Guinea hen gone broody

[cvandermerwe]

I plotted an area for me to check starting tomorrow. (basically used google earth) The junk pile is a little over 200 ft away from the coop so it looks like just woods for my search and half of the radius is our house, driveway, and garden so it looks like it will be a quick search!! We have predators but we have been really lucky with them so far, the main rooster is missing a spur and a few claws from his run in with a possum a few months ago (my boyfriend finished the job the rooster started). After that run in he baited and killed any possum or coon that came close to the coop at night. I also found some tips for finding their nest...
http://www.muranochickenfarm.com/2013/05/12-tips-for-finding-guinea-nests.html

I quickly read through the article, I'd say it's very good advice. If you get close to the nest, they'll let you know with their body language. Don't rule out the junk pile, they love junk piles. Also, if something drug them off you might find remnants near places like that. Good luck, keep us posted on how the search ends up.

 

[sbolevic]

One of my guinea hens had gone off to sit on a nest, and started sitting on it all day long. A couple days later, we noticed she wasn't coming to eat or drink at the coop, like they usually do. While I was outside, I saw a trail of guinea feathers leading off into the woods near the nest area, but when we followed it, we didn't find anything else. I was wondering if maybe a fox or other animal either, a. killed her and dragged her away, or b. tried to get the eggs, attacked the guinea, and scared her away. Is she still alive? we consider our birds to be pets, and I hope she's alright.

 

[cvandermerwe]

One of my guinea hens had gone off to sit on a nest, and started sitting on it all day long. A couple days later, we noticed she wasn't coming to eat or drink at the coop, like they usually do. While I was outside, I saw a trail of guinea feathers leading off into the woods near the nest area, but when we followed it, we didn't find anything else. I was wondering if maybe a fox or other animal either, a. killed her and dragged her away, or b. tried to get the eggs, attacked the guinea, and scared her away. Is she still alive? we consider our birds to be pets, and I hope she's alright.

Hard to say, a trail of feathers is usually not a great sign. Guineas are made to loose feathers when grabbed, it's quite effective in saving their lives. Once disturbed in any great way at the nest the females will usually abandon the nest and come home for a while before starting over. I usually try to look for feathers in bigger and bigger circles. IF there's a trail of dropped feathers and not just a clump, I would say that's bad news. Fox or coyote most likely.

Hope for the best though. I am "missing" about 7 hens right now, the first one showed up yesterday with 15 chicks at her side. I'm sure the yard is going to be crawling with guinea chicks in the next week or two. I'm going to let them have at it and do what they can, I just had my last batch of 132 eggs hatch in the bator!

Good luck, I hope she's ok.

C.J.

 

[sbolevic]

We found a much larger clump of feathers farther in the woods, and the trail kept leading deeper into the woods

 

[PeepsCA]

Sounds like you lost her to a predator to me sbolevic, sorry for your loss if that turns out to be the case.

Unfortunately this is a common scenario for Guinea Hens allowed to lay eggs and sit on nests outside the safety of a pen/coop. The Hens are literally sitting ducks. Blind in the dark, very stubborn and protective of their nests and they will (try to) stand their ground against anything that comes near... only to get quickly nabbed and packed off. Sometimes they escape and hide (minus a bunch of feathers), but I think by now you would hear her calling to the flock, or she'd have come home already

The predator will most likely be back for your other birds (both the males and the Hens, predators aren't choosy, just opportunistic)... and if you have more Hens, you may lose them as well if you allow them to lay eggs outside the coop or/pen. I would keep them all penned in a predator proof coop/pen whenever you aren't around to keep an eye on them while they free range and at night to keep them safe/alive. Or you can try trapping the predator, but usually there's always more than one.

 

[sbolevic]

I think she did get taken by a predator. Last night the three guineas that were left weren't in the coop, but we found 2 roosting on our monkey bars, and one on the roof of our jungle gym.
We think they had sensed a predator of some kind and wanted to roost up high. Also, our other female has a nest, right out in the open, too.

 

[btrbeana]

I have a question along the same lines.. well…sort of. My hen who is new here and was injured and skinny, started a nest in the coop right on the floor. She and my lone male tended it well at first, though I never actually saw anyone sitting on it. I Just noticed the eggs were always moving around and being covered with leaves and straw. well after I went to scoop poop because the night perch is right over where she decided to nest (I didnt touch the nest) the eggs never moved again and looked abandoned. I still didnt touch. one day, She dropped on egg randomly on the floor of the run about the same time she stopped tending her nest. She hasnt laid any more eggs. I assumed she would still care for the nest though….

They still roost right above the eggs and guard the nest from the chickens, but I go in there at night to check on them and no one is sitting on those eggs. 23 days now. Since it has been in the 100s+ during the day and upper 90's at night all month, I wondred if she wasnt sitting because it was warm enough. We did have a few storms pass through though that cooled us off temporarily.

Is that possible? If so, shouldnt we have babies by now? She laid this 7 little eggs the same time I set the 13, from my hens that passed away, in the incubator. They are due to pip next week, but when I candled them, all I see is water with a dark spot floating around in it… No baby moving… so I think they are all duds. We lost power here and the bator cooled off and stayed that way for a whole day. This is also when it cooled down to the 70's outside and mom wasnt sitting.. she was grazing in the rain and her and the Male yacked and screamed and ate in the rain almost all day, so the outside eggs got cold too. :-(
Bummed.

 

[PeepsCA]

I have a question along the same lines.. well…sort of. My hen who is new here and was injured and skinny, started a nest in the coop right on the floor. She and my lone male tended it well at first, though I never actually saw anyone sitting on it. I Just noticed the eggs were always moving around and being covered with leaves and straw. well after I went to scoop poop because the night perch is right over where she decided to nest (I didnt touch the nest) the eggs never moved again and looked abandoned. I still didnt touch. one day, She dropped on egg randomly on the floor of the run about the same time she stopped tending her nest. She hasnt laid any more eggs. I assumed she would still care for the nest though….

They still roost right above the eggs and guard the nest from the chickens, but I go in there at night to check on them and no one is sitting on those eggs. 23 days now. Since it has been in the 100s+ during the day and upper 90's at night all month, I wondred if she wasnt sitting because it was warm enough. We did have a few storms pass through though that cooled us off temporarily.

Is that possible? If so, shouldnt we have babies by now? She laid this 7 little eggs the same time I set the 13, from my hens that passed away, in the incubator. They are due to pip next week, but when I candled them, all I see is water with a dark spot floating around in it… No baby moving… so I think they are all duds. We lost power here and the bator cooled off and stayed that way for a whole day. This is also when it cooled down to the 70's outside and mom wasnt sitting.. she was grazing in the rain and her and the Male yacked and screamed and ate in the rain almost all day, so the outside eggs got cold too. :-(
Bummed.

My (broody) Guinea Hens will sit on a nest of their eggs even during the 110+ degree summers here. They do get off and on the nest more frequently on the hotter days, but for the most part they are on their eggs regardless of the heat, but they are especially on them every night, like glue.

Sounds to me that your Hen just wasn't broody. Maybe it was due to her injuries and all the trauma from all of that, or due to you cleaning the coop or from the chickens bothering her more than she cared for. Guineas are very picky about when/where they go broody... most of them prefer COMPLETE privacy. If they don't get enough privacy or feel their nest is safe enough, forget about them brooding their eggs. And as far as protecting the nest goes, Guineas will protect their space, period, even if they are't interested on sitting on a nest of eggs... they are just cranky and territorial like that.

Even in the 100+ degree temps the 7 eggs that are on the floor are still going to be a cooler temp in the center, so if they started developing it probably would not have been at the right temp to develop correctly/at the right pace without her sitting on them... they may have started to develop, but ended up quitting from going cold too many times (each night). Did you candle those eggs?

If you have been letting her out to free range.. she may still be laying somewhere outside thats well hidden... the season is not over yet. I'm still getting a ton of eggs from my girls.

Sorry to hear about the duds in the incubator, that's a bummer since you lost that Hen

With just a week to go they should be mostly dark inside (except for the air cell at the fat end), but you may or may not see movement at this stage. What you are describing sounds like they quit a long time ago tho, from the power loss/cool down.

 

[btrbeana]

Thanks! Guess what?????? Guess! Guess! I got up before the sun today and took a red light flashlight just to see.... she was sitting! Even if nothing hatches, she is sitting! Shes a keeper!!!!

Side note on territorial guineas... my grand mas 'spouse' passed and we had to go get his birds. ( suddenly we are the defacto guinea people of the family). They have never been out of an8 x 5 dog cage.never had a perch or shelter. I always asked to help,but he would just get mad and accuse me of interfering.... no integration yet, but they are all girls and there is lots of showing off by the pretty boy! Babies next year????

My (broody) Guinea Hens will sit on nest of their eggs even during the 110+ degree summers here. They do get off and on the nest more frequently on the hotter days, but for the most part they are on their eggs regardless of the heat, but they are especially on them every night, like glue.

 

[PeepsCA]

Ooh, congrats on the new additions... Your boy will be a happy camper having all those girls to himself. Are they laying eggs? If so, and they seem to be healthy Hens... it'd be very tempting to bump up the integration or even just add the male to their pen for a while so they might possible lay fertile eggs for you (I am such an enabler, sorry lol).

Hmm maybe your injured Hen's motherly instinct is kicking in and she will start laying again in that same nest and you'll end up with some keets after all. Cross your fingers!