This is about the new keets in my other thread, I thought someone might find this helpful.
So momma hatched her keets and was parked outside for the night, away from the shelter we had built over the nest. We knew she likely wouldn't make it, so here's what we did to move her, in case it helps somebody else.
We have a portable wire dog crate with a solid bottom. We quickly lined it with some cardboard on the sides to keep them from running out between the wires.
Put the crate down an inch in front of momma's nose, and then started trying to get her to walk into it (millet in front, broom gently behind). No go, but she did get off the keets and we were able to grab them and put them in.
After one or two go-rounds of DH catching keets running back out and momma running around frantically in circles, I ditched the broom, and she calmed down a bit, and went into the crate where she could hear the keets calling. Meanwhile our other six guineas came running back from the coop area in response to her distress call and were running around us too.
We latched it down and started a careful 50-yard dash to the coop with all the guineas in escort. Momma went ballistic a couple of times on the way and we had to stop so she wouldn't accidentally stomp a keet.
A keet jumped thru the bars in spite of the cardboard & couldn't see it since night is falling. We decided to keep going and come back for it after the others were safe.
So DH got momma and the other three into the coop and I went back with the flashlight for the fourth. Sure enough, I could hear the peeping and it had its very own guinea nanny watching over it. He showed it to me, let me pick it up, and followed me back to the coop.
All four keets are under momma in a corner of the coop. DH & I feel like we just ran a marathon. Oh, the drama of guineas.
So momma hatched her keets and was parked outside for the night, away from the shelter we had built over the nest. We knew she likely wouldn't make it, so here's what we did to move her, in case it helps somebody else.
We have a portable wire dog crate with a solid bottom. We quickly lined it with some cardboard on the sides to keep them from running out between the wires.
Put the crate down an inch in front of momma's nose, and then started trying to get her to walk into it (millet in front, broom gently behind). No go, but she did get off the keets and we were able to grab them and put them in.
After one or two go-rounds of DH catching keets running back out and momma running around frantically in circles, I ditched the broom, and she calmed down a bit, and went into the crate where she could hear the keets calling. Meanwhile our other six guineas came running back from the coop area in response to her distress call and were running around us too.
We latched it down and started a careful 50-yard dash to the coop with all the guineas in escort. Momma went ballistic a couple of times on the way and we had to stop so she wouldn't accidentally stomp a keet.
A keet jumped thru the bars in spite of the cardboard & couldn't see it since night is falling. We decided to keep going and come back for it after the others were safe.
So DH got momma and the other three into the coop and I went back with the flashlight for the fourth. Sure enough, I could hear the peeping and it had its very own guinea nanny watching over it. He showed it to me, let me pick it up, and followed me back to the coop.
All four keets are under momma in a corner of the coop. DH & I feel like we just ran a marathon. Oh, the drama of guineas.
