Guess what showed up in the field today?

BlueShadow

Songster
9 Years
Jun 13, 2015
500
475
236
Nebraska
You know, we had 16 guineas all winter and spring and then 3 weeks ago we lost our first one to a predator (presumed canine) and I knew we lost another one a couple nights ago so I counted them when they went to roost and there were only 10. I knew one hen was on a nest, and we could protect her a bit with fencing, but if any others were on nests, they were predator snacks.

I told my husband, you know, I'm kind of tired of the guineas. They are a lot of poop and work and poop and expense and poop and road hazard and poop for their benefit, maybe we should just send those last few to freezer camp this winter.

And then guess what shows up in the field today?

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Surprise! Someone managed to sit for 4 weeks and escape notice of predators that whole time.

So we got out the netting and caught mama and chased the keets out of the trees and tall grass and caught them too.

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And then we are getting the chicken tractor set up for them and what do I find, but hiding under the pile of tin we shade the tractor with, there is my other pearl grey guinea hen, sitting on her nest. Another hen on a nest!

So we got mama guinea all settled.

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She isn't too happy about this pen, but at least people are (sort of) leaving her and her babies alone. Papa guinea doesn't like it either, but at least he can see her. He sits outside the door.

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"Leave my babies alone. I WILL BITE YOU!"

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So we went from 10 guineas heading to freezer camp to 12 guineas, 23 keets (going to live with a friend tomorrow), and potentially another 4 dozen keets on the way.

Perhaps I will keep the feather brains around for another year.
 
I found the nest and some of the eggs are peeping at me!!! And one is half hatched. What do I do??
You are asking the wrong person! lol
I'd just leave them alone...
Looks like the other mom did just fine on her own.
Walk away....! lol
 
You are asking the wrong person! lol
I'd just leave them alone...
Looks like the other mom did just fine on her own.
Walk away....! lol

:( But that's not what I wanted to hear! Any number of other ways this could have gone, if I didn't find the nest or decided not to look tonight... but I did... and now I know she left early... Sigh.
 
:( But that's not what I wanted to hear! Any number of other ways this could have gone, if I didn't find the nest or decided not to look tonight... but I did... and now I know she left early... Sigh.
OH....so she is not sitting on them anymore....
Now I get what you are saying..
Um..do you have a bator?
 
Can you put that mom with the nest in a cage where she can't leave them?
 
OH....so she is not sitting on them anymore....
Now I get what you are saying..
Um..do you have a bator?

Yeah, sorry. She is long gone from the nest, she was taking her brood back to the coop when I found her, caught them all, and penned them up. I had no idea there was a nest, so I went searching and was quite surprised I found it. Even more surprised to see unhatched eggs, and then picked them up and they were still peeping.

My good incubator is on loan to a friend, but I started up the OLD still air incubator. Its warming up, we will see what happens...
 

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