Over the weekend my able and willing assistant Kerrie and I worked on the nursery which is located outdoors, in the wood/storage shed. The storage portion is turning into the Guinea Coop, with a seperate area for the youngsters. I'll post before/during/after pictures when it's done.
For now, so they don't feel so cramped, I'm taking the top off the box nursery (when I'm home) so they can fly up to the edge or onto the wood perch I've put across the top (the same perch they freaked over just a week or so ago). They like it so much they can even get a few naps in.
It takes a while for them to all get on that perch though. For some reason one always wants to be the meat in the sandwich, which inevitably causes two or three others to get knocked down in the process. Good thing they don't have far to fall!
I've been training them so they know where their "safe zone" is -- the rim of the box is fine, the perch is fine, inside the box is fine. Anything else and they get admonished, grabbed, and put back inside. I think they are getting it -- they don't seem to have a desire to go exploring as long as I'm leaving them alone.
2004/08/30
2004/08/27
Week 3
Don't blink... they're changing before your (and my) eyes! Same bird as before (0111 -- Y.T), at week 3:
And here's 0010 (Kittywhee). Her colors are coming in better than the others':
They'll have to get their full plumage before we really know what they'll look like. Underneath the feathers is something new and interesting: the skin is turning purple!
And here's 0010 (Kittywhee). Her colors are coming in better than the others':
They'll have to get their full plumage before we really know what they'll look like. Underneath the feathers is something new and interesting: the skin is turning purple!
2004/08/26
What has happened to my babies?!
They are growing up, that's what has happened!
It's hard to believe that nearly 3 weeks ago these were in eggs no bigger than about 2/3 the size of an AA Jumbo Chicken egg.
Their feathers are covering nearly their entire bodies now -- all but the neck and head -- and they are getting a greyish-brown striped coloring. Their beaks are longer and more pointed too.
The other day I was playing with 0111 ("y.t.") in the middle of the room, and she hopped into the air and flew back into the coop... an 8 foot flight about 3 feet off the ground. Wasn't it less than a week ago that they were just barely jumping up to the top of the coop wall?!
They sleep differently too... while the do cuddle up still, they now tuck their heads back upon themselves into their back. Not all do this, but it's a recent change in behaviour.
Looks like they are learning to tell each other who's boss (establishing pecking order). I just saw 1000 ("Rotisserie") get pecked out of his/her favorite corner by a roommate.
The thermometer I had taped up against the wall has finally been beaten into submission -- the wire holding it on was bent and the glass tubing was off in the corner in the coop. Seems they peck at anything red.
It's hard to believe that nearly 3 weeks ago these were in eggs no bigger than about 2/3 the size of an AA Jumbo Chicken egg.
Their feathers are covering nearly their entire bodies now -- all but the neck and head -- and they are getting a greyish-brown striped coloring. Their beaks are longer and more pointed too.
The other day I was playing with 0111 ("y.t.") in the middle of the room, and she hopped into the air and flew back into the coop... an 8 foot flight about 3 feet off the ground. Wasn't it less than a week ago that they were just barely jumping up to the top of the coop wall?!
They sleep differently too... while the do cuddle up still, they now tuck their heads back upon themselves into their back. Not all do this, but it's a recent change in behaviour.
Looks like they are learning to tell each other who's boss (establishing pecking order). I just saw 1000 ("Rotisserie") get pecked out of his/her favorite corner by a roommate.
The thermometer I had taped up against the wall has finally been beaten into submission -- the wire holding it on was bent and the glass tubing was off in the corner in the coop. Seems they peck at anything red.
2004/08/23
Lockdown
Over the weekend the keets flew up to the top edge of the box and perched for a moment before going back inside. It's a 24" high jump/flight. Their reward is not a gold medal, but chicken wire over the top.
The feathers are coming in all over their body now. The order they appear is something like: wings, tail, back, and shoulder. Their heads and necks are still baby-like.
Yesterday I thought I'd give them a nice natural perch on which to stand, because the teddy bear is just too crowded now. Their reaction was something like bloody murder, or as though they were about to be put on the butcher block. They flew into walls, into the water container, into each other. There was dust, food, and feathers flying all over the place. And the noise, Oy Vey! After the initial scattering, they piled into the corner farthest from the wood, and I mean piled: they were jumping all over each other trying to get as far away and hidden as possible from this big, mean, bad stick.
So I pulled the stick out... and got a much, much smaller one. Oddly enough, same reaction! But not quite as much bumping and flying and so on. Just the piling into the corner. My friend Kerrie and I pulled two out, thinking that would help calm the near panic state. Those two in our hands didn't calm down much, but the main group did get a bit better -- they stopped piling onto each other, but sat in a corner where the stick couldn't see them. We put the two others back in, and that situation didn't change for around an hour. Slowly they went back to their usual routine, but sheesh, because of a stick?!
The feathers are coming in all over their body now. The order they appear is something like: wings, tail, back, and shoulder. Their heads and necks are still baby-like.
Yesterday I thought I'd give them a nice natural perch on which to stand, because the teddy bear is just too crowded now. Their reaction was something like bloody murder, or as though they were about to be put on the butcher block. They flew into walls, into the water container, into each other. There was dust, food, and feathers flying all over the place. And the noise, Oy Vey! After the initial scattering, they piled into the corner farthest from the wood, and I mean piled: they were jumping all over each other trying to get as far away and hidden as possible from this big, mean, bad stick.
So I pulled the stick out... and got a much, much smaller one. Oddly enough, same reaction! But not quite as much bumping and flying and so on. Just the piling into the corner. My friend Kerrie and I pulled two out, thinking that would help calm the near panic state. Those two in our hands didn't calm down much, but the main group did get a bit better -- they stopped piling onto each other, but sat in a corner where the stick couldn't see them. We put the two others back in, and that situation didn't change for around an hour. Slowly they went back to their usual routine, but sheesh, because of a stick?!
2004/08/19
Statistics
I did the egg postmortem tonight. Never again. Those eggs were pretty ripe. The local racoon clan will love them though.
As you know, we had 9 out of 36 hatch. Of those 27 that did not hatch, 12 had partially formed keets. That leaves 15 infertile. Something is not right here; there should've been only about 4 infertile eggs (90% expected hatch rate).
Here's a demonstration of the keet's growth rate. In this first picture you see a wing with about 1/2" of feather growth. It was taken exactly one week ago:
Today is the same bird, but with feathers about 3" long:
For the metrically inclined, that's about 1 cm. feather growth per day. I am not giving them steroids, I swear.
The fingernail polish I had been using keeps rubbing off, so I'm now using zip ties with the binary encoding painted on. Here's 0101 (Ptitsa):
As you know, we had 9 out of 36 hatch. Of those 27 that did not hatch, 12 had partially formed keets. That leaves 15 infertile. Something is not right here; there should've been only about 4 infertile eggs (90% expected hatch rate).
Here's a demonstration of the keet's growth rate. In this first picture you see a wing with about 1/2" of feather growth. It was taken exactly one week ago:
Today is the same bird, but with feathers about 3" long:
For the metrically inclined, that's about 1 cm. feather growth per day. I am not giving them steroids, I swear.
The fingernail polish I had been using keeps rubbing off, so I'm now using zip ties with the binary encoding painted on. Here's 0101 (Ptitsa):
2004/08/17
They're plotting their escape
I woke up late last night to a lot of chirping and other strange noises so I had to see what was bugging them.
I found 0101 in the corner, with all his buddies piled around, jumping straight up the wall, as high as 16". The chirping was from the others when it would come down on top of them. But they seemed more interested in what 0101 was doing than being landed on, so it made for an odd scene.
It was quite determined. I tried breaking them up, but they were all piling in the corner, even when I pushed them away. Normally when "The Hand" appears they scatter. Hmm. At least it made it easy to catch them.
As you recall earlier, three days ago they had just learned to jump to the top of the teddy bear, about 12". In just 3 days they've added 6" to their height. Perhaps they are all excited about the Olympics.
I found 0101 in the corner, with all his buddies piled around, jumping straight up the wall, as high as 16". The chirping was from the others when it would come down on top of them. But they seemed more interested in what 0101 was doing than being landed on, so it made for an odd scene.
It was quite determined. I tried breaking them up, but they were all piling in the corner, even when I pushed them away. Normally when "The Hand" appears they scatter. Hmm. At least it made it easy to catch them.
As you recall earlier, three days ago they had just learned to jump to the top of the teddy bear, about 12". In just 3 days they've added 6" to their height. Perhaps they are all excited about the Olympics.
2004/08/15
New digs
I built a new keet kondo yesterday, and not a day too soon. The keets have learned to jump to the top of the teddy bear's head. The old box was only 4" above the head, so the keets would surely have escaped. Here's the new house, with the old house inside for comparison purposes:
Dozing on the favorite spot:
Dozing on the favorite spot:
2004/08/14
Changing so fast
Yesterday they were leaping into the air and flapping what would barely be called wings. I took a picture of a wing, with its new growth, and just one day later the picture is obsolete. The feathers are growing in so fast it's amazing.
Numbers 0001 and 0100 (still unnamed by the sponsors!) have become lords of their domain by perching on the teddy bear's arm; the rest look up at them in awe... then peck them until they come down. My friend Kerrie and I are betting that they'll learn to escape the nursery sometime this coming Sunday. That is, unless I build a new nursery.
Each day something in their behaviour changes. I'm noticing now that they sleep for longer periods (up to 10 minutes instead of 2 minute) and conversely stay awake for longer periods.
They are as messy as ever. I filled the feeder tonight and it was mostly emptied onto the nursery floor in only 4 hours. A few scratch it out of the feeder, one or two scratch it from the floor to the rest of the nursery, and the others peck at the bits that land in front of them.
There are no more spiders in the house, nor on my deck, nor in the front yard. I've been a good parent.
One remains unclaimed -- 0110. S/he is one of the more vocal and larger keets. It's particularly resistant to being held. Someone adopt it and give it a name!
Numbers 0001 and 0100 (still unnamed by the sponsors!) have become lords of their domain by perching on the teddy bear's arm; the rest look up at them in awe... then peck them until they come down. My friend Kerrie and I are betting that they'll learn to escape the nursery sometime this coming Sunday. That is, unless I build a new nursery.
Each day something in their behaviour changes. I'm noticing now that they sleep for longer periods (up to 10 minutes instead of 2 minute) and conversely stay awake for longer periods.
They are as messy as ever. I filled the feeder tonight and it was mostly emptied onto the nursery floor in only 4 hours. A few scratch it out of the feeder, one or two scratch it from the floor to the rest of the nursery, and the others peck at the bits that land in front of them.
There are no more spiders in the house, nor on my deck, nor in the front yard. I've been a good parent.
One remains unclaimed -- 0110. S/he is one of the more vocal and larger keets. It's particularly resistant to being held. Someone adopt it and give it a name!
2004/08/12
They can fly... a bit
The new trick of the day is similar to the day before: to run quickly across the nursery, but with an added twist -- a jump into the air, with a bit of wing flapping. On top of that, or rather, on the tip of that, are feathers growing in on their wings!
I might have to take the teddy bear out temporarily -- I caught one jumping up to the second floor (the arm), which is within easy hopping distance to the wilds of the living room.
They have become more wild too, as I'm not able to handle them as much as over the weekend. Seems like there's a sort of group panic -- when one runs, they all run, even though there is no threat.
Daytime handlers needed! Contact me if interested.
I might have to take the teddy bear out temporarily -- I caught one jumping up to the second floor (the arm), which is within easy hopping distance to the wilds of the living room.
They have become more wild too, as I'm not able to handle them as much as over the weekend. Seems like there's a sort of group panic -- when one runs, they all run, even though there is no threat.
Daytime handlers needed! Contact me if interested.
2004/08/10
Pictures!
You're looking at a Hovabator incubator with optional egg turner. It maintains the temp at 99.5 degrees and circulates air with a fan. It's completely hands-off, other than filling it with water to maintain the correct humidity.
Here is 0001 after just hatching:
0001 and 0010 in the nursery:
The whole pack:
Obligatory "Awwww, cute" picture:
The keet on the right, draped over the teddy bear's leg, is actually sleeping. They fight over this spot, I swear.
Keet's-eye view of the nursery.
This morning I filled the feed bottle; this evening I found nearly the entire contents spread out on the floor of the nursery. Looks like they've discovered how to play with their food. I'll have to teach them some table manners.
Here is 0001 after just hatching:
0001 and 0010 in the nursery:
The whole pack:
Obligatory "Awwww, cute" picture:
The keet on the right, draped over the teddy bear's leg, is actually sleeping. They fight over this spot, I swear.
Keet's-eye view of the nursery.
This morning I filled the feed bottle; this evening I found nearly the entire contents spread out on the floor of the nursery. Looks like they've discovered how to play with their food. I'll have to teach them some table manners.
2004/08/09
Another day, another trick
Today was the first day the keets were unsupervised all day. They still have all their toes and fur, so now I can be away without worry.
Speaking of toes, in order to be able to name them, they have been marked with fingernail paint. They are referred to in binary, e.g., "0100 sure is unhappy about being handled". The LSB is on the right toe, right foot. There are three toes per foot, and a parity toe (which I'm not using it at the moment).
Keets 0001 and 0111 have been claimed for naming already. Let me know if you want to name one too -- first come, first served.
They've gotten better with finding the food -- I am no longer scratching food out of the feeder for them. Looks like it works better that way anyway, as they can get big mouthfulls at a time instead of just one little bit at a time from the floor of the box. I can tell when they're eating too -- they make lots of noise, like there's a party going on.
The new game of the day is to run from one end of the box to the other, then spin around and see who's looking. They are also pecking at a ribbon around a teddy bear that's keeping them company. I'll probably need to remove it so they don't succeed at taking bits off (and choke).
Speaking of choking, 1001 was put down because it was malformed. It had a very difficult hatch, and couldn't stand very long. And when it fell, it would spin in a circle trying to get up. It's sad to have to "take care of business". This is part of farm life I guess.
Tomorrow I'll do the egg postmortum, and put some pictures up for your viewing pleasure.
Speaking of toes, in order to be able to name them, they have been marked with fingernail paint. They are referred to in binary, e.g., "0100 sure is unhappy about being handled". The LSB is on the right toe, right foot. There are three toes per foot, and a parity toe (which I'm not using it at the moment).
Keets 0001 and 0111 have been claimed for naming already. Let me know if you want to name one too -- first come, first served.
They've gotten better with finding the food -- I am no longer scratching food out of the feeder for them. Looks like it works better that way anyway, as they can get big mouthfulls at a time instead of just one little bit at a time from the floor of the box. I can tell when they're eating too -- they make lots of noise, like there's a party going on.
The new game of the day is to run from one end of the box to the other, then spin around and see who's looking. They are also pecking at a ribbon around a teddy bear that's keeping them company. I'll probably need to remove it so they don't succeed at taking bits off (and choke).
Speaking of choking, 1001 was put down because it was malformed. It had a very difficult hatch, and couldn't stand very long. And when it fell, it would spin in a circle trying to get up. It's sad to have to "take care of business". This is part of farm life I guess.
Tomorrow I'll do the egg postmortum, and put some pictures up for your viewing pleasure.
2004/08/08
Spiders no more
Now I know why I've been lazy about cleaning spider webs inside my house: I've always wanted to be sure I had a steady supply of food for the keets when they arrived. Today I cleaned out the entire house of spiders (at least the ones I could find) and gave the keets quite a feast. They were acting like the hadn't had food for days; the spiders didn't have a chance.
There are 8 keets with #9 stuck in the shell still. Looks like this one isn't going to make it. The other eggs show no sign of hatching. I learned from another owner who also had the eggs flown in that only 25% of her eggs hatched as well, so it looks like this is it for this flock.
Tomorrow I'll cull the stuck keet, and begin determining why the other eggs didn't hatch.
There are 8 keets with #9 stuck in the shell still. Looks like this one isn't going to make it. The other eggs show no sign of hatching. I learned from another owner who also had the eggs flown in that only 25% of her eggs hatched as well, so it looks like this is it for this flock.
Tomorrow I'll cull the stuck keet, and begin determining why the other eggs didn't hatch.
2004/08/07
First wave seems to have passed
Six keets hatched today, for a total of 8 healthy keets. One of these 8 seems to have a different father... or mother. It might end up being a Buff instead of Brown. There is also one more keet stuck mid-hatch. I don't think it'll make it, unfortunately.
None of the Jumbos are showing any signs of hatching.
None of the Jumbos are showing any signs of hatching.
Three... wait, four more this morning... five!
Woke up to find three new keets scrambling around the incubator. After getting a cup of my beverage du jour, I caught one more just making its final push out of the shell!
Oops... make that two more that just popped out of their shell! Today's a busy day for the stork.
We're up to 5 new keets for the day, 7 total apparently healthy (and noisy, crying) keets. Two keets are pipping at the moment (beginning the process of breaking out of the shell).
Only the Browns have hatched; the Jumbos are showing no signs of pipping. They are larger, and so might take a bit longer to develop. That's my hope at least.
Oops... make that two more that just popped out of their shell! Today's a busy day for the stork.
We're up to 5 new keets for the day, 7 total apparently healthy (and noisy, crying) keets. Two keets are pipping at the moment (beginning the process of breaking out of the shell).
Only the Browns have hatched; the Jumbos are showing no signs of pipping. They are larger, and so might take a bit longer to develop. That's my hope at least.
2004/08/06
I'm a daddy!
Twenty-seven days ago a package arrived. In it were 3 dozen Guinea Fowl eggs; twenty-four of them are Brown, the others are Jumbo. Check out Frit's Farm for guinea fowl details.
Yesterday one hatched! And today there were two!
I'm learning as I go. Today they trained me to show them how to find food and water. They are adorable, of course -- the cutest Guinea Fowl a parent could have.
I invited all my friends over to watch the rest of the hatch. It'll be a weekend-long party, yay! I'm looking forward to seeing everybody.
Yesterday one hatched! And today there were two!
I'm learning as I go. Today they trained me to show them how to find food and water. They are adorable, of course -- the cutest Guinea Fowl a parent could have.
I invited all my friends over to watch the rest of the hatch. It'll be a weekend-long party, yay! I'm looking forward to seeing everybody.
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