Guinea Hens, eggs, death, change

[pactricolor]

I have 16 Guinea Hens(born 5/20) & 9 Chickens(born 6/1), they have a coop my sons made with an attached outside run, lights, automatic door. The routine has been I let them all out in am with both doors open all day, they have been free ranging on our 8 acres (staying close to coop) then close to sunset of course the chickens are in roost 1st but the guineas would follow. The routine was perfect and even if we were late everyone was inside coop. 4 nights ago 10 minutes before sunset guineas came running from our burn pile area without 3 guineas. Next morning guineas would not even eat before they left in am (normally they eat 1st then free range), they went back down near burn pile, I followed. They went over my wall to neighbors, I found the 3 piles of feathers from my guineas I lost there.

I also discovered a guinea laying eggs in burn pile, lots of soft grass in pile, has not been burned for years. So for last 2 days they go over wall immediately and graze in horse field. I had enough and locked them in outside coop yesterday, I let chickens in and out now. This is only the 2nd day of this. The hen laying the eggs is moping in inside coop with an injured guinea(another story). When I go in I show her golf ball in nesting boxes. Help! Is locking them in prison for a while going to help keep them closer, are they looking for dead guinea's, is the laying hen or hens going to forget where she was laying eggs before and lay in nest box. The routine was perfect before, I really thought 16 guinea's would be safe from fox. I am new to this, these are my 1st chickens and guineas and I was enjoying it so much.

 

[broody rooster]

im sorry to hear about the guineas you've lost ive been told that its good to start with young guineas and raise them in the coop for a while to get them used to that being there main sleeping area older guineas to my knowledge especially during breeding season tend to wander off and hens will make nests in places they aren't really supposed to as you've seen already they make there own nests and rarely use nest boxes if you want to hatch the eggs shes laid id reccomend putting them in an incubator or under a broody chicken if you have one because at least in my experience guineas usually abandon a nest after its been disturbed i've seen others try to move the eggs or whole nest somewhere else but that usually doesn't work out and also guineas tend to sleep in trees at night you would have to get them used to roosting in the coop for a while i hope this helps