Think I'm going to order some guinea keets--questions

[Raen]

Update: We never got around to ordering keets, and just got too busy and...well, it didn't happen. But yesterday, there were five, one year old lavender guineas on CL just a few miles away from me for the low, low price of $35 for the whole flock so I snapped them up, and now we have guineas! They're so pretty, except for their silly heads!

Thus begins their six week of being cooped, but the coop is pretty big, about 8x12, so they should be pretty comfortable. The amount of ticks we attracted while making the coop secure last night was enough to know that the new birds are desperately needed. Thanks for the advice, everyone.

 

[PeepsCA]

Yay!! Congrats! Nice price!!
I agree, Lavenders are pretty birds

Their ugly heads grow on you and will seem normal, eventually, lol.

Post some pics if you can.

 

[JLeigh]

yea! Five guineas! That's great. In the end, you won't really care what color they are - - you'll love them all. They're quirky little critters.

 

[Raen]

Sorry, no pics yet. I'm a bit embarrassed about my coop; it came with the new house and it's...not pretty. Getting it looking good is low priority, after getting the electrical and pluming systems working in the house, which is also very not-pretty just now.

The guineas, however, are great. They're quiet as church mice, so far, and laying eggs like crazy, kind of randomly on the coop floor. I think one is broody. Should I gather the eggs into a pile for her, or make a box, or what? The previous owner said they wouldn't lay in nesting boxes, so I didn't bother. I could put an appropriately-sized cardboard box on the ground, though, if they'd use it.

 

[PeepsCA]

You could try putting a box in the coop with some straw in it and moving all the eggs into it... but Guineas hate change/new things (and may run to the other side of the coop and stay as far away from the box as they can, lol). But you may have better luck with getting one of them to go broody on the eggs if you just push all the eggs into a pile in the corner. It may or may not work tho... Guineas are very fussy about nesting and going broody, it usually has to be THEIR idea or forget it. I would mark all the eggs you move with a pencil or sharpie and keep track of the date you do this, so that if a Hen does eventually go broody on the pile (that new eggs will probably be added to and may grow into a huge pile), you will know which eggs are too old to hatch and which eggs are fresh. If they do start using the pile for a nesting spot, the less you mess with the eggs/nest the better... some Hens will abandon their eggs if they are bothered too much.

 

[Raen]

OK, thanks. I think I'll just leave them alone (except to give them treats) right now. I'm sure the move was stressful, and they can just acclimate for a while.

 

[Cynth]

OK, thanks. I think I'll just leave them alone (except to give them treats) right now. I'm sure the move was stressful, and they can just acclimate for a while.

How are your guineas doing? I wanted to say raising mealworms is the easiest thing on the planet!!! How is your coop? I live in Lyman and ordered 15 keets from a local guy who orders cheap. Next year I will sell guineas.