Guinea flock observations

[Jmccauley]

I just love my guineas. It's funny. Bare with me thru a story before I gush on my guineas. I swore up and down we wouldn't have chickens when we moved to the country. I had zero interest in the nastys. I grew up with them and had nothing but unpleasant memories. But we bought and overgrown neglected 20 acres much to my husband's dismay because "oh the potential" well this spring we were being tormented with ticks like I have never experienced before! ((and I'm a farm raised girl)) When my husband said he was going to get chemicals to spray I knew what I needed to do as I am strongly against harmful toxins. I begrudgingly fessed up I knew of a bird that ate ticks like it was a super power, guineas. Well I knew I needed to get adults because keets couldn't help for months so I began my search. After not having much luck I broke down and bought the tick eating runner ups, adult chickens. Shortly after getting the chickens acclimated and free ranging I found 8 adult guineas for sale! So I scooped them up and got them trained((ish)) I lost 2 early on and am missing one (I almost think she's broody on a second nest) but all in all it's going well and I am obsessed.

So on to what I wanted to discuss haha!
Ever since 2 of my girls have gone broody and sitting on a nest together ALL OF THE GUINEAS have been so quiet. It's fascinating to me because I genuinely think that they are being quiet as to not draw attention to their mates who are on a nest! they're such a little community! they're so different from chickens It's just fascinating to witness.
The other day I was introducing some new chicks to the flock as they have all gotten their feathers and it's time to go with the big girls and for a minute I would say a half hour maybe these male guineas hurted these chicks and walked around with them like oh these must be our keys before they realized wait these aren't and then they abandoned them but for a little bit they were acting like parents these chicks it was so funny!
I just had to express how much I love these little bird dinosaurs ((as my husband calls them)) because nobody around me really gets it! And wanted to hear about other funny characteristics and habits that other people experience with their guineas that are so different from chickens!!

And for the record I no longer think chickens are nasty lol while I wouldn't say I'm equally as in love with them as my guineas I am very much in love with my chickens!

 

[Sydney65]

I just love my guineas. It's funny. Bare with me thru a story before I gush on my guineas. I swore up and down we wouldn't have chickens when we moved to the country. I had zero interest in the nastys. I grew up with them and had nothing but unpleasant memories. But we bought and overgrown neglected 20 acres much to my husband's dismay because "oh the potential" well this spring we were being tormented with ticks like I have never experienced before! ((and I'm a farm raised girl)) When my husband said he was going to get chemicals to spray I knew what I needed to do as I am strongly against harmful toxins. I begrudgingly fessed up I knew of a bird that ate ticks like it was a super power, guineas. Well I knew I needed to get adults because keets couldn't help for months so I began my search. After not having much luck I broke down and bought the tick eating runner ups, adult chickens. Shortly after getting the chickens acclimated and free ranging I found 8 adult guineas for sale! So I scooped them up and got them trained((ish)) I lost 2 early on and am missing one (I almost think she's broody on a second nest) but all in all it's going well and I am obsessed.

So on to what I wanted to discuss haha!
Ever since 2 of my girls have gone broody and sitting on a nest together ALL OF THE GUINEAS have been so quiet. It's fascinating to me because I genuinely think that they are being quiet as to not draw attention to their mates who are on a nest! they're such a little community! they're so different from chickens It's just fascinating to witness.
The other day I was introducing some new chicks to the flock as they have all gotten their feathers and it's time to go with the big girls and for a minute I would say a half hour maybe these male guineas hurted these chicks and walked around with them like oh these must be our keys before they realized wait these aren't and then they abandoned them but for a little bit they were acting like parents these chicks it was so funny!
I just had to express how much I love these little bird dinosaurs ((as my husband calls them)) because nobody around me really gets it! And wanted to hear about other funny characteristics and habits that other people experience with their guineas that are so different from chickens!!

And for the record I no longer think chickens are nasty lol while I wouldn't say I'm equally as in love with them as my guineas I am very much in love with my chickens!

Yes, you've come to the right place-we definitely get it! I was laughing last night bc like you, we got them to work for us. Ofcourse they needed a place to live, so we built a truck. I fretted abt predators so hung solar lights outside the run.
But then the fall came and the rain concerned us, so we enclosed the run w/polycarbide panels. Clear, ofcourse, so it's like a sun room.
But then we had several days of record-breaking cold weather and bought them a heating plate & electric water tank.
Spring arrived so we removed the panels,unplugged the water heater, and when the girls started wandering off to build nests, I restricted their travels by letting them spend the day in a covered kennel that I moved around the property w/ another water tank.
We also move the truck, but after we did so this year, we realized that the afternoon sun was beating into the run making it miserable, so we put up a tarp to block the sun.
As it got warmer, I started putting gallon jugs of ice in the water tanks to keep them cold.
Then came more record breaking days - of heat. Yesterday we had severe thunderstorm warnings and I decided not to take them out bc I wld have to round them up in the rain. But it was so hot...
So after putting fresh ice in the tank, I scrounged around until I found a fan that I hung in the coop to keep them cool. Afterwards, still feeling guilty, I walked around in blistering heat gathering fresh herbs,weeds and brassica leaves for them to nibble on.
As I stood watching them enjoying their feast, my clothing drenched from sweat, I smiled with satisfaction, knowing that employing this little teradactyls was the best investment we've ever made.

 

[Jannl]

I just love my guineas. It's funny. Bare with me thru a story before I gush on my guineas. I swore up and down we wouldn't have chickens when we moved to the country. I had zero interest in the nastys. I grew up with them and had nothing but unpleasant memories. But we bought and overgrown neglected 20 acres much to my husband's dismay because "oh the potential" well this spring we were being tormented with ticks like I have never experienced before! ((and I'm a farm raised girl)) When my husband said he was going to get chemicals to spray I knew what I needed to do as I am strongly against harmful toxins. I begrudgingly fessed up I knew of a bird that ate ticks like it was a super power, guineas. Well I knew I needed to get adults because keets couldn't help for months so I began my search. After not having much luck I broke down and bought the tick eating runner ups, adult chickens. Shortly after getting the chickens acclimated and free ranging I found 8 adult guineas for sale! So I scooped them up and got them trained((ish)) I lost 2 early on and am missing one (I almost think she's broody on a second nest) but all in all it's going well and I am obsessed.

So on to what I wanted to discuss haha!
Ever since 2 of my girls have gone broody and sitting on a nest together ALL OF THE GUINEAS have been so quiet. It's fascinating to me because I genuinely think that they are being quiet as to not draw attention to their mates who are on a nest! they're such a little community! they're so different from chickens It's just fascinating to witness.
The other day I was introducing some new chicks to the flock as they have all gotten their feathers and it's time to go with the big girls and for a minute I would say a half hour maybe these male guineas hurted these chicks and walked around with them like oh these must be our keys before they realized wait these aren't and then they abandoned them but for a little bit they were acting like parents these chicks it was so funny!
I just had to express how much I love these little bird dinosaurs ((as my husband calls them)) because nobody around me really gets it! And wanted to hear about other funny characteristics and habits that other people experience with their guineas that are so different from chickens!!

And for the record I no longer think chickens are nasty lol while I wouldn't say I'm equally as in love with them as my guineas I am very much in love with my chickens!

We started with 16 baby keets and raised with our chickens. We think they must think they are chickens too. They have about 1/4 acre and at night their coops. We are down to 8 guineas. There was quite a torrential rain a couple of nights ago. When we went to put them away several were soaked, even though they have access to coops all day. Sometimes the bully males won’t let smaller ones in the coop until we intervene. Anyway, yesterday one of the smaller guinea didn't look so good so this am he put her into a box near the house with water. A few hours later she died. I had read that guineas rarely get sick. Any ideas what may have caused the illness. she was drooling lots of clear fluid.

Thank you.

 

[Sydney65]

Did the other 8 have the same symptoms? Looking at possible causes and your mention of storms, & assuming that since you said "drooling", the fluid was coming from her mouth & not her nostrils - https://hencam.com/henblog/2014/10/ascites-in-hens/
Guinea keets are very fragile. If theses are the ones your girls were broody with in June, then they're abt 4 wks old? They probably aren't ready for the weather extremes. But I'm surprised the hen isn't intervening on their behalf.
I have multiple aged keets at the moment & the older ones are getting shoved out of the coop. They stay with me during the day. We have a "truck", so the coop & run are attached. What I've done is put up roosts corner to corner on the edges in the run part so the older ones have an "upstairs" they can reach but the adults find awkward - and they don't bother looking up much. The corners are wider so I have food and water bottles made from juice bottles up there for them. So they can move about,eat,drink,rest in peace w/o being picked on. Once everyone is settled for the night they slip in to the coop. The main thing is they're safe,dry, not to hot or cold and able to eat w/o being terrorized.

 

[Birdsbrain]

I have a “safe space” (an 8’L x 24”D x 30”H three-sided alcove) INSIDE the coop where I can hook on an old screen door across the front to isolate the ill/injured/rejected victims but still allow them to be in the “untouchable” presence of their coop mates. It keeps down the noise and I can make sure they get there own supply of water and food. If they are injured, I connect a dog kennel to one end (kennel door open to the alcove) and lure them into the kennel with a treat. Once they’re distracted by the treats, I close the kennel door and have them contained in a very small area to reach in thru the kennel wire and treat their wounds. It’s the easiest way I have found to do a quick “hands off” visual exam or squirt some med on an open wound.