Where oh where have my 5 Guineas gone?

[SilkieLegs]

My 7-yr-old son has, nay, had 14 guineas. They were raised in the house, placed in the coop at 12 weeks, and after another 4 weeks in the coop allowed free-range around the house. At first we chased them back into the run. If we didn't catch each and put inside the coop, they all huddled on the ground under the coop. Never could get them to go in for the night by themselves. Then one night we were too late. They had jumped to the coop roof and up into the pecan tree overhead. That has been their nightly roost.
Last weekend we went out of town leaving plenty of food and water. When we returned there were only 9. (Not exactly the kind of math problem you want a 2nd grader to figure out, but oh well). Predators are a possibility, but no sign of foul play. Any chance they have eggs somewhere and got broody.... all 5 of them, in November?

 

[Hotcookie]

Oh man, sorry to hear the bad news. If I had to guess, I'd probably answer your question with a "no"......I doubt all 5 went broody the same time. Guineas have terrible night vision, and are very susceptible to predators that appear at night.......owls, coons, etc. Just a suggestion if you ever hatch out more keets.....you might want to keep them inside their coop for a couple more weeks before letting them out to free range - more like 6 weeks rather than 4. They seem to remember where to return to at night easier, the longer they're originally confined. Good luck with the rest of your flock!

 

[SilkieLegs]

Thank you for the comments. I won't feel guilty if I don't go check every nook and granny around the barn yard. I'll also take your advice on copping them longer. Thanks

 

[PioneerPrincess]

Oh man, sorry to hear the bad news. If I had to guess, I'd probably answer your question with a "no"......I doubt all 5 went broody the same time. Guineas have terrible night vision, and are very susceptible to predators that appear at night.......owls, coons, etc. Just a suggestion if you ever hatch out more keets.....you might want to keep them inside their coop for a couple more weeks before letting them out to free range - more like 6 weeks rather than 4. They seem to remember where to return to at night easier, the longer they're originally confined. Good luck with the rest of your flock!

I agree. Sorry to hear you lost five. I reckon some sort of bird- of-prey took your guineas; they don't seem to leave as much of a mess as a bobcat would. I moved my younger guineas to a different coop about a month ago. I'm sure that if I let them out now, they wouldn't know where to lock themselves up at night. Guineas are just like that. : )