^^^^What everyone else said. Also, make sure that they are not only kept warm but in a place free of drafts. The enclosure they are in should be strong enough to withstand attack by a predator--if you can tear it down with your bare hands, so can a predator. Use hardware cloth or something similar, chicken wire is horribly flimsy and predators tear right through it or worse, REACH right through it to eat the chickens--they don't even have to knock it down. I generally turn my youngsters out into the flock at 2 months old. I've got more info on my chicken site as to the 'Meet & Greets' I like to have before I turn the chicks into the flock, I've found it reduces the amount of bullying and pecking order beatings that can occur otherwise. http://home.earthlink.net/~velvetsparrow/VSChickHensBroodiesChicks.htm Also here: http://home.earthlink.net/~velvetsparrow/VSChickIntroducingNewBirdsToFlock.htm I don't have experience with Guineas, so I can't tell you if they tolerate youngsters well or are aggressive and need to be watched. By the way, those chicks are going to outgrow that cage in a hurry, if momma won't fit in it. You might plan on creating a small enclosure for them. Good luck and enjoy your chicks! :) Velvet ~:>

Just a few hours later - when I first opened the box there were 3 gaping beaks - but the 3rd went right back to sleep immediately, joining 2 others that have been sleeping everytime I've looked in. I know this is "old hat" to some of you, but to me it's exciting because when I had them at my other place I didn't have a camera that would take good photos of them. I'm hooked! :o)

I guess the story is not over...as I said, little TUTI left at 1:55pm. At about 4:10pm, I heard a rustle in the birdless box (I left the nest there for now). The HOWR FRANTICALLY started to de-construct the nest. Grabbing nest material--fur, straw, grass, leaves--out of the hole! It was in a frenzy!!! It would grab something and almost throw itself at the hole to get the material out! If it went to grab a chunk of fur too big to take out, it pulled and pulled at it till it broke it down to a size that would go out the hole. Fast and furious. I did catch this frenzy on tape so I'll be putting that online in the next few days. I closed off the box for today. I need some rest. I can't imagine how such a little bird can do what I saw it do: peck eggs and throw them out, peck chicks and throw them out, attack almost-fledged chicks, and de-construct a HUGE TUTI nest! Blessings, Linda...

Great stories, Iva Mae. I liked the one about the underwear ... ... for those who've been around for a while, I think that possibly there should be a litle tag in some of my underwear that reads "4 - 6" ... ... as an indication of its age? By the way some of the elastic girdles that I'd made way back when are getting a bit the worse for wear. Not so much of a problem, though, when wearing long johns in winter ... ... as long as the elastics in them are fully operational. ole joyful