Surprise keets - usher into pen?

[ShortHenTallPen]

Hi all!

So we just got back from vacation, and discovered to our utter surprise (and delight), that our guinea hen has hatched some keets! Looks like they hatched in the last 48hrs.

Unfortunately/fortunately, mama guinea had been AWOL from the coop under the care of our chicken sitter, so the whole family are just outside the door.

Needless to say, we want to move them into a coop ASAP, as we have all the usual suspects posing a threat - dog, cats, coons, a whole buncha hens...

But how do we do it without putting the mama guinea off her little brood? Or should I even be worried about that, and just put them in a brooder straight away? Some hasty research said that guineas tend to be terrible moms, but she’s still pretty defensive, and she’s done a pretty great job without us so far...

Also another annoyance, it’s extremely humid and wet here right now, and i know from raising our (hatchery) keets last time that they’re not supposed to like damp conditions... my thinking is get them in a corner with mom and new bedding plus heat lamp, where mom can fly out if she chooses? We won’t have a free coop until we’re done processing our current batch of pastured chickens, today and tomorrow, but I don’t want the little guys to perish between now and tomorrow morning!

Advice please, thanks!!!

 

[lazy gardener]

If it's as hot there as it is here, the very last thing you should do is give them a heat lamp! Can you block off an area of the run for them? Perhaps set up a MHP brooder. Or even a wool hen or a huddle box.

I have one section of the run blocked for the broody with the youngest babies. at the end of the day, i herd her and her babies to their enclosed area in the coop. I have to herd them out of their run, across a small area to an other little enclosure where they have direct access to the nest box where they've been sleeping inside the coop. A bit complicated at curfew, but they are fairly well trained. I'd let them mingle with rest of flock except Broody #1 and broody #2 would engage in all out war.

I understand a Guinea is not going to be as easy to manage as a broody chicken. So, you'll have to assess your set up and your flock dynamics, as well as your understanding of raising keets to come up with a workable plan for you. I wish you the best!

 

[R2elk]

Hi all!

So we just got back from vacation, and discovered to our utter surprise (and delight), that our guinea hen has hatched some keets! Looks like they hatched in the last 48hrs.

Unfortunately/fortunately, mama guinea had been AWOL from the coop under the care of our chicken sitter, so the whole family are just outside the door.

Needless to say, we want to move them into a coop ASAP, as we have all the usual suspects posing a threat - dog, cats, coons, a whole buncha hens...

But how do we do it without putting the mama guinea off her little brood? Or should I even be worried about that, and just put them in a brooder straight away? Some hasty research said that guineas tend to be terrible moms, but she’s still pretty defensive, and she’s done a pretty great job without us so far...

Also another annoyance, it’s extremely humid and wet here right now, and i know from raising our (hatchery) keets last time that they’re not supposed to like damp conditions... my thinking is get them in a corner with mom and new bedding plus heat lamp, where mom can fly out if she chooses? We won’t have a free coop until we’re done processing our current batch of pastured chickens, today and tomorrow, but I don’t want the little guys to perish between now and tomorrow morning!

Advice please, thanks!!!

If possible, herd the hen and the keets into a protected area. As long as the hen is attending them there will not be any need to add supplemental heat.

Guinea hens get a bad reputation but many of them are superb mothers and the fathers can be very helpful also.

 

[ShortHenTallPen]

Great, thanks for the help! I was thinking heat lamp plus dry bedding to help them dry off, since they’re all wet from walking through wet grass (thunderstorms), but good point - I’m sure they’ll dry off best with just dry bedding plus maybe a fan they can choose to dry under or not.

Looking forward to giving this a shot!

Thanks again