Guinea Keets - 5.5 weeks

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Haha ok i guess I’ll let you know!
Right now they’re dust bathing alone in front of the barn while the mom forages in the bull field hopefully it’s not 7 weeks and then on your own!!

Hi Unicorn, how is your brood doing? Singleton Scout Lemon is 6 weeks old and seems to have lost her status as “protected from the flock”. Instead, most of the flock treat her more like a low ranking adult guinea hen. Her foster mom still stays with her for most of the time when they are out and looks for her at night, but is not glued to the hip anymore. Worryingly, Scout Lemon spends some time alone in the evening when the guineas are mating and are more aggressive than during the day. Does your hen still watch out for the juveniles or did she kick them out like a chicken hen would?

 

[Unicornlife3316]

Hi Unicorn, how is your brood doing? Singleton Scout Lemon is 6 weeks old and seems to have lost her status as “protected from the flock”. Instead, most of the flock treat her more like a low ranking adult guinea hen. Her foster mom still stays with her for most of the time when they are out and looks for her at night, but is not glued to the hip anymore. Worryingly, Scout Lemon spends some time alone in the evening when the guineas are mating and are more aggressive than during the day. Does your hen still watch out for the juveniles or did she kick them out like a chicken hen would?

Sorry to hear your little one isn’t being brought in to the flock. Mine are 10.5 weeks old now, mom still lets them follow her around, still seems to want to know where they are. The mom, her mate and the babies seem to have formed their own little flock. The babies are getting SO big sometimes it’s hard to tell them apart from the adults! The other adults don’t seem to pay them much mind - I have confirmed 4 females based on calls not sure about the other 2. Hard to tell when they all go to squawking LOL

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Sorry to hear your little one isn’t being brought in to the flock. Mine are 10.5 weeks old now, mom still lets them follow her around, still seems to want to know where they are. The mom, her mate and the babies seem to have formed their own little flock. The babies are getting SO big sometimes it’s hard to tell them apart from the adults! The other adults don’t seem to pay them much mind - I have confirmed 4 females based on calls not sure about the other 2. Hard to tell when they all go to squawking LOL

Oh what cuties!!! Thanks for the pics! I wouldn’t say that Scout Lemon isn’t accepted. I think that she is accepted but had a role as a very low ranking female. So she’s tolerated but pecked if she goes for food that some of the more dominant birds want. She still accompanied her subflock with mom all day, and they are all fine with her but don’t go out of their way for her like they used to. Bedtime is pretty chaotic and she gets separated from the subflock then and has to roost on her own. Last night, her mom, Scout Red, didn’t see that she had roosted so stood outside calling for her after dark!