Post by Lannie on Aug 2, 2008 19:08:18 GMT -5
I am SO exhausted! I remember when my mama hen went broody back in February and hatched out two little chicks, and I said then, "Heck! This is too easy! I'm gonna let the mamas do it by themselves from now on so I don't have to do anything!" HA!
I've worked harder, walked more miles, and stressed out more in the last 4 days than I have in the last year. First check this mama and make sure her babies are OK. Then check THIS mama. Oh, where IS that mama? Over there? Oh, OK, (march, march, march) OK, they're fine, now how about THAT mama? (More marching ensues.)
So today, I dragged myself out of the house (it's 94 and the humidity is sitting on 50%) to go check the Brahma mama with the keets because she's been losing them lately, and I have to find them by their yelling and rescue them. As I went out the door, I heard the guineas start quacking loudly so I immediately thought "fox" and ran back in for the .22 pistol. I got out to the corral and I could hear loud peeping everywhere, CHEEP! CHEEP! CHEEP! CHEEP! The guineas were all in a dither and I realized the mama guinea had gone into the chicken run with only some of her babies. The rest were still outside and there was chicken wire between them.
I learned something important today. No matter how much you think you can do it, DO NOT get between a mother guinea and her baby. But me being the stupid and stubborn person that I am, did anyway. First I tried shooshing the mama guinea out of the run, but that wasn't happening. She tried to take my face off. Fortunately, I ducked just in time, and she just got some of my hair. Yikes! Then I tried un-sticking the two babies that were half-in and half-out of the chicken wire. One I pushed through (ducking immediately afterward - here comes mama again), and the other I went around to the outside and pulled through. There was another baby over by the water trough, and another over by the garden fence, the roosters were flapping and running and quacking, trying (I think) to round up the babies, and the babies were going everywhere!
Finally, mama guinea got back out the door and ran over by the garden fence, screaming at the top of her lungs for her babies. Just about then, I wondered where the Brahma hen was with her 3 keets. Then I thought, "Oh, NO! The mama guinea raided the coop and stole the hen's babies!" I could hear the hen clucking in the barn, so I ducked in there real fast and saw she had only one baby, but it was sticking right with her, so I went back to see if I could see how many the mama guinea had. (At this point, I actually would have been relieved if the guinea had stolen all 3 of the hen's keets because the hen isn't doing such a hot job, I have to admit.) As I got closer to where the guineas and their babies were, mama guinea flew at my face again and luckily missed me. She was doing about 60 when she passed me.
About this time, all the guinea's babies ducked through the chicken wire (it's a larger loop) that runs around the garden, so now they're in the garden, under the lilac hedge, and mama is outside. You should have HEARD her! I'm not sure my hearing is back to normal even yet. By then, Rich was out there wanting to know what in the Sam Hill was going on (like I could stop and tell him), and over the maniacal screeching of the guinea hen, I hear "CHEEP! CHEEP! CHEEP!" again, only from the wrong direction. There's someone still in the chicken run.
I ran back in there, and sure enough, two little keets huddled down against the wall of the coop in the tall weeds. I grabbed one, but the other one was too fast to grab with only one hand, so I yelled for Rich to hold the one keet while I went after the other one. I handed the keet off to him, turned around and WHAM! Mama guinea! She didn't do any physical damage, but she scared the crap out of me! I was yelling at her, she was screaming at me, and Rich was probably laughing, but I was otherwise occupied so I didn't notice. I yelled at Rich to get that damblasted bird OFF of me, and he swiped at her and she ran back out of the run. I then got hold of the other baby, and then for a minute I considered just setting them down in the corral and letting the mama guinea have them, even though they belonged to the absent-minded hen. I almost did it. But then I changed my mind and took them in the barn and gave them back to the hen.
So the hen had her babies safe and sound, and the 3 guineas were running up and down the garden fence screeching for their babies, and I looked at Rich (he can sometimes read my mind) and he said, "NO. Just GO IN THE HOUSE. The guineas will take care of themselves." So we went in the house and I tried to relax a little and cool off. When I went out about half an hour later, the guineas and all 6 of their correct babies were peeping and pecking out in the orchard, so all was well.
And I thought going and checking a brooder a few times a day was "hard work!" LOLOL!
I told Rich the only thing that would make this day any better would be if Bandit were to suddenly go into labor. Then he could just take me to the hospital. You know, the one with the padded walls.
~Lannie
I've worked harder, walked more miles, and stressed out more in the last 4 days than I have in the last year. First check this mama and make sure her babies are OK. Then check THIS mama. Oh, where IS that mama? Over there? Oh, OK, (march, march, march) OK, they're fine, now how about THAT mama? (More marching ensues.)
So today, I dragged myself out of the house (it's 94 and the humidity is sitting on 50%) to go check the Brahma mama with the keets because she's been losing them lately, and I have to find them by their yelling and rescue them. As I went out the door, I heard the guineas start quacking loudly so I immediately thought "fox" and ran back in for the .22 pistol. I got out to the corral and I could hear loud peeping everywhere, CHEEP! CHEEP! CHEEP! CHEEP! The guineas were all in a dither and I realized the mama guinea had gone into the chicken run with only some of her babies. The rest were still outside and there was chicken wire between them.
I learned something important today. No matter how much you think you can do it, DO NOT get between a mother guinea and her baby. But me being the stupid and stubborn person that I am, did anyway. First I tried shooshing the mama guinea out of the run, but that wasn't happening. She tried to take my face off. Fortunately, I ducked just in time, and she just got some of my hair. Yikes! Then I tried un-sticking the two babies that were half-in and half-out of the chicken wire. One I pushed through (ducking immediately afterward - here comes mama again), and the other I went around to the outside and pulled through. There was another baby over by the water trough, and another over by the garden fence, the roosters were flapping and running and quacking, trying (I think) to round up the babies, and the babies were going everywhere!
Finally, mama guinea got back out the door and ran over by the garden fence, screaming at the top of her lungs for her babies. Just about then, I wondered where the Brahma hen was with her 3 keets. Then I thought, "Oh, NO! The mama guinea raided the coop and stole the hen's babies!" I could hear the hen clucking in the barn, so I ducked in there real fast and saw she had only one baby, but it was sticking right with her, so I went back to see if I could see how many the mama guinea had. (At this point, I actually would have been relieved if the guinea had stolen all 3 of the hen's keets because the hen isn't doing such a hot job, I have to admit.) As I got closer to where the guineas and their babies were, mama guinea flew at my face again and luckily missed me. She was doing about 60 when she passed me.
About this time, all the guinea's babies ducked through the chicken wire (it's a larger loop) that runs around the garden, so now they're in the garden, under the lilac hedge, and mama is outside. You should have HEARD her! I'm not sure my hearing is back to normal even yet. By then, Rich was out there wanting to know what in the Sam Hill was going on (like I could stop and tell him), and over the maniacal screeching of the guinea hen, I hear "CHEEP! CHEEP! CHEEP!" again, only from the wrong direction. There's someone still in the chicken run.
I ran back in there, and sure enough, two little keets huddled down against the wall of the coop in the tall weeds. I grabbed one, but the other one was too fast to grab with only one hand, so I yelled for Rich to hold the one keet while I went after the other one. I handed the keet off to him, turned around and WHAM! Mama guinea! She didn't do any physical damage, but she scared the crap out of me! I was yelling at her, she was screaming at me, and Rich was probably laughing, but I was otherwise occupied so I didn't notice. I yelled at Rich to get that damblasted bird OFF of me, and he swiped at her and she ran back out of the run. I then got hold of the other baby, and then for a minute I considered just setting them down in the corral and letting the mama guinea have them, even though they belonged to the absent-minded hen. I almost did it. But then I changed my mind and took them in the barn and gave them back to the hen.
So the hen had her babies safe and sound, and the 3 guineas were running up and down the garden fence screeching for their babies, and I looked at Rich (he can sometimes read my mind) and he said, "NO. Just GO IN THE HOUSE. The guineas will take care of themselves." So we went in the house and I tried to relax a little and cool off. When I went out about half an hour later, the guineas and all 6 of their correct babies were peeping and pecking out in the orchard, so all was well.
And I thought going and checking a brooder a few times a day was "hard work!" LOLOL!
I told Rich the only thing that would make this day any better would be if Bandit were to suddenly go into labor. Then he could just take me to the hospital. You know, the one with the padded walls.
~Lannie