My Guinea Hens usually stay on their nest for a few days once the keets start to hatch, to allow for all the eggs to hatch out. Once, I had a hen get off the nest and move the babies before all the eggs were all hatched. In that instance, I candled the remaining eggs and incubated the viable ones. Once they were hatched and dry, I placed them back with the mom. All of my hens have hatched their eggs in the coop, so I can't say whether most hens will take their keets back to the coop if hatched outside the coop. My guess would be that she would take them back to the coop if that is where she is used to living and also where the food is.....they have pretty good instincts in that regard. If not, you could gently herd them to the coop, but be prepared for the wrath of the mother Guinea! They are crazy protective of the little ones! I have been attacked a time or two for getting a little too close! I am certainly no expert, but have let my Guinea hens hatch their own for the past 3 years and have had pretty good success with it. I found mine to be extremely good mothers. The only thing I really keep an eye on is the weather. The mothers will take the little ones out to free range when the keets are only a few days old and will not always make it back inside if it starts to rain. So, unless it is warm and dry outside, I will keep them locked in until the babies are a few weeks old and a little stronger. Good luck with your hatch and keep us posted on how it goes!Hi, everyone- I've been keeping up with all the posts but just haven't had a chance to write anything. I prefer to be on my computer for these replies since I can type more coherently that way. I sold my youngest keets last weekend and had to put Polly back out with the bigger kids. She started getting a tiny bit of wing feathers on her two week birthday (Tuesday) and then a day later she learned to hop out of the coop and follow the others around the yard. I had to check on her about 50 times a day because I was so worried about the turkeys or older guineas picking on her. Luckily she has been okay and she is growing enough now that I have to search the crowd a bit to pick her out. She's still smaller, but finally getting feathers, and she is just as fast as the rest of the bunch. She was feeling very left out when she couldn't leave the coop like the rest so I'm happy for her. The other keets are so beautiful. I've been trying to get pictures but they don't do them justice. They are lovely creams and silvers with white lacing on the feathers. I do worry that the light colors make them stand out to hawks, but really I had more lavenders than pearls survive from my original flock so maybe that is unfounded. As long as they don't start trying to sleep in the trees maybe I will be okay. I am afraid to mention it but I still have not had any predator action in two months. I'm happy but nervous about that. The guinea hen on the nest out front only leaves the nest for about 90 seconds twice a day. I have slowly been trying to go through the eggs and candle them when I catch her off of the nest. I have tossed about 13 bad ones and right now 19 are in the incubator and hopefully today I can get the rest of them to candle and then give her all the good ones back. I knew a good deal of them would be bad from being old and sitting in the sun. I've been doing a lot of work on the coops and will have updated pictures before long. It is actually starting to look pretty nice! I still can't convince DH to let me move it all to where I can see it from the deck or a window. He gives me a hard time about my baby monitor and going out to check on them several times a day, but if I could look out the window and see nothing is amiss that would take care of that problem! Pattyhen- I'm glad the hawk didn't get anyone! It's amazing how these birds have instincts about certain sights and sounds. My turkeys keep an eye on the sky constantly, and they have been able to tell since birth that some sounds are "dangerous" and they have learned all the various turkey sounds and behaviors of communication without having a parent turkey. To me, that is amazing. Guineapeeps- you have joined this thread right when I need you most. My keets are due 9/11 and this is the first time I've had a broody guinea raise them so I'm not sure what to expect. I am wondering if she will keep them on her nest for the first few nights and then try to take them back to the coop or what! I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I am happy to have her raise them but can only imagine what discord her protectiveness will cause. Dmontgomery- I agree with you about the looks of the guineas, though I can appreciate their wierdness in a modern art sort of way. I love the light contented sounds that they make. I wish they did it more because its so beautiful, and in such contrast to the other grating calls they have. Here are a few pictures of Polly I took today. She and her hatch mates will be three weeks old tomorrow.
