Hey Turkey! Get outta that Guinea nest!!

It's nest hunting season! Yeay!!!! (NOT) This means I'm spending lots of time hiking through the woods looking for Guinea nests. Every day. Several times a day. Getting yelled at by Guineas. Trying to stay clear of the bear. Rain or shine. Sometimes in the dark. 

Can you feel the joy??? I do this so often, I had to make a list of Tips for Finding Guinea Nests!

Nest from last year

For those of you that don't raise Guineas, they are a ground nesting bird. They often make nests under dead branches, amid high weeds, in piles of vines and brush etc. You know how sometimes a chicken will decide not to lay in the coop anymore and pick a spot in the woods? Kinda like that but with more secrecy! 

They go into stealth mode and try to pick a spot you will never find. Then when you do find it, you can't let them know you found it! They are easier to find this time of year actually. Once the ground ferns start growing it adds a whole new level of difficulty. 

2010 nest

So there's a lot of following Guineas, figuring out where they hang out....then waiting for them to leave and coming back to search. Sometimes it takes weeks. Actually, the closer to home that they put the nest the harder it is to find! Which is exactly why it took me until last week to find the newest nest. When they're not gone very long, it's hard to catch them in the act. When they don't go far, it doesn't take long. 



Anyway, I finally find the nest and in it are 2 of the biggest eggs I've ever seen. If they didn't have speckles I would have thought my goose laid them! 

Wild turkeys and guinea nests

I contacted Larry at The Birders Report who identified them as wild turkey eggs. It's a good thing I found out, I was going to stick them in the incubator to find out what they are! I don't need any wild turkeys. No thanks! 

I'm not really sure if the turkey started a nest and the guineas took it over, or the guineas started a nest and the turkey stopped by to add her own eggs. As big as turkeys are I would think she would have made a bigger nest. Guinea nests aren't usually very roomy. Thankfully the mystery was solved before I ended up with a couple wild turkey poults! Now I'm off to hunt Guinea nests.

Again.

If you have any other questions about raising guinea fowl you might find the answers here: Guinea Fowl 101 or feel free to leave a question down below and I will answer it as best I can! 

~Lisa

Thanks again Larry!

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