building paradise for the birds

[Terri O]

i have two pitbulls so nothing makes it to the back yard and if it does make it into the yard it sure dont make it out...beautiful dogs jim...
so i still need some guineas this season...you wouldnt happen to have any still out there would you....
here are some pics









OH LOVE the pose! You are lucky that they arent chicken killers...actually I think my foster dog just wants to PLAY with them/...they arent great at playing though. I had a duck dead and totally denuded of feathers--no other trauma(except that it was dead!) This guy was the culprit!

Gee- a little out of ordre! LOL!

well jim are guineas good for freerange.. we have ten acres and would like to free range them...I think they would do good..what are your thoughts

My guineas free range. I have some of Jim's I think? They are very good at it...and eating TICKS! My dogs never get ticks any more and they are not on that preventative stuff either. (because I HAVE guineas!) I am going into winter with 12 and one juvie...I may have keats in the spring depending if I find the nests! They are very elusive that way. If you do get eggs...put them under a chicken hen,,,guineas run too fast for the babies and they always lose them! Or brood them--that usually works.

Gorgeous dogs!!! Ugh, guineas.. If we were closer I would give you a few guinea! I have about 30 here, and several of them someone generously "dumped" off. I had 1 pearl and 4 lavender. kept around 8 keets this fall, sold the rest! One morning, I had a flock running around of the dusty chocolate color, and a neighbor said they were in the road and by the creek. Since we have around 200 assorted birds here, they just kinda settled in

most of them just roost in the trees or the lean to off the barn.

Gee, sounds like my place!

Time to lock up! Good night and safe lock up too all! TerriO

 

[Chrysolophus]

what you guys need is a dog like I have in my avatar..  that is a Maremma..
my female just had four puppies on Thanksgiving ..
I also have a male..  Gus and Frankie..
nothing ventures into my yard..  I do not even close up the chicken coop at night.. 

I just came in from my shop.. I planed all the boards for the legs of the plucker I am starting to build.
I spent a little time lubricating about a dozen clamps..  I have to glue up 3 boards for each leg..
I use Gorilla Glue..  impervious to water..

.......jiminwiscwishingyouahappybirthday..........

I have 5 dogs, but 4 are tied, 2 are too ferocious, 2 are too naughty who will hurt free range chickens

 

[Chrysolophus]

G

i have two pitbulls so nothing makes it to the back yard and if it does make it into the yard it sure dont make it out...beautiful dogs jim... so i still need some guineas this season...you wouldnt happen to have any still out there would you.... here are some pics

Good dogs

 

[Terri O]

Sometimes when I catch a rat, I make it half dead and leave it to the cats, but the cats are hesitated to touch it and when the rat screams and stand up, ready to fight with the cats, the cats just freaked out and run away, watching it in a distance. Maybe what I caught is too big for them and they can only deal with small ones.

Maybe you have some really big rats there in China? Can you use traps or poison?

 

[birdman55]

Gee- a little out of ordre! LOL!



My guineas free range. I have some of Jim's I think? They are very good at it...and eating TICKS! My dogs never get ticks any more and they are not on that preventative stuff either. (because I HAVE guineas!) I am going into winter with 12 and one juvie...I may have keats in the spring depending if I find the nests! They are very elusive that way. If you do get eggs...put them under a chicken hen,,,guineas run too fast for the babies and they always lose them! Or brood them--that usually works.
Gee, sounds like my place!

Time to lock up! Good night and safe lock up too all! TerriO

keep me posted on those guineas...please...would love some...I have a home in Oshkosh as well so not to far from you....mom and dad are there as well...

 

[Chrysolophus]

@ChrysolophusI read on a thread bout rat rocks, they took plaster of Paris and mixed with peanut butter and veg oil. Made into balls once eaten,it reacts with moisture and turns their stomach into a rock

That's interesting, never heard before.But the problem is the rat here are fresh eater. I've set up traps before use cake, biscuits or milk powder,they didn't get into the trap. When I use chicken meet, I caught two in one trap. But now they seem to have learnt that the trap is dangerous and never catch a rat now

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
I loved my guineas.... best to keep a large flock... that way they will pick on each other. When I get to do my big coop build it will be set up for at least sixty.

Not the brightest bulb in the string though. If you know they will get out of the yard and need to get back in you need to have a landing board ontop of the fence.

but I have had mine fly from the rocks above the house over the house and zoom down in the yard demanding dinner.

I train all my birds to come at a call for food. Some use a bell... i am really bad at keeping track of suff.

For what its worth they are good with all the little venomous things... scorpions, snakes... even mice. I personally have seen my five Guinea Bachelor flock escort a coyote off my land.... screaming charging and pecking at him. The coyote kept turning back as if saying "this aint right..."

My personal need for guineas is home security or first alert.... If they dont recognize a person they will set off the alarm. Very useful when you live two miles from the Mexican border.

deb

 

[Terri O]

Chrys--it sounds like you might have to resort to poison... a last resort for me but sometimes it is the only thing that works. I dont know what you have available there but for people stateside I use Tomcat with great results!

 

[birdman55]

got eight cameras...but 50 guineas with hundred eyes would be so much nicer...personal watch dogs I guess....that would be cool...we plan on free ranging some of our future peafowl stock

 

[Terri O]

I loved my guineas.... best to keep a large flock... that way they will pick on each other. When I get to do my big coop build it will be set up for at least sixty.

Not the brightest bulb in the string though. If you know they will get out of the yard and need to get back in you need to have a landing board ontop of the fence.

but I have had mine fly from the rocks above the house over the house and zoom down in the yard demanding dinner.

I train all my birds to come at a call for food. Some use a bell... i am really bad at keeping track of suff.

For what its worth they are good with all the little venomous things... scorpions, snakes... even mice. I personally have seen my five Guinea Bachelor flock escort a coyote off my land.... screaming charging and pecking at him. The coyote kept turning back as if saying "this aint right..."

My personal need for guineas is home security or first alert.... If they dont recognize a person they will set off the alarm. Very useful when you live two miles from the Mexican border.

deb

I hear ya on the intruders Deb! My UPS man is totally scared of them! LOL! TerriO