Could guinea be nesting at this time of year?

[MIChickandGuinea]

we have guineas that were hatched the last day of May this spring, so they’re 4 months old. One of them keeps disappearing from the group, staying away for most or all of the day, and then rejoining late in the day. I never know where it’s gone, why it leaves, or what makes it decide it’s time to come back. This time I am scared it’s actually been eaten by something, since it has been gone since early morning and I haven’t heard it calling to its friends. Any chance it’s nesting instead of tragically eaten?

 

[GlennLee]

Yes, your hen could still be laying and may have gone broody, depending on the temps. In CNY mine lay any time between the end of March through mid-October and once they have a bunch of them in a nest, they may decide to start sitting on them. Let's hope it's that and not that it was eaten by a predator... good luck!

 

[MIChickandGuinea]

Yes, your hen could still be laying and may have gone broody, depending on the temps. In CNY mine lay any time between the end of March through mid-October and once they have a bunch of them in a nest, they may decide to start sitting on them. Let's hope it's that and not that it was eaten by a predator... good luck!

She came back, right at the end of the day, right before everyone went to bed. But she keeps being gone all day ... our temps have been unnaturally hot until just the last couple of days. Just recently, it cooled off to more usual 40-something in the morning, 70-something in the afternoon fall weather. What kind of weather makes them want to brood?

 

[MIChickandGuinea]

Yes, your hen could still be laying and may have gone broody, depending on the temps. In CNY mine lay any time between the end of March through mid-October and once they have a bunch of them in a nest, they may decide to start sitting on them. Let's hope it's that and not that it was eaten by a predator... good luck!

Also, they are this year's guinea's - just now 4 months old. To my knowledge, they had not started laying eggs at all. They are free-ranged all day, and come in at night. We have not seen any eggs, and only just now have we seen one splitting off for extended periods of time from the rest. If they lay eggs at an age similar to chickens, I would guess that if someone is laying, she JUST started?

 

[GlennLee]

She should stop laying before too long... it's just going to be a wait and see game.

I think mine stopped laying about a week ago and the only reason I'm guessing that is she stopped disappearing with her male and they both rejoined the flock. She went broody earlier in the season and sat on her nest for over a month. One hatched, but the rest weren't fertile - she had spent most of her time with a Jumbo - not able to "get the job done" and then connected with a regular domestic and hatched one keet - but since there was only the one, she thought it was an alien and attacked. I had to remove it. She was all about the eggs, but not the keet.

As far as temps, we had a warm spell for a while as well and now we're in the high 30's at night and high 60's during the day. I don't know if it's temp related, light related or a bit of both. She will stop though before too long and won't start up again until spring. As long as she doesn't have enough there to encourage her from going completely broody on them, you should be okay.

If you can figure out where her nest is, you may be able to take the eggs - at least most of them - to discourage her from sitting on the nest full time. My same hen started a second nest under a tomato plant in the garden and I just kept taking eggs, leaving her a few. She continued to lay until something got the rest of the eggs and then she stopped laying there. She probably started a third nest, but I never found it and she gave up laying before it became a problem.

Glad to hear that she returned at night, but it sounds like she's getting close to not coming back and wanted to stay on those eggs full time. Fingers crossed that she'll give up before that point.

 

[GlennLee]

My first flock were French Jumbos and they mature a bit faster, but they were an early May hatch and started laying the end of August. One did go broody the end of September - she was missing for a few days and I thought a predator had taken her. I saw her moving in the tall grass and locked in on the location. This was the collection of eggs she was sitting on. From the number of them, it had to be a community nest - everyone was contributing, but she was the one that went broody. I did have evidence that they were laying - eggs dropped in the coop and around the lawn, but it's possible you didn't have that. They are really sneaky.

 

[MIChickandGuinea]

My first flock were French Jumbos and they mature a bit faster, but they were an early May hatch and started laying the end of August. One did go broody the end of September - she was missing for a few days and I thought a predator had taken her. I saw her moving in the tall grass and locked in on the location. This was the collection of eggs she was sitting on. From the number of them, it had to be a community nest - everyone was contributing, but she was the one that went broody. I did have evidence that they were laying - eggs dropped in the coop and around the lawn, but it's possible you didn't have that. They are really sneaky. View attachment 1149836

These hatched the last day of May. We live on 80 wooded/pastured/gardened/corn-planted acres, and I bet we’ll never find their nests!! They range all over the place - I’ll see them way up north by the pond, and 20 minutes later I’ll hear them frickety-fracking way in the southeast forest... they are always on the move to the far corners of this large property. Hiding eggs will be no challenge for them!

 

[GlennLee]

Sounds like guinea heaven there!

Ours free range as well, but we don't have such density with the woods and planted acreage as you do. Our house is set on 10 acres - pretty open with a hedge row, but they do visit neighbors and go into their woods. Gotta love the guineas, but they drive us crazy with worry every once in a while!

Hopefully, she'll give up on the nesting idea before too long. Good luck!

 

[MIChickandGuinea]

Sounds like guinea heaven there!

Ours free range as well, but we don't have such density with the woods and planted acreage as you do. Our house is set on 10 acres - pretty open with a hedge row, but they do visit neighbors and go into their woods. Gotta love the guineas, but they drive us crazy with worry every once in a while!

Hopefully, she'll give up on the nesting idea before too long. Good luck!

We're trying not to worry about them too much. Our goal is for them to be pretty free, ranging out, reproducing, and controlling the tick and spider population around here. But still ... they're so cute and funny. We can't help but be attached. And they're SO SO stupid. We feel obligated to help them out :-/

 

[GlennLee]

I know what you mean. I TRY to do the same without worrying- let them free range and hope for natural reproduction to sustain the flock to control ticks and insects. It's hard not to worry though and we have had to change things up a bit to keep the flock safe from predators or I should say safer from predators. Free ranging negates some of the safety factor. How many guineas do you have?