A Little Progress with Training

[JLeigh]

I wrote before that my guineas "tolerate" me - they'll walk close to me, even follow me if I walk slowly. But I've made some training progress and it wasn't rocket science. Everytime I approach my guineas, I take dried mealworms with me and say the same two phrases over and over. The first is "Good guineas, good guineas" then when I have their attention I say "Looklooklook" and hold out my hand. When they get fairly close, I gently toss the worms to the ground. Then I move toward the run about 15-20 feet and repeat the process. They follow (so far so good).

Every time they see me, they hit the "Jackpot" with mealworms. Now that I've been doing that for about a week, the male, Harold, runs toward me every time he sees me and the female follows. To me, there is nothing like seeing that tank of a body heading my way in a full run. I know it's just the mealworms he wants, but still I engage in the fantasy that it's me they love.

They will also let me get about 5-10 inches away from them if I move very slowly. I think that's progress.

At my house we watch our own reality show: The Chicken Channel - All Chickens, All The Time (and guineas). They have really captivated my heart, and my husband's as well. Such interesting, charming and beautiful birds. My family calls me the Guinea Whisperer.

 

[chicmom]

Great job! It sure takes patience, doesn't it? You've got the right idea--it's all about food for birds......

 

[JLeigh]

Thanks, chicmom, and yes, it's all about the food. But then it's about food for me, too, so I can relate! Although I prefer steak.

 

[Speckley]

I too have guinea's, I call them the twinkles as from the minute they hatched in my incubator they have given my such joy they make my life twinkle, corny I know but they are the funniest and cutest little rugby balls I know.
They chase each other all over my garden, they love mummy hen and she loves to peck them on the head lol!

Unfortunately I ended up with 3 males and a hen but for now they get on great, they share mummy chooks coop and run and have the freedom of the garden when I'm around, they love to get up on our roof walk onto next doors roof and shout at the family in their garden and boy do they know how to shout!

My guy's and tiny (the hen) love treats and will come when called for cucumber, lettuce, sweet corn and mealworms they love cauliflower leaves and loads of other greens but these are not seen as treats and will not persuade even the greediest of males (pink toes) of the roof however you show them a cucumber; well they almost fly on top of you.

I have to admit they will all come running but pink toes is the hand feeder the others stand nervously at arms length as for tiny you have to throw the treats to her as she will not feed from my hand at all, as mentioned I’ve had Tiny and the twinkles since little eggberts and still I struggled to train them.

I love that your television has become the window into your yard, mine has too!

 

[JLeigh]

I never thought of cucumbers! I'll try that since mealworms get a little pricey, and cukes are cheap. I bought live crickets for them, and I thought they'd go insane with joy. Crickets are more expensive than mealworms though so I can't use them as a training food. I've never seen birds so excited over a bug, and watching them catch every single cricket was great - only one escaped and that was into my clothing which I didn't find out until I got back in the house and felt it in my pants leg. I went berserk, which was really funny, but I guess you had to be there.

 

[PeepsCA]

There's a good thread over in the BYC Chicken forum section on raising your own meal worms, once you get things set up and started the cost is minimal. (It's on my to do list).

The thing about feeding your Guineas veggies is that if they are allowed to free range in your garden, they will help themselves to whatever they know is yummie... so if you let your birds free range in your veggie garden you might want to keep an eye on them.

 

[Speckley]

Oh my word I will be buying live crickets this weekend .. camcorder at the ready.

I started the keets of on greens as they were inside for a bit to long and I worried about their nutrition therefore we have had to fence off the veg patch plus the chooks have taught the Twinkles to scratch for bugs so you guessed it the flower patches are no longer safe lol.