Getting ready to free range

[appleacres]

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.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

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.

Hi Appleacres, exciting that they are starting to move into your orchard! Do I recall correctly that you got them because you have important work for them in the orchard? I am envious of your fence… I think that @R2elk has a similar perimeter fence and manages to keep them inside without wing clipping. If you clip their wings, then they are sitting ducks for predators, so I’d try for training instead. I am wondering if a two foot black band, like a sunscreen roll, around your fence would deter them from trying to get over? I think that they like to see where they are flying to. Do you have a rail in top of your fence that they can fly to? They like to fly to the top of the fence if there is a rail there, so no rail would help keep them in.

As for feed, I don’t think that they are restrained or smart enough to hold off on food in anticipation of treats. The millet is a good idea to reward them for cooping up. At this age, you could see if you can step up your insect introduction. Do you make a call when you give them millet? I use a whistle, and they come running looking for my food that a
I scatter. Do you have a pest insect that you want them to eat? Can you catch that, whistle, maybe throw some mealworms at the same time? I catch moths, little June bug looking beetles, grasshoppers, etc and throw it in with the keets to encourage them to try new insects. Don’t worry if they are scared of those at first. I was pretty frustrated the first time I threw them a grasshopper and they just looked at it… Noe I’m onto our third generation and they actively hunt down the grasshoppers themselves, but it took awhile. You are essentially playing “mom” who is showing the keets all the good stuff, so keep playing up the fun food you give them with whistles etc. and introduce a variety of insects too. I’ve also bought live crickets from the pet store when I didn’t have grasshoppers around! Good chase practice.

As for being explorers, they are understandably afraid of the world now; they know they are prey and they don’t know what the threats are yet. I’d just work on introducing a variety of insects now, especially your pests, and getting them enthusiastic for the fun treats you will give them. Work on enthusiasm for mealworms, millet, whatever with your whistle first, so you don’t just scare them with your strange bugs! Once you whistle and they are expectantly looking around for your latest delicious treat (should only take a few days to make this association), then try something live. I would continue to offer their regular free choice food. Once they are ready, they will become much more interested in foraging than in commercial feed! Also, if these guineas can raise their own keets next year, they will introduce them to yummy bugs earlier and better, making better foragers of their babies.

 

[appleacres]

Hi Appleacres, exciting that they are starting to move into your orchard! Do I recall correctly that you got them because you have important work for them in the orchard? I am envious of your fence… I think that @R2elk has a similar perimeter fence and manages to keep them inside without wing clipping. If you clip their wings, then they are sitting ducks for predators, so I’d try for training instead. I am wondering if a two foot black band, like a sunscreen roll, around your fence would deter them from trying to get over? I think that they like to see where they are flying to. Do you have a rail in top of your fence that they can fly to? They like to fly to the top of the fence if there is a rail there, so no rail would help keep them in.

As for feed, I don’t think that they are restrained or smart enough to hold off on food in anticipation of treats. The millet is a good idea to reward them for cooping up. At this age, you could see if you can step up your insect introduction. Do you make a call when you give them millet? I use a whistle, and they come running looking for my food that a
I scatter. Do you have a pest insect that you want them to eat? Can you catch that, whistle, maybe throw some mealworms at the same time? I catch moths, little June bug looking beetles, grasshoppers, etc and throw it in with the keets to encourage them to try new insects. Don’t worry if they are scared of those at first. I was pretty frustrated the first time I threw them a grasshopper and they just looked at it… Noe I’m onto our third generation and they actively hunt down the grasshoppers themselves, but it took awhile. You are essentially playing “mom” who is showing the keets all the good stuff, so keep playing up the fun food you give them with whistles etc. and introduce a variety of insects too. I’ve also bought live crickets from the pet store when I didn’t have grasshoppers around! Good chase practice.

As for being explorers, they are understandably afraid of the world now; they know they are prey and they don’t know what the threats are yet. I’d just work on introducing a variety of insects now, especially your pests, and getting them enthusiastic for the fun treats you will give them. Work on enthusiasm for mealworms, millet, whatever with your whistle first, so you don’t just scare them with your strange bugs! Once you whistle and they are expectantly looking around for your latest delicious treat (should only take a few days to make this association), then try something live. I would continue to offer their regular free choice food. Once they are ready, they will become much more interested in foraging than in commercial feed! Also, if these guineas can raise their own keets next year, they will introduce them to yummy bugs earlier and better, making better foragers of their babies.

Haha, yes the first time I introduced dried worms and beatles to them they froze. I had to cover them up with a paper towel before they would move again. That was about 4 weeks ago...they still love millet (I use a little bell at the same time every night--hoping that I can ring that bell and they can hear it and come find me once they are free ranging) and dried bugs, but seem to ignore ticks when I catch them. Maybe I can try buying some live grass hoppers---nothing much is out to catch yet without diggingexcept the ticks and ants. The pest types I want them to go after are all wevil and beetle type bugs.

My fence does not have a rail top, so maybe I'll just see how it goes. It's 2500 linear feet so I think I have to just let it be what it is : D

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Haha, yes the first time I introduced dried worms and beatles to them they froze. I had to cover them up with a paper towel before they would move again. That was about 4 weeks ago...they still love millet (I use a little bell at the same time every night--hoping that I can ring that bell and they can hear it and come find me once they are free ranging) and dried bugs, but seem to ignore ticks when I catch them. Maybe I can try buying some live grass hoppers---nothing much is out to catch yet without diggingexcept the ticks and ants. The pest types I want them to go after are all wevil and beetle type bugs.

My fence does not have a rail top, so maybe I'll just see how it goes. It's 2500 linear feet so I think I have to just let it be what it is : D

We clearly need some pics of your munchkins in the orchard!!!

 

[appleacres]

We clearly need some pics of your munchkins in the orchard!!!

Welp...I was out resting today after my 2nd Covid vaccine and apparently one of my in-laws brought his cute little dog into the orchard. The dog went instinctively when it saw the guineas and ran at them. They completely freaked out and ran away, and 5 flew over the 8 foot fence (at 6 weeks old!) and into the deep woods. They were able to round up the other 10 somehow, but now 5 have gone into the woods. What do you think....I have been training them every single night with millet at 7:30pm in the coop with a bell, I've been training them with the millet for 4 weeks, and they've been coop training within the actual coop for three weeks now....but in order to get back to the coop, they have to somehow figure out how to get back over the fence when not motivated by sheer panic, which, seeing as they couldn't figure out how to get back over the 3' plastic fence when one got out, when they were not totally panicked, seems unlikely. if they aren't lost entirely and gone in the wrong direction... Do you think they'll come back....anyone done that successfully before? Or should I just resign myself to being down to ten now? ugh.

 

[appleacres]

Welp...I was out resting today after my 2nd Covid vaccine and apparently one of my in-laws brought his cute little dog into the orchard. The dog went instinctively when it saw the guineas and ran at them. They completely freaked out and ran away, and 5 flew over the 8 foot fence (at 6 weeks old!) and into the deep woods. They were able to round up the other 10 somehow, but now 5 have gone into the woods. What do you think....I have been training them every single night with millet at 7:30pm in the coop with a bell, I've been training them with the millet for 4 weeks, and they've been coop training within the actual coop for three weeks now....but in order to get back to the coop, they have to somehow figure out how to get back over the fence when not motivated by sheer panic, which, seeing as they couldn't figure out how to get back over the 3' plastic fence when one got out, when they were not totally panicked, seems unlikely. if they aren't lost entirely and gone in the wrong direction... Do you think they'll come back....anyone done that successfully before? Or should I just resign myself to being down to ten now? ugh.

OK--responding to myself here...really interesting. When the boys at the farm were walking around calling for them they wouldn't come, and made no sound, burrowed down somewhere. But...I went up at my normal feeding time and called in the woods walking around, and then all of a sudden I heard them--at 6 weeks they had gone out into the woods past the fence, but then right at feeding time they were at the coop squacking and trying to get in! So I guess this is the answer to my questions--training for four weeks at the same time each night with white millet, and then cooping them up for three weeks in their actual coop outdoors does give them a homing instinct! Or at least it did for mine! They were never so excited to get the white millet!

 

[Isadora]

Glad they made it back! I was typing up a response when I saw you gave an update. My money was on them coming back, but that the fence would stop them from making it all the way to the coop. Millet for the win!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Welp...I was out resting today after my 2nd Covid vaccine and apparently one of my in-laws brought his cute little dog into the orchard. The dog went instinctively when it saw the guineas and ran at them. They completely freaked out and ran away, and 5 flew over the 8 foot fence (at 6 weeks old!) and into the deep woods. They were able to round up the other 10 somehow, but now 5 have gone into the woods. What do you think....I have been training them every single night with millet at 7:30pm in the coop with a bell, I've been training them with the millet for 4 weeks, and they've been coop training within the actual coop for three weeks now....but in order to get back to the coop, they have to somehow figure out how to get back over the fence when not motivated by sheer panic, which, seeing as they couldn't figure out how to get back over the 3' plastic fence when one got out, when they were not totally panicked, seems unlikely. if they aren't lost entirely and gone in the wrong direction... Do you think they'll come back....anyone done that successfully before? Or should I just resign myself to being down to ten now? ugh.

Oh darn! Lock up the rest so they can call to the lost ones. They will come back if they can. Think of how you can get them back over the fence. For example: Herd to a gate, catch with a net (easier at night), scare over fence with a snapping towel or umbrella, etc. You will need to work out how to get them back inside while training anyway. A door and herding training are one idea… I’ve trained my beagle to chase the guineas over the dog fence (and out of the dog yard), so that my fast Doberman doesn’t eat them. The beagle runs at the guineas, so they finally remember they can fly over the fence! It’s hard for me to be scary enough to get them over. I hope your lost crew comes home!!!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

OK--responding to myself here...really interesting. When the boys at the farm were walking around calling for them they wouldn't come, and made no sound, burrowed down somewhere. But...I went up at my normal feeding time and called in the woods walking around, and then all of a sudden I heard them--at 6 weeks they had gone out into the woods past the fence, but then right at feeding time they were at the coop squacking and trying to get in! So I guess this is the answer to my questions--training for four weeks at the same time each night with white millet, and then cooping them up for three weeks in their actual coop outdoors does give them a homing instinct! Or at least it did for mine! They were never so excited to get the white millet!

Oh that’s awesome! I didn’t see your response when I posted, which was kind of odd… So happy that your keets came home! How did they get over the fence?

 

[appleacres]

Oh that’s awesome! I didn’t see your response when I posted, which was kind of odd… So happy that your keets came home! How did they get over the fence?

Well that's what is so funny...they flew over the fence in fear, then somehow got back over it to get to the coop...an 8' fence. But then when it came to the 3' plastic fence surrounding the coop they were running around it pressing themselves up against it and squacking with no idea how to get over it, lol. Honestly my guess is they found a place where there was a gap and crawled under the big fence to get back in. But the gaps are small and eventually they will be too big to do this. They are somehow smart and so stupid at the same time...haha. Anyway, I now feel a bit more confident about their ability to come back at night as a group, so I think I will begin experimenting with letting them venture, without being scared over the fence by dogs or anything else. They are 6 weeks old today.