Surviving Minnesota!

[Rhetts]

I tried to find our turkey hen's nest last year. No luck. Then she never came back. We were so hopeful for the longest time she would come home with some poults behind her. Now, after dealing with that pesky wolf and coyotes last fall, I can understand why she never made it home. Poor thing!! If I ever get another hen I will most certainly have to pen her for laying/brooding/hatching season. Free range won't work for that time of year.

 

[duluthralphie]

I tried to find our turkey hen's nest last year. No luck. Then she never came back. We were so hopeful for the longest time she would come home with some poults behind her. Now, after dealing with that pesky wolf and coyotes last fall, I can understand why she never made it home. Poor thing!! If I ever get another hen I will most certainly have to pen her for laying/brooding/hatching season. Free range won't work for that time of year.

I am doing that with mine this year too. I lost a couple hens to the wild last year. I am not taking the chance this year.

 

[KlopKlop]

Check this funny chicken commercial

 

[Coffee 1st]

Ok here is what I'm going to say.. But Honey,,, little Roostie is so tiny and I think he needs a confidence booster so I got him 7 little chicky girls more his own size and doesn't he look so much happier and bigger?? Yep that's my story... Ok now no more I will need a intervention soon ... I turned a spare room into a baby playpen till I move.. I got the dog kennels out and moved them all in them..

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Hey all: I've been a basketball Mom here the last couple weeks of the season. It's a crazy finish. Just wanted to say, "hey" to you all.

-21 F this morning to catch the BB bus at 7:30 this AM to a tournament in Blackduck. I don't like being on long treks through the tundra on those temps.

Anyways I see we have a bunch of hatch-a-holics on here yet. LOL. Good for you guys. Beautiful little birdies! And congrats Ivie to adding a bunch of family members.

After got home from Blackduck today I put on DH''s carhart bibs and coat and went down and sat in the run with my chickens....watched them scratch and interact with each other. I haven't done it for a while and it was so soothing to watch how kind they can be to each other as well. The lead hen would give my BA a scratched open space (when she normally pecks and is mean as heck to a competing hen). My BA is hanging in there...but she's weak. I should do the kindest medicine. But I think falling asleep in the cold night will not be so bad either.

Anyways I'm following along and getting all the details yet just not a lot of chicken stuff to add and running around like a chicken with my head cut off.

Did I just say that?!....

 

[ejb3810]

Ralphie. in my experience the Guineas do a great job hatching their own chicks. The problem is that they are not very good mothers, and Guinea keets are quite fragile. The nesting Guinea hens are vary susceptible to predators if allowed to free range, and I would agree that the nests are very difficult to find.
What I would suggest is to keep the Guineas penned and allow them to set a clutch of eggs in the pen. When the keets hatch catch them and put them in a brooder.

There used to be a lady that was on the Guinea thread regularly who was a wealth of information on them.
PeepsCA is her handle. I don't think you will find her there anymore. Either she got burned out with all the questions or moved on to Peafowl?
If you can find her for advice it would be worth the effort to investigate.

 

[KlopKlop]

My hens were enjoying sunbathing through the plastic of the covered yard today. they are definitely ready for a warmup!

 

[duluthralphie]

Ralphie. in my experience the Guineas do a great job hatching their own chicks. The problem is that they are not very good mothers, and Guinea keets are quite fragile. The nesting Guinea hens are vary susceptible to predators if allowed to free range, and I would agree that the nests are very difficult to find.
What I would suggest is to keep the Guineas penned and allow them to set a clutch of eggs in the pen. When the keets hatch catch them and put them in a brooder.

There used to be a lady that was on the Guinea thread regularly who was a wealth of information on them.
PeepsCA is her handle. I don't think you will find her there anymore. Either she got burned out with all the questions or moved on to Peafowl?
If you can find her for advice it would be worth the effort to investigate.

I will see what I can find on her or the guinea threads. I knew they were all bad mothers and most their young ended up dead. I did not know they were good hatchers. The problem I had last year even in the pen they would pile up tons of eggs and no one would sit on them. I had 11 hens last year and I would get 10 eggs a day, I would let them sit 4-5 days and no one would set on them. I do not think one guinea can cover 50 eggs.

I know in the foam incubators I hatched around 30%. Which was still more guineas than I needed. Also the BA hen hatched a nice mess too.


Thanks EJB and Jerry, I knew you two would have some info!

 

[Coffee 1st]

I will see what I can find on her or the guinea threads. I knew they were all bad mothers and most their young ended up dead. I did not know they were good hatchers. The problem I had last year even in the pen they would pile up tons of eggs and no one would sit on them. I had 11 hens last year and I would get 10 eggs a day, I would let them sit 4-5 days and no one would set on them. I do not think one guinea can cover 50 eggs.

I know in the foam incubators I hatched around 30%. Which was still more guineas than I needed. Also the BA hen hatched a nice mess too.


Thanks EJB and Jerry, I knew you two would have some info!

well I know someone that is more them willing to take a few..LOl

 

[ejb3810]

Ralphie, just in case you have not foundit a good source of info is Raising Guinea Fowl 101 on the Guinea thread.