Cannot decide what to do with this!

[BritinMO]

For once in their manic lives, my guineas have shown some sense! In the past week they all decided to visit my neighbors house, surrounding her car and screaming at the top of their lungs while she was unpacking her shopping, and then when she returned to her car to get more groceries out, she found 2 guineas INSIDE her car.......thank goodness for tolerant neighbors!

But today, they decided to start a new nest right by the front of my horse barn - under a hose reel. This is the first nest I have seen this year. So now I'm pondering what to do about it - leave it until there are more eggs (there are currently 9 and I'm pretty sure all were laid today or in the last few days at the most) and see if someone decides to sit on it - or just break it up! I really do NOT need anymore guineas

If someone decides to sit on it, its going to be very easy to make if safe until they hatch, ohhhhhhhh so tempted!

 

[TheRookie]

I dont know much about guineas but theyre so cute. I would have loved to see your neighbors face when she saw those birds in her car lol

 

[PeepsCA]

I vote for letting them hatch their own keets if they go broody there, then snatch them up and sell them...to buy more Guinea feed, lol. As long as you have males and females they are going to multiple. Better to have it happen in a safe place than an unsafe place!

 

[BritinMO]

My gut feeling is to let them hatch another brood if that's what they choose to do! I honestly couldn't sell any of the last 24 they hatched, they were 'my' babies - but BUT, I honestly can't have anymore! Not sure what the market is like around here for guineas, but should be good this year as we have really awful ticks already due to the mild winter!

 

[PeepsCA]

Oh yah, definitely... people are snatching up my keets left and right just for tick control purposes! Advertise on craigslist and put up flyers at all your local feed and farm stores, bet you have tons of people contacting you! (If your Hens hatch them out)

 

[damselfish]

I'm with the "let 'em hatch" bunch. If you take the nest they will just make another where you can't find it, and then you will in all likelihood lose that female, unless your predator load is a lot lighter than mine.

I do not think you will have trouble selling them.

We're in the same position here. We have enough guineas (20) and we're a bit afraid that they might hatch successfully again this year. So hard to let the little cuties go somewhere else, but if we have to, we have to.

 

[BritinMO]

Oh oh - here we go.......................found ANOTHER nest this morning - in a horse stall in the barn! I take everything back that I've ever said about my mad guineas - this shows a level of intelligence for a change! I was convinced they were laying on next doors property - well maybe not!

 

[GuineaMama]

On Monday my hubby found where our Guineas were laying by spotting one of the hens on the nest. By that afternoon there were 4 eggs in the nest. That night something raided the nest and got all 4 eggs. On Tuesday we found 3 random eggs laid here and there around the yard & garden. It was like going on an Easter Egg hunt. We took the eggs we found, put one back in the nest that had been raided and put a night guard close enough to hopefully scare off anything that might try to raid it again. Then we took the other 2 and put them inside a dog igloo that we put up next to the porch behind the shrubs in the garden hoping the Guineas would take the hint and nest there. Wednesday when we got home from work there were 3 eggs in the original nest and still just the 2 in the igloo but the shavings and one of the eggs had been shuffled around. Not broken, but there were definite signs the guineas had been in there. Now I'm hoping they will continue to nest in either spot. Both are close enough we can keep watch over them and rescue any keets that hatch to go in the brooder.

Brit, where in MO are you located? I just might be interested in taking some of those keets off your hands if they all hatch. I live in NE Okla so might not be that far from you.

 

[BritinMO]

Lol, I found a bunch of chicken eggs in my old unused dog igloo the other day, I wondered where the hens had been laying! I'm in NE MO, might be a bit far to come and get some keets?? The egg numbers have increased

 

[PeepsCA]

Ohhhh eggs eggs eggs! You better start eatin' some eggs Brit, lol. You could also sell hatching eggs on craigslist and by posting a flyer at all the feed and farm stores...that way you don't have to deal with the woes of selling the cute keets.

One way to cut down on their egg production is to bait their nesting areas (the safe places they are laying) with about 6 small brown grocery store eggs, and then collect all freshly laid eggs daily (but be sneaky about it so they don't see you and change nesting spots on ya). Eventually the Hen or Hens contributing to the pile should stop laying and go broody on the grocery store eggs (that won't hatch)... and then it'll take at least 6wks before they give up and start laying again some where. Kind of mean, but it helps kill some time during the laying season if you don't want keets or don't want to have to hunt for eggs. When/if they go broody, I'd give them feed and water near their nesting spot, and toss them some greens/grass/weeds once a day, so they stay healthy.

Other than that, keeping them locked in the coop until they lay each day then letting them out to free range after they've laid works too (and collecting the fresh eggs daily, leaving them no eggs to go broody on). They will keep laying if you go this route tho, since there's nothing to go broody on (unless you use some grocery store eggs in the coop, then they will probably go broody on them in there).

Have fun, sounds like you have some work ahead of you!