appleacres
Chirping
- Feb 9, 2021
- 41
- 53
- 66
Hello,
I am starting to get ready to free range my silly guineas--they have been enjoying going outside in a run every day.
Currently, they are still pretty small (only 5 weeks old), but...they can already hop over the 4' fence that I originally had around the run (I just pop them back in). At some point they will be able to get over my 8' fence around my orchard (which is 2.5 acres). I am willing to try seeing if I can train them to just stay in the 8' fence area initially...but I am wondering about wing clipping--who does it, and who doesn't? If you did, at what age did you first clip their wings? At what age did you start letting them free range without supervision? (I did try walking away for an hour and leaving them there, and they just took a nap, lol).
Also--I am currently just letting them feed all day from their feeding bucket. Would you recommend removing food at all to encourage them to start scavenging for bugs instead once they are allowed to go outside the training area, or will this happen naturally? I just don't want them to go out full of the starter feed in the morning and not be so keen on eating bugs. I have been feeding them dried bugs as treats. I have been giving my 15 keets roughly a tablespoon (each) of white millet seeds each night and they treat it like crack, I actually wonder if they hold out on their food waiting for the millet.
I am starting to get ready to free range my silly guineas--they have been enjoying going outside in a run every day.
Currently, they are still pretty small (only 5 weeks old), but...they can already hop over the 4' fence that I originally had around the run (I just pop them back in). At some point they will be able to get over my 8' fence around my orchard (which is 2.5 acres). I am willing to try seeing if I can train them to just stay in the 8' fence area initially...but I am wondering about wing clipping--who does it, and who doesn't? If you did, at what age did you first clip their wings? At what age did you start letting them free range without supervision? (I did try walking away for an hour and leaving them there, and they just took a nap, lol).
Also--I am currently just letting them feed all day from their feeding bucket. Would you recommend removing food at all to encourage them to start scavenging for bugs instead once they are allowed to go outside the training area, or will this happen naturally? I just don't want them to go out full of the starter feed in the morning and not be so keen on eating bugs. I have been feeding them dried bugs as treats. I have been giving my 15 keets roughly a tablespoon (each) of white millet seeds each night and they treat it like crack, I actually wonder if they hold out on their food waiting for the millet.