Mama hatches 1st one this year!

[JLeigh]

I have two broody chocolate hens in my coop. The egg pile is enormous (about 40 eggs roughly) and one hen couldn't cover them all. I collect the new eggs each day laid by the other hens, but it's interesting. The non-broody hens are laying the new eggs by the broody hens' nest. It's seems to me like they saying "Here ya go - one more today". I go in carefully. Need gloves. They DON'T like it, but then I wouldn't either. I also have a few guinea eggs under a broody chicken. It's going to be really interesting around here when everyone starts to hatch. I'll gather the keets and brood them up myself.

tommy...are you going to catch the keets and raise them or are you going to leave them for Mom?

 

[tomingreeneco]

I'll leave them for mom to raise. The lavender "mom" raised 4 last year and did a fine job. Hopefully she can do more this year. She had a helper last year and she will have the pied mom to help this year. Plus one of the males has really been staying close (her boyfriend) and should help once they all leave the coop.

 

[Hotcookie]

Jleigh.......I've never seen a "chocolate" guinea - what do they look like? Would you please post a pic if you're able to?
And tomingreenco - keep posting those pics!! I just love seeing the babies. Have any more hatched out for you? I have a hen sitting on a nest of about 35/40 eggs right now, too. Hopefully I'll have as much luck as you!

 

[JLeigh]

The two off to the right, and the one in the foreground are Chocolates, the other three are left to right, Pearl Gray, Buff and Buff Dundotte.

 

[tomingreeneco]

One of the keets died today. This morning when I opened the coop on of the keets was acting "dizzy". It kept falling over and was having a hard time getting back up. I took it inside, placed in in the brooder with heat lamp, water and food. It drank a little water and then went to sleep. It was walking around a little at 1:30pm but when I checked again at 3:00pm it was dead. Do not know what happened. Any thoughts?

 

[JLeigh]

That's a bummer, T. Sorry to hear that. I have no experience with the symptom you describe so I couldn't offer a guess as to why it happened, but it's always sad when it does.

 

[tomingreeneco]

Updated pics. A total of 12 hatched out, but 8 started acting the same way as the first one that died. They shook all the time and soon could not walk. They would lay on their backs and could not move around. All eventually died. The four that are left are acting fine and are pictured below. I think the problem with the others may have been some in-breeding.

 

[Hotcookie]

Love the new pics!!! How old are the babies now.....and what colors did you end up with? I can't really tell by the photo.....maybe a couple whites in there? I used to have the tamest little white girl, but she passed away suddenly last year. She never hatched out any keets herself, but she was the nanny for some of the babies from one of my other mama's. Sorry to hear about your other ones passing......I've heard about babies getting the "shakes" - like you described and being unable to walk eventually. How many adults do you have that makes you think the in-breeding might have occurred?

 

[tomingreeneco]

Looks like we have 2 white, 1 lavender and 1 pied. I have three generations so there could be some inbreeding with the new keets. Also have chickens and ducks broody on some guinea eggs! Maybe some more keets, maybe not. We will see how good they are as mothers.