit bulls. The 3 call ducks eggs disappeared early on. When I put them in, I placed them in the front of the nest box quickly, while trying to avoid 3 snapping beaks. I wonder if they pecked at them and ended up eating them??

In any case, no call ducklings for me this year. I need to clear the eggs out of the second nest box and change the bedding, but my DH told me to wait another week, so he could up my life insurance policy first

So, I have been without guinea eggs for eating for almost 3 weeks. I kept them locked in the coop today to see if they will lay a few. I bought some quail chicks yesterday, so in a few weeks, the guineas' only responsibility will be to eat ticks!

 

[Hotcookie]

Very cute babies!! Congrats on your mamas hatching them out and your success in raising them!