Guinea Fowl Parenting Fail

I spent several days trying to get pictures of our keets to announce the good news of their arrival.  It was nearly impossible to get close enough for a decent shot and this was as good as I could manage.  I am pretty sure we started out with seven or eight keets, but by the time the guinea hen would let us close enough to see them all, we counted five.  After a day or two, that turned into only three.  For a couple of days, there was only one.  Today, none. 

I'm pretty sad about this.  I was very excited about the increase of our guinea flock.  You would think with as protective as the momma was during the day, that she would have continued to care for her kiddos at night, but I am pretty sure she left them in a nest on the ground while she took to a tree, leaving them entirely unprotected. 

Next year, I hope to find her nest, take some of her eggs, and put them under a broody chicken.  The chicken should raise them as her own and the new guineas should take to the barn inside the fence and be generally better protected.  It's too late to do it this year, but hopefully we can work it next year and have some more guinea fowl.