Hatching notes summer 2022

[Sydney65]

Last year I was left with a lone keet in the brooder. It was two weeks old when I stuck a broody guinea hen in the grow out pen. I didn't know where her hidden nest was.

I put the keet in with her. There was a heat lamp for when the keet felt the need.

She did not accept the keet bit did not attack it. After about a week she would allow the keet to cuddle against her for warmth.

She never did bond with it. When putting her bsck with the flock, she was readily accepted but the keet wasn't. He is low dog on the totem pole still.

Yep, I thought Mama would accept Mia-I mean, they were abt the same size after a while, PG guinea, you have to look really hard to find diff in appearance. But she chased and pecked him throughout the winter, then took him as her mate that spring.
It would be interesting to know their original dynamics. When they share a nest, how do they divy up when the keets hatch? What roll does the male play in the wild, bc I've seen some say their male sits on the nest while the hen takes a break, and my males excel at parenting, regardless of the keets origins.
And @Mixed flock enthusiast , did you see the growths on Jessica's male ceres? One looked like a rhino horn!

 

[Sydney65]

Seems pretty darn successful as far as guineas go! In my case, I don’t know what it will mean if Razorback has adopted the keets, as he certainly seems to have, but the rest of the flock has not accepted them. Im sure they will be low man on the totem pole as all of the last years keets have ended up low man adults for the past few years. I’m considering modifying the run so they can roost in there if need be.

I did do that, it works well. The adults can get up there, but there seems to be a code amongst goons that they don't go up there when it's in use by misfits. They seven were roosting there in the evening,but everyone is in the coop in the morning when I go out.
Sadly,I guess it's time to start closing the coop door and the pop door. That'll be a shock to their freedom.

 

[Sydney65]

Well so Razorback seems to be kind of bizarrely fixated on the keets. They are still caged in the coop but of course I have to change their food and water. These keets are terrified of me, sadly, as they kept panicking when they would see me overhead in their old brooder and have not gotten over that. They are getting more used to me being near their new brooder, but when I open the door they still panic. Razorback decided I was attacking his keets and went for me! Now I have to lock him out of the coop before I do anything with the keets.

I’ve only been letting the flock out to free range for a short time in the evenings when I can be out with them, since I’m not sure what’s up with the bobcat. While the flock takes advantage of their freedom, Razorback runs around and around outside the coop and brooder, unwilling to leave the keets. Then last night, he went all out attacking his mama Welch. I don’t know if it was keet related or what but she was attacked hard enough that she balled up in a corner and just laid their passively, I felt awful for her. I chased him out and Welch just laid their for five minutes panting. She seemed ok after that but obviously scared of Razorback.

They’ve also just stopped pairing and are reforming as a group for winter, so it might be related to that instead of keets. They seem to rework all of their positions out again when they flock up for winter, and I typically have a lot of drama for a month or two. Due to my schedule, it’s also when I’m integrating keets… So I guess I need to start letting them free range again to relieve their dominance stress and hope for the best with my bobcat.

Agree w/@R2elk . Since I wasn't able to be all in when the 7 were keets, I've been working w/them since to get that trust. They could see me in clear brooder, but I wasn't able to be literally hands on w/them.
I lay out a cloth on the ground to sit on right outside run door,then put treats on it in front of me to encourage them to come out. Then moved up to eating from my hand,then move treats closer to my body, leaving my hands dangling over treats. They had to rub up against me in order to get to treats,but I wasn't moving.
From there I got to where I could run my hand down their backs and they step aside rather than running.
Fortunately it's getting cooler so I'm starting to repurpose the fleece brooder squares to scoop them up in and everyone gets a little bit of time sitting on my lap, being stroked,head & neck rubs. Willow will lays down contently. The rest stretch their necks out on my arm for maximum neck rub,but stay alert. Gabby looks me in the eye and carries on conversations, but I have no clue as to what she's talking about.
I don't do it for long periods and let them hop down, but just enough to learn that this crazy woman isn't going to hurt them. In Zuri's case, to learn that biting me has zero effect. I want them to atleast trust me enough that I can do first aid and maintenance on them.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Agree w/@R2elk . Since I wasn't able to be all in when the 7 were keets, I've been working w/them since to get that trust. They could see me in clear brooder, but I wasn't able to be literally hands on w/them.
I lay out a cloth on the ground to sit on right outside run door,then put treats on it in front of me to encourage them to come out. Then moved up to eating from my hand,then move treats closer to my body, leaving my hands dangling over treats. They had to rub up against me in order to get to treats,but I wasn't moving.
From there I got to where I could run my hand down their backs and they step aside rather than running.
Fortunately it's getting cooler so I'm starting to repurpose the fleece brooder squares to scoop them up in and everyone gets a little bit of time sitting on my lap, being stroked,head & neck rubs. Willow will lays down contently. The rest stretch their necks out on my arm for maximum neck rub,but stay alert. Gabby looks me in the eye and carries on conversations, but I have no clue as to what she's talking about.
I don't do it for long periods and let them hop down, but just enough to learn that this crazy woman isn't going to hurt them. In Zuri's case, to learn that biting me has zero effect. I want them to atleast trust me enough that I can do first aid and maintenance on them.

Well that’s why you’re the Guinea whisperer! None of mine will let me grab them and it is a problem if they need medical attention. I’m not dedicated enough to go through the process you are, I guess. Really, even my chickens don’t want to be touched! I would like the keets to not act like they are going to be eaten every time they see me! It has gotten better in the new brooder. I go out and sit next to them and they will forget I'm there, so they are getting more used to me. When they were little in my plastic garage brooder, the keets had been doing ok with my hands and presence, until I had to catch most of the ones I hatched to sell. There were two left behind, the Coral blue and slate keets I hatched. That experience of me catching their hatch mates and then they were just gone really terrified them, and they became realy scared of me after that. Then I added the shipped keets to the older hatched keets, and the older keets taught them how terrifying I am. I’m glad I'm able to reverse that a bit now that they have more space and panic less.

 

[Sydney65]

Well that’s why you’re the Guinea whisperer! None of mine will let me grab them and it is a problem if they need medical attention. I’m not dedicated enough to go through the process you are, I guess. Really, even my chickens don’t want to be touched! I would like the keets to not act like they are going to be eaten every time they see me! It has gotten better in the new brooder. I go out and sit next to them and they will forget I'm there, so they are getting more used to me. When they were little in my plastic garage brooder, the keets had been doing ok with my hands and presence, until I had to catch most of the ones I hatched to sell. There were two left behind, the Coral blue and slate keets I hatched. That experience of me catching their hatch mates and then they were just gone really terrified them, and they became realy scared of me after that. Then I added the shipped keets to the older hatched keets, and the older keets taught them how terrifying I am. I’m glad I'm able to reverse that a bit now that they have more space and panic less.

Mb that's why Brodie was such a terror. The guy showed up w/a box and expected me to just grab willy nilly and toss them in while he stood there holding it. Brodie wasn't having it and flew back out. And THAT'S why Brodie is still here, lol.
Just wait til you come home at the end of the day,fed up with students and adm griping at you. There's a certain zen to just sitting there zoning out w/the goons. I sat out there with Numi in my lap until the sun went down last night. It's far more soothing than being inside when he's watching the Colts "play" football!

 

[Sydney65]

Most of my poultry go crazy whenever I bring another person into their areas. They are too used to visitors equaling missing flock mates.

I don't let ppl go back there so much anymore. if I do,I make them put on boots from here. I mean, for me so far, they're all gray, too young to sex, they'll all be big, and look the same, so just tell me how many you want and I'll have them waiting for you. Lol

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I don't let ppl go back there so much anymore. if I do,I make them put on boots from here. I mean, for me so far, they're all gray, too young to sex, they'll all be big, and look the same, so just tell me how many you want and I'll have them waiting for you. Lol

I put the keets in a box and meet at a public location, usually Walmart or Tractor supply parking lots.

 

[Sydney65]

At 10 miles to the gallon, people can come to me.

Yeah but you probably don't stew over the possibility of strangers showing up aswe do. ..& I probably should worry more.

 

[Sydney65]

Anyone stranger than me would have more to fear from me than I would need to fear them.

Worrying is not good. Be prepared, don't worry. Worry is bad for your stress levels.

3 dogs,10 guineas, I kind of doubt anyone is going to show up unannounced - and that doesn't account for the neighbor always telling Himself what vehicle was in my drive while he was at work.

 

[R2elk]

3 dogs,10 guineas, I kind of doubt anyone is going to show up unannounced - and that doesn't account for the neighbor always telling Himself what vehicle was in my drive while he was at work.

I have a "neighbor" that got 16 guineas from me last year. The last I knew she was down to 6. Three hens successfully sat and hatched on their hidden nests. Only 2 keets survived her own dogs.

Her husband is currently building a separate coop for the guineas.