Guinea talk.

[GuineaHale]

if i leave them in the enclosed pen will they eventually lay the eggs in there?

 

[guineapeeps]

if i leave them in the enclosed pen will they eventually lay the eggs in there?

They should lay in there if they have no other place to go. I would put a variety of nesting boxes and places to lay in the coop, especially some very secluded/ hidden area if possible. Most of my hens lay their eggs in the coop in either wheelbarrows with deep boxes so that they feel hidden or in straw or boxes in a secluded corner. Because they lay from spring through fall, I continue to let mine free range even though I have a few young ones each year that lay outside the coop. (Otherwise, they would spend all bug season inside.) I usually try to keep an eye on one if it wanders off so I know where the nest is hidden or I hunt them down once I notice they have gone missing. Sometimes I'm able to bring the nest and hen back to the coop, lock her in a small area, and convince her to continue to lay inside. A lot of my guineas like to share a nest and once one lays eggs in one spot, several other will lay there also, so you may have some luck keeping them in until some eggs are layed and hope that they all continue to lay in that area of the coop.

 

[Dmontgomery]

So we have had 3 guineas since last August. I thought all 3 were female but I finally realized, a couple weeks ago, that I had never heard Gerdy make the typical female sound. So I started trying to pay more attention to her to say if I could catch a "buck wheat". This morning I caught "her" mounting one of the other females. "She" is now named Gary and apparently we will have fertile guinea eggs somewhere in the woods this year.


Anybody had any success with free range keets? I've read the chances of survival are pretty low. Maybe one of my OEGB hens will go broody at just the right time to help out.

 

[guineapeeps]

So we have had 3 guineas since last August. I thought all 3 were female but I finally realized, a couple weeks ago, that I had never heard Gerdy make the typical female sound. So I started trying to pay more attention to her to say if I could catch a "buck wheat". This morning I caught "her" mounting one of the other females. "She" is now named Gary and apparently we will have fertile guinea eggs somewhere in the woods this year.


Anybody had any success with free range keets? I've read the chances of survival are pretty low. Maybe one of my OEGB hens will go broody at just the right time to help out.

It depends on what you mean by free range. I would say if they lay their nest out in the woods and you let them sit and hatch out there, then their chances are not very good. She would more than likely get picked off by a predator in the 25-28 days/nights she would be sitting on the eggs. I have never had a hen hatch her eggs out in the wild. The two times that I was unable to find the hen and nest, I never saw either of them again and I'm guessing a raccoon or something got to them.
I no longer incubate any eggs. I let my guineas hatch their own, but it's always been in a protected coop setting. I have found that my guineas are terrific parents and the whole flock helps to raise them. The only thing you have to be careful of is wet grass. If it looks like rain, I don't let the hen and keets out that day to free range. I have had some luck in moving the nest once I find it. I've posted on here about that in the past, but you need more info on that, I'd be happy to tell you how I've done it.

 

[Dmontgomery]

It depends on what you mean by free range. I would say if they lay their nest out in the woods and you let them sit and hatch out there, then their chances are not very good. She would more than likely get picked off by a predator in the 25-28 days/nights she would be sitting on the eggs. I have never had a hen hatch her eggs out in the wild. The two times that I was unable to find the hen and nest, I never saw either of them again and I'm guessing a raccoon or something got to them.
I no longer incubate any eggs. I let my guineas hatch their own, but it's always been in a protected coop setting. I have found that my guineas are terrific parents and the whole flock helps to raise them. The only thing you have to be careful of is wet grass. If it looks like rain, I don't let the hen and keets out that day to free range. I have had some luck in moving the nest once I find it. I've posted on here about that in the past, but you need more info on that, I'd be happy to tell you how I've done it.

I was able to find the nest out in the woods when they started laying in October. I took all the eggs that time because I didn't think they could have been fertile. They had only been with us a couple months or less so they weren't really comfortable with the coop yet. I'm hoping they decide to lay in there this year so I won't have to hunt. They have been checking out some of the "secluded" nests on the back porch and in my workshop so maybe that will be an option too.
If you could direct me to your post about moving the nest, that would be great. Thanks.

 

[guineapeeps]

I was able to find the nest out in the woods when they started laying in October. I took all the eggs that time because I didn't think they could have been fertile. They had only been with us a couple months or less so they weren't really comfortable with the coop yet. I'm hoping they decide to lay in there this year so I won't have to hunt. They have been checking out some of the "secluded" nests on the back porch and in my workshop so maybe that will be an option too.
If you could direct me to your post about moving the nest, that would be great. Thanks.

My computer wouldn't let me link to my post , so I just cut and pasted it. Sorry it is so long.
Anyway, here it is:

I have had some luck moving Guineas on their nest...I would say I have had a 50-75% success rate, which is better than their chances if I let them try and hatch them outside the coop. you might try this method and see if it works for you....the worst that will happen is that they'll abandon their nest then you'll have to decide if you want to incubate the eggs or stick them under a broody hen. I've actually done it a few ways but the premise is the same. First, I get a large Rubbermaid bin with a llid and cut a hole in one end. I fill it with straw and then add some grass or material that is similar to what they have their nest laid in. Now from here, I've transferred the bird a few different ways. The first time, I waited until after dark and snuck up on the nest and grabbed the bird and all her eggs and stuck her in the bin. (You have to be very quick about it or she will get away and run off.) Then, I cover the hole with a blanket and take her back to a completely dark coop. You may want to block off part of the opening so she can't get out but can still get air. She will be forced to stay in all night and hopefully decide this is her new nest. The other times I've done it, I have found the nest before the hen went broody and has not yet started laying on the eggs. I've found this to be much more successful, but you need to find the nest earlier in the laying/nesting process. After the hen has finished laying her egg for the day and has left, I get the same Rubbermaid bin filled with straw and grass and transfer the eggs to it and place it directly over where the nest was. I try to cover it with surrounding material to hide it as much as possible. Usually, the hen will go back into the bin the next day and continue to lay her eggs. I willl not move the bin until she has gone broody and starts laying on the eggs. Then, again, after dark, I cover the hole in the bin and move her to the coop. Now there is a catch to this! Each time I've done this, I end up having to carry the bin out to the old nesting spot during the day and move them back into the coop at night because when I open the coop, I find that the hen runs to her old nesting spot. So, every morning I carry the bin to the nesting spot and the hens jump right in. Every night, after dark, I go get the hen bin (I call it the PNU...portable nesting unit) and carry it back in. I have locked the hen and the bin in a smaller area and keep her confined the whole time and that works ok but sometimes the hen is not satisfied until she can return to the old nest during the day. I know people will ask why I spend so much time and effort instead of just incubating the eggs. I do this because the 25-28 days I spend moving the hen is much less time than I'd spend raising the keets, plus I find the hens do a better job than I do at raising free range Guineas and they seem to be much more savvy to predators!

 

[GlennLee]

So we have had 3 guineas since last August. I thought all 3 were female but I finally realized, a couple weeks ago, that I had never heard Gerdy make the typical female sound. So I started trying to pay more attention to her to say if I could catch a "buck wheat". This morning I caught "her" mounting one of the other females. "She" is now named Gary and apparently we will have fertile guinea eggs somewhere in the woods this year.

Anybody had any success with free range keets? I've read the chances of survival are pretty low. Maybe one of my OEGB hens will go broody at just the right time to help out.

Oh my! Welcome to Gary! Good luck with the eggs and keets. We'll all have stories to share as the spring progresses. I'm hoping for one big communal nest in the barn, but knowing my luck, they'll all go broody in the tall grass and I won't be able to find them. We have another predator to add to our list - an Adirondack Fisher. They are like a big weasel and we've seen tracks on our property. Any of them overnight on a nest, won't stand a chance of survival. Guess you'd better stock up on some mosquito spray for when you're out searching for them. They get pretty sneaky!

 

[MartinsPoultry]

I have a major question. I have 7 guineas, I only ever hear 3 girls "buck wheat", 2 of my boys chatter their 1 syllable call, but that leaves 2 left who dont make a peep.
Echo will scream when Charlie and Blue sound off but "hers" goes into a 2 beat call where as the 2 boys have the single beat.
Foxy has yet to "buck wheat" but the boys try to mount her all the time, and pick and tease her.

Do some guineas not use their calls? Or are mine just weirdos?

 

[pattyhen]

Rhonda are you going to try and trap Fisher? I hope your girls choose the coop to lay their eggs in. They have lots of room and it sure will be alot safer for them.

I only have the one female and one male guinea. The male, Spiderman talks constantly. The female, Mary Jane you hardly ever hear her call. She does have the buck wheat sound but very seldom does she use it. So Martinspoultry if you go by the way mine act those two in question could be females then.

 

[guineapeeps]

I have a major question. I have 7 guineas, I only ever hear 3 girls "buck wheat", 2 of my boys chatter their 1 syllable call, but that leaves 2 left who dont make a peep.
Echo will scream when Charlie and Blue sound off but "hers" goes into a 2 beat call where as the 2 boys have the single beat.
Foxy has yet to "buck wheat" but the boys try to mount her all the time, and pick and tease her.

Do some guineas not use their calls? Or are mine just weirdos? 

I think yours are definitely weirdos....but then all guineas are weird...that's why I love them so much! I'm really just joking with you....I'm sure yours aren't weirdos!
I have a few that are quieter than the others. My females tend to be louder when they free range and my males are louder when there is perceived danger. I have noticed with mine, when they sound the "danger" alarm, the males seem to do more of the short machine gun sound and the females sound more like a longer, drawn out one syllable sound. It's hard to describe, so hopefully that makes sense.
I would say if your males are mounting these quiet guineas, then they are almost certainly female. I have never seen any of my males mount the other males in the 4 years that I've had them. Keep us posted what you find out!