Broody guinea won't give up!

[MuranoFarms]

Three nights now, I've gone down and pulled a broody guinea off the nest. When it's done in the pitch dark (even with a really bright flashlight) she was very docile. Last night was right after sunset and still a little natural light and she tried to peck my hands off! lol Each morning she takes her fluffy butt back to the nest and only comes off when the other 2 holler at her so Polly can lay her egg. The problem is.....not only do I not want her to get eaten by coyotes or bears, but the eggs she's sitting on are probably 2 weeks old or more. This is her first year laying. If I could get her to set somewhere safe, I could give her some good eggs. She seems determined to sit in that nest though! Any ideas?

I could lock her in the coop in a crate with the eggs. I'm guessing that won't work though. Since she keeps going back to THAT nest, what if I destroy the nest? That means I have to play the find the nest game again next week....but if it'll work, I'll try it.

 

[cracking up]

I'm sure most of her eggs are good. They just take that long to start setting. We had one lay in the tall grass where they got rained on and the sun beat on them and over half hatched. We put a hot wire around the area and let her set. I used to drag one off the nest every night and I felt so sorry for her I finally found a way to put a door on the feed shed where she was laying and let her set. I would just move the 'door' back and forth every day. Kept the bobcat and coyotes out. Maybe you can think of something.

You could take the eggs in and put them in an incubator if you want babies. I think she would go somewhere else. You could try leaning a large board against a wall and see if she will lay there. Good Luck!

 

[Lollipop]

Your best bet would be an incubator, but since you`ve been taking her off the eggs, they may not hatch anyway. If your main concern is the hens well being, pen her up for a few days.......Pop

 

[MuranoFarms]

I just checked my records, I found that nest April 9 so those eggs are old!

They're marked and I take the rest every day. I have a dozen in the bator for a keet order. I don't care if she sits, I just don't want her doing it in the middle of a vine pile in the woods!

There is a board against the wall in the coop, it's been there about 2 weeks. They weren't interested in that at all. A few days ago I gathered some tops from the zebra grass and dried ferns from last year and put that behind the board. Since that's the kind of stuff they made the nest out of, I thought it might help them get the idea. The girls have each been going back there a lot since then, but not laying back there yet. I'm hoping they'll start.

I just don't want to lose her. I know it's upsetting her that I wont let her sit, but I just can't come up with a way to make it safe. The nest is at least 2 acres into the woods, behind the coop...so I can't run electric out there for a wire. All I have right now for fencing is chicken wire, and we all know that isn't strong enough. We do have bears in our woods. I would have to put a cage dog kennel around her, but she's on very uneven ground so I can't even see that happening!

If she had been doing this for a few weeks, I'd slip her a keet I just hatched.....but I don't think she'd fall for that one. lol

 

[cracking up]

I think I would take apart the nest and hope they start laying behind the board. Sounds like the best option to me.

 

[Lollipop]

Just a thought here, ever consider a solar charger? Maybe?.......Pop

 

[MuranoFarms]

I didn't even know they made those Pop!

 

[MuranoFarms]

Night 4....took her off the nest again. Day 5, she's back. I just so happen to have 1 of her eggs in the bator right now....due to lockdown today and very active. I don't suppose she'll buy it if I slip it under her and it hatches?

Maybe????

 

[grammy of David]

Very Interesting....keep Us Posted