Second season pearl guineas nesting

[TexasTurkeyMama]

This is the first season that one male guinea and his harem of six female guineas are hiding their eggs in their super-secret guinea nests--underneath trees, behind an old door frame leaning against a fence post. It is the second nesting season for the male and two or three of the females. In the first season, the flock was seven (7) males and three (3) females. In my chicken, duck, and turkey experience, the fertility of the eggs is low when there are too many males beating each other up all day long.

I had high hopes for a return to a SSG nesting site from the previous year. This week the 22 eggs deposited there were
collected and absconded with, probably by one of the substantial snakes that share the neighborhood with us.

The most recent SSGN site is backed into a corner post of the yard fence, done with welded wire. Pretty big rectangular
openings in the wire. A low growing mesquite partially hides the nest site. Last evening we noted that the guineas went to their coop for the night. We collected the eggs into a cardboard carton and put the carton in a haybin, safe from the snakes
and anything else that likes eggs for breakfast.

I just returned the eggs to the nesting site and turned out the guineas for the day.

Is this my life for the next thirty days? Why can't these birds do the decent thing and start a nest of eggs in the nice coop we built for them?

 

[sourland]

Because they are Guinea fowl?

 

[R2elk]

In the first season, the flock was seven (7) males and three (3) females. In my chicken, duck, and turkey experience, the fertility of the eggs is low when there are too many males beating each other up all day long.

Guineas are different. They do best with a 1:1 ratio of hens to cocks. Guineas tend to pair off and don't have harems. Having too many hen guineas to too few cock guineas can lead to infertility issues. Not all male guineas will mate with multiple females.

Is this my life for the next thirty days? Why can't these birds do the decent thing and start a nest of eggs in the nice coop we built for them?

Guineas tend to prefer hidden nests. It is unlikely that the attractive to you nest is to the guinea's likings.

If you want guineas to nest in the coop, build nest at ground level that appeal to them. One such method is to use bales of straw or hay to form hidden nests with guinea sized opening into them topped with a layer of bales or perhaps plywood to cover them.

Some people shut their guineas in the coop until after the hens have finished laying for the day.

Guineas have entirely different instincts than any other poultry.

 

[TexasTurkeyMama]

Thank you for your response Bob. I don't find many Storey Publications to read about guinea fowl, so my own eyes and the posts here are my textbooks.

 

[R2elk]

Thank you for your response Bob. I don't find many Storey Publications to read about guinea fowl, so my own eyes and the posts here are my textbooks.

Read the thread Raising Guinea Fowl 101 and pay particular attention to posts made by @PeepsCA.

 

[judyc]

Well, I've got nine guinea hens and five cocks. I raised them with one Dark Brahma chick, which turned out to be a pullet. She serves as a pretty good anchor for the flock. When April rolled around, I went searching for Guinea nests. I didn't find any guinea nests, but I did find the pullet's nest in a stack of old hay bales. I would check that nest periodically, and a guinea evidently decided to lay in that nest. I take the guinea eggs and leave the nest full of chicken eggs. The last time I did this, it looks like there are three guinea hens laying there now. I plan to take advantage of their communal nesting as long as possible.

 

[TexasTurkeyMama]

Guineas are different. They do best with a 1:1 ratio of hens to cocks. Guineas tend to pair off and don't have harems. Having too many hen guineas to too few cock guineas can lead to infertility issues. Not all male guineas will mate with multiple females.

Guineas tend to prefer hidden nests. It is unlikely that the attractive to you nest is to the guinea's likings.

If you want guineas to nest in the coop, build nest at ground level that appeal to them. One such method is to use bales of straw or hay to form hidden nests with guinea sized opening into them topped with a layer of bales or perhaps plywood to cover them.

Some people shut their guineas in the coop until after the hens have finished laying for the day.

Guineas have entirely different instincts than any other poultry.

In the guinea coop I have a four sided masonite lean-to. It forms a top, back wall, side walls and a long hinged lid covers the front. The side walls are triangles.
DH made a little gate in the large lid and the remaining screened lid is now covered in cardboard. It is very spacious inside and is possibly too spacious for the guinea hens. It's a start on trying to build for guineas.

 

[TexasTurkeyMama]

It is Friday and of my two "guinea friendly" nest sites in the coop, one clutch is growing in number. I might try to adjust the second nest site to make it attractive to the females.

 

[R2elk]

It is Friday and of my two "guinea friendly" nest sites in the coop, one clutch is growing in number. I might try to adjust the second nest site to make it attractive to the females.

They do like communal nests.

 

[TexasTurkeyMama]

Wednesday under the heat dome, and the rat snakes are out. Two found in my guinea approved nesting conditions.
I still have eggs left, but no sign of nesting behavior. No nice little clutch of eggs.
No worries--a buff orp in the hen house is broody, so I put some guinea eggs underneath her.

And back to the drawing board...