Keets progress

Of the 32 guinea fowl eggs which were shared in the corner of the chicken pen, 12 hatched on 31st August. This was a slightly disappointing number, especially as at least another dozen had fully grown chicks inside. I don't know what happened there.















But life as a keet (that's a guinea fowl chick) is tough. Within the first week they were down to ten and then, just when I thought that the weakest had succumbed, I went down one morning and could find only 8. I later found one dead under an apple tree.
I don't know if it's just coincidence, but the same day I unearthed, under the biggest chicken house, a nest of young rats. They did actually look rather cute, but no mercy was shown! I have also raised the house up onto tyres. If the space underneath is big enough, the rats won't burrow under and feel safe.


A cute nest of ratlets.



But the guinea fowl saga has dragged on and on. Not quite sure when they started sitting, as we were away on honeymoon, we had almost given up hope on any hatching from either of the other two nests. But then on Saturday a fluffy little chick appeared next to G'nea, G'nea, the original mother of all guinea fowl who had devotedly sat on a wonderfully concealed nest further down the land.



3 very little keets. Look how much smaller they are than the one from the first hatch.

We left her undisturbed and I expected that, by Sunday evening, she would be attending to a small tribe of keets. But yesterday morning Sue came to tell me that she had moved back to the chicken enclosure, but with only three babies. This was very disappointing, especially as I had actually sold half a dozen keets and was hoping to be able to take three from each brood.




Sue retrieved the rest of the eggs and tried putting them under the third sitting guinea fowl. She also found one alive, half-hatched. She placed that under the girl too, but she showed no maternal instincts towards it and by this morning it had slipped away. however, when she stood up she had another chick underneath her, so I am now waiting with bated breath to see if any others hatch.

Meanwhile, down in the chicken enclosure, all the new youngsters are getting to know each other.





Elvis with her latest family.

ed  Intriguingly tonight, there are nine guinea fowl roosting up on the fence. This only leaves two adults for three broods! My guess is that the three very young keets have been adopted by the hen who has brought up the other eight. Either that, or the weasel who has appeared on the farm (and is most welcome) has had them, but I doubt it as all three were fit and healthy a couple of hours before dusk.

double ed   All three still there this morning, plus four new keets from the third nest!

Weasel Juice is Pungent

Wednesday 26th September 2012

Weasel Juice is Pungent
I must mention something that's just this very moment happened.
Every now and then I hear a familiar high pitched squeak to announce that Gerry has brought in a vole. Occasionally it's more of a squeal (rabbit).
Well, I was just disturbed from my computer by the most ear-splitting screeching. For one awful moment I had visions of a rat on the loose in the house. But no, Gerry had again caught himself a weasel! At least his third.
I'd rather he didn't, but as I've said before Gerry is needed on the farm for rodent control and I can't exactly teach him to only catch certain species. As long as he doesn't catch too many, the weasel population will probably end up just the same anyway.
Fortunately this time I managed to chase Gerry out of the house and make him drop the young weasel, which bounced around confused for a couple of seconds before heading for cover. I returned to a VERY smelly house - reminded me of when the woman at the table top sale had a ferret with her, except even more pungent.

Fourteen Keets

Thursday 6th September 2012
This morning I flushed a Snipe from the dyke.
A good start to the day.

Yesterday morning a weasel bounced across my path as I walked back from letting the chickens out. This was a most welcome sight as we've not seen one for quite a few months, not since Gerry caught one. But it was also slightly worrying news for the keets. Although the guineas defend their young robustly, they can't keep an eye on all of them all the time and the weasel is a pretty nippy little fellow.


When I returned yesterday, Sue told me she could only count fourteen keets. Whether this was down to the weasel or not, I don't know. I suspect not. It was only the other day that one became separated from the rest of its family and would surely have perished had I not heard it in the long grass of the orchard and reunited it.
















If it was indeed the weasel which took one of the keets I reckon it will return, so I've made the decision that if numbers go down much further we will be back to indoor rearing for a while.
As it is, fourteen is still a very good sized family to have survived this long.

They now spend much of their time in the chicken pen. They have joined the trribe of lder chickens, but the younger chickens are still driven off with vigour. In the evening the keets go through the fence to their separate house and Lady Guinea hops over to join them. G'nea G'nea roosts on the fence as lookout.

Meanwhile, I have put ten eggs under Elvis, which she has now been on for three days. Let's hope she gets to be a mother this time and that she has ten hens.