Guinea Keets!

Yesterday I went to the Farmer's Market and came home with 19 keets!!!

Yeah, guinea keets!

Here are some photos.

I got 6 light, 6 dark, and 7 mixed.

I kinda like the mixed color, I've never had that color guinea before.

The keets are locked up in the "infirmary/baby coop", which is separate from all the chickens and adult guineas.  Too bad we don't have a broody hen to raise them for us. 

 

I brought the chicken hen named "Mama Charlotte" in to see the keets, thinking maybe she'd want to be a mama all of a sudden.  I guess I was just hoping.  Charlotte was very interested, but that was about it.  She didn't miraculously get all broody or anything.  I didn't let her get within pecking distance, as I didn't want any keets injured.

The keets were very hot when we came home.  I gave them food and water, they each drank and ate until they couldn't stand up, then they all took a group nap. 

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On a sad note, the adult guinea hen named "Broken Guinea" was killed by a fox in our front yard yesterday morning.  I hate that the foxes hunt just feet from my front door in daylight.

Randy followed the trail of feathers into the woods and found Broken Guinea's remains.  She was killed this time.  She escaped the fox jaws twice before, but not this time.  Before she died she laid an egg.  Often before a bird dies they lay their last egg.  So sad.

The remaining adult guineas have been very shy, afraid to venture far.  I contemplated giving up on the guinea flock, not getting anymore, but Randy insists he's getting the foxes under control, little by little.  I fear for the keets, but they have a long time before they are released out of their coop.

I will not be able to post anymore photos of the keets until next week, as I will be out of town this week.  I will miss them while I'm gone!