WK #3

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

So remove the tape. I took out the extra water containers but didnt empty reservoir, is that ok?

Yes, water in the reservoir shouldn’t be in contact with keets so it’s fine. Tape can go if all eggs are hatched. Get it dark so they can dry off and rest without the more vigorous one pecking at them.

 

[Sydney65]

Yes, water in the reservoir shouldn’t be in contact with keets so it’s fine. Tape can go if all eggs are hatched. Get it dark so they can dry off and rest without the more vigorous one pecking at them.

 

[Sydney65]

Had been keeping birds segregated while Rosie is on the nest bc PJ developed a roving eye for Bella and was picking fights w/Nugget.
Nug and Bella were side by side in the garden 2 days ago; 20 minutes later I looked and saw Nug still calmly grazing, no Bella. It was if he realized this when I started calling her so he and I were both running to the places we knew she liked to go, calling.
I let PJ out and he did the same, running from one spot to the other. I beat down brush, went through corn, checked Rosie's nest. Nothing. No feathers. Nothing.
I keep praying she's gone broody somewhere and will be safe, but that seems unlikely, doesn't it, if the boys don't know where it is? Yet it seems like if a hawk or other had swooped down in the middle of the day, Nug would've noticed and sent out an alert rather than calmly grazing.
She had been laying in Rosie's nest before she was hit. After she was hit she refused to come out of coop for a few days, and then going into the corn. 13 days between being hit and going missing. Her back had healed and she had lovely soft down coming in.

I really didn't want to share any of that bc I feel like an abject failure. But it's the catalyst to the rest of the story.

I cont. Keeping the 2 males separate with the pop door closed between them at night. The 1st day after, Nugget resumed his search and calling. At some point he gave up; I found him settled in a few feet from Rosie, watching her intently. I finally had to physically pick him up to put him in coop that night bc he refused to move.
Meanwhile, PJ refused to come out of the coop,,even if I left the doors propped open.
I debated last night when I locked up about separating them. They were no longer air striking each other through the fence as the usually did. At the risk of sounding wishy washy - I swear they were depressed. So I took a chance and left the pop door open.
We had a horrible storm late last night, so I grabbed a flashlight and ran out to check on everyone. Rosie was still on the nest and the wind blowing the plants to the side created a canopy so she wasn't soaked.
Then I went to the coop,and there were my 2 boys, side by side on the roost,watching the light show out the window.
Today they're out marching the property together side by side.
Someone asked recently if her two males could live together peacefully alone. The common answer was no. But if there's no female to fight over & the alternative is to be alone, I think mb they can. We'll see, I guess. From when I know Rosie was nesting, she's got a few more weeks.

My hatchlings are 2 weeks and 3 days old today. Pretty sure they're all pearl gray. Not so sure they were Bella's as they are so much sturdier than the little Singleton was. If they are hers, then I think more than Pj's eyes were roaming.
I managed to nudge Rosie off the nest several days ago to go eat. To my knowledge she hasn't been off since. I read that they'll come off at night to eat, but that doesn't make sense if they can't see. In any event, I've dropped some celery in there for her and she's not touched it. The day she did come off I counted; she has 18 eggs. Should I force her off to go eat or leave her be?
I also have. 8 eggs now in the incubator. 4 I will move to lockdown this week. 2 have been in for 6 days, and 2 more added the day Bella went missing. 26 in all.
I need to get a pic of the 2 newest ones candled. I know, it's too soon. But if what I'm seeing is a yolk, it's about the size of a marble. Probably needs to be pitched but I didn't have the heart to do it yet.
Long post-curious if anyone reads what they think re guinea depression. I know a female will call out for a her missing mate. These 2 seemed to know their flock dynamic had imploded.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Had been keeping birds segregated while Rosie is on the nest bc PJ developed a roving eye for Bella and was picking fights w/Nugget.
Nug and Bella were side by side in the garden 2 days ago; 20 minutes later I looked and saw Nug still calmly grazing, no Bella. It was if he realized this when I started calling her so he and I were both running to the places we knew she liked to go, calling.
I let PJ out and he did the same, running from one spot to the other. I beat down brush, went through corn, checked Rosie's nest. Nothing. No feathers. Nothing.
I keep praying she's gone broody somewhere and will be safe, but that seems unlikely, doesn't it, if the boys don't know where it is? Yet it seems like if a hawk or other had swooped down in the middle of the day, Nug would've noticed and sent out an alert rather than calmly grazing.
She had been laying in Rosie's nest before she was hit. After she was hit she refused to come out of coop for a few days, and then going into the corn. 13 days between being hit and going missing. Her back had healed and she had lovely soft down coming in.

I really didn't want to share any of that bc I feel like an abject failure. But it's the catalyst to the rest of the story.

I cont. Keeping the 2 males separate with the pop door closed between them at night. The 1st day after, Nugget resumed his search and calling. At some point he gave up; I found him settled in a few feet from Rosie, watching her intently. I finally had to physically pick him up to put him in coop that night bc he refused to move.
Meanwhile, PJ refused to come out of the coop,,even if I left the doors propped open.
I debated last night when I locked up about separating them. They were no longer air striking each other through the fence as the usually did. At the risk of sounding wishy washy - I swear they were depressed. So I took a chance and left the pop door open.
We had a horrible storm late last night, so I grabbed a flashlight and ran out to check on everyone. Rosie was still on the nest and the wind blowing the plants to the side created a canopy so she wasn't soaked.
Then I went to the coop,and there were my 2 boys, side by side on the roost,watching the light show out the window.
Today they're out marching the property together side by side.
Someone asked recently if her two males could live together peacefully alone. The common answer was no. But if there's no female to fight over & the alternative is to be alone, I think mb they can. We'll see, I guess. From when I know Rosie was nesting, she's got a few more weeks.

My hatchlings are 2 weeks and 3 days old today. Pretty sure they're all pearl gray. Not so sure they were Bella's as they are so much sturdier than the little Singleton was. If they are hers, then I think more than Pj's eyes were roaming.
I managed to nudge Rosie off the nest several days ago to go eat. To my knowledge she hasn't been off since. I read that they'll come off at night to eat, but that doesn't make sense if they can't see. In any event, I've dropped some celery in there for her and she's not touched it. The day she did come off I counted; she has 18 eggs. Should I force her off to go eat or leave her be?
I also have. 8 eggs now in the incubator. 4 I will move to lockdown this week. 2 have been in for 6 days, and 2 more added the day Bella went missing. 26 in all.
I need to get a pic of the 2 newest ones candled. I know, it's too soon. But if what I'm seeing is a yolk, it's about the size of a marble. Probably needs to be pitched but I didn't have the heart to do it yet.
Long post-curious if anyone reads what they think re guinea depression. I know a female will call out for a her missing mate. These 2 seemed to know their flock dynamic had imploded.

Wow, I do hope you see Bella again! My guys know when their girl is broody and don’t fuss about them being gone. I also see my broody girls off the nest twice per day, usually morning and afternoon. I’m not sure why you aren’t see Rosie off. If Bella was silently taken during the day, then you have an ambush predator, like a fox or bobcat.

 

[Sydney65]

Wow, I do hope you see Bella again! My guys know when their girl is broody and don’t fuss about them being gone. I also see my broody girls off the nest twice per day, usually morning and afternoon. I’m not sure why you aren’t see Rosie off. If Bella was silently taken during the day, then you have an ambush predator, like a fox or bobcat.

1000 bobcats in the state but primarily in the southern part. Every once in awhile there will be a rumor, but never caught on film or otherwise.
Fox - A farmer down the road complained about foxes killing his chickens 20+ yrs ago. Around that time, I saw the 1st and only one I've ever seen; she took up residence in an abandoned barn down the road to have her kits & we saw them out playing every day until same farmer called DNR. There's been so much housing development out here that we hardly even hear coyotes anymore. But - it's a corn year, that would make traveling incognito easy. A fox could do a grab w/o leaving feathers?
And if they're hungry, why don't they eat the 50 rabbits living in our yard?!
Speaking of displacement - there've been black bear sightings last week; one about 2 hrs from here in Southern Indiana, the other near Springfield, Ill.

 

[Sydney65]

Came back to my little corner for this bc - I'm beginning to understand how Mother Goose Fairy Tales came about. If you don't have a sense of humor, just keep scrolling.
The setting:
5 keets slipped out the door tonight. The adults were already out. They all wandered around together for awhile, but then the adults went in, leaving the keets out alone. I was able to catch one, leaving 4 chirping their little heads off.
CONVERSATION WITH THE GUINEAS :
"Rosie, come out here and get your keets!" Rosie looks at me, looks down at the winged mice scurrying at her feet, looks at me again, "Nah, I'm good."
"PJ, come out here and get your keets!" PJ comes out, gets 2, and goes back inside.
"Nuggie, go get those other two keets." Nugget looks at me, looks at the weeds, looks at me, "but they aren't mine," he says.
"Have you considered that they ARE yours and that's why she's so willing to dump them?"
Nuggie walks over, collects the 2 keets, and goes inside.
Narration ad libbed, event totally true.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Came back to my little corner for this bc - I'm beginning to understand how Mother Goose Fairy Tales came about. If you don't have a sense of humor, just keep scrolling.
The setting:
5 keets slipped out the door tonight. The adults were already out. They all wandered around together for awhile, but then the adults went in, leaving the keets out alone. I was able to catch one, leaving 4 chirping their little heads off.
CONVERSATION WITH THE GUINEAS :
"Rosie, come out here and get your keets!" Rosie looks at me, looks down at the winged mice scurrying at her feet, looks at me again, "Nah, I'm good."
"PJ, come out here and get your keets!" PJ comes out, gets 2, and goes back inside.
"Nuggie, go get those other two keets." Nugget looks at me, looks at the weeds, looks at me, "but they aren't mine," he says.
"Have you considered that they ARE yours and that's why she's so willing to dump them?"
Nuggie walks over, collects the 2 keets, and goes inside.
Narration ad libbed, event totally true.

That’s precious!!! My guinea conversation today was more banal… Speaking to Violet and Welch who are nesting in the coop: “You two have too many eggs, and I need to replace them with the expensive eggs. Why don’t you get off the nest for awhile so I can make sure they aren’t about to hatch?” Violet says “Okay, I hate you and I’m out of here!”. Welch calls to her mate, Hamlet, “Come protect me from this evil egg thief!” Hamlet (one of my faves) says to me, “You aren’t an egg stealer! You are the very nice treat lady! You would never steal my mate’s eggs!” I leave quietly in defeat, grumbling about how it’s maybe best not to put the expensive eggs out in this heat wave…

Pics are of Welch and baby Hamlet last summer, then one of them this year.

 

[Sydney65]

That’s precious!!! My guinea conversation today was more banal… Speaking to Violet and Welch who are nesting in the coop: “You two have too many eggs, and I need to replace them with the expensive eggs. Why don’t you get off the nest for awhile so I can make sure they aren’t about to hatch?” Violet says “Okay, I hate you and I’m out of here!”. Welch calls to her mate, Hamlet, “Come protect me from this evil egg thief!” Hamlet (one of my faves) says to me, “You aren’t an egg stealer! You are the very nice treat lady! You would never steal my mate’s eggs!” I leave quietly in defeat, grumbling about how it’s maybe best not to put the expensive eggs out in this heat wave…

Pics are of Welch and baby Hamlet last summer, then one of them this year.

Lol..PJ pranced around the patio the 1st cpl of weeks and then lost interest & Nug took guard. But they both escorted her when she came off the nest, so I had time to count & even candle one.
Now that they're here- no idea if they're the same ones each time, but the males do always have 3 or 4 each that stay w/them.
You had mentioned 21 being too many for one hen; at first they were all tucked in under her,they are using the brooder I turned on it's side. But now I see he's going in w/her and sharing the load at night. Nug doesn't participate in that, but he is very protective of of them.
I think if someone did more research on them, they'd find out there's a lot going on inside that little brain. I replayed videos of them the day she had the keets in the field hoping she might call herself back. Nug was frantic running from her to me and back again like Lassie (Timmy's in the well! -make her come back!!).
Anyway, when he heard the video, it was kind of heart breaking when he heard Blue and Bella. He jumped behind me to look in the door to see if they were inside, raced around the yard calling, yapped at me. He finally just sat down making quiet chirps. Himself looked at him and said, "sure, you ran his a** off til he died and NOW you miss him?"