Anyone loosing guineas to the cold?

[jcatblum]

We have had the same set up for 3 yrs. Never had an issue, but we have lost multiple birds to the cold this yr. honestly my birds have never had to endure temps this low. We lost 10 birds last night alone. The wind chill was 10 bellow. The chickens are in the same type of set up, no chickens or ducks lost. No signs of illness. Just the extreme cold temps. We had a gorgeous flock of 11 different colors of birds. Now we are down to 4 guineas!!!!! The next 2 days the temps are going to stay low, not sure if the other 4 will make it. Not much else I can do to keep them warm besides lock them in a dog box with a lamp on it. But honestly they would prob beat their heads to death trying to get out of the box!

 

[tomingreeneco]

I have kept mine in their coop when the weather gets really cold (-10F). Switch out the water a couple of times and so far have not lost any to the cold. The coop is pretty tight with no drafts. With all the Guinea inside I think their combined body heat keeps the coop warmer then the outside temperature. Hopefully the really cold temperatures are behind us!!!

 

[mkcolls]

Sorry for your losses.

Are your birds housed or free range? Have you found bodies or are they just disappearing?

No problem with any of our fowl. We have had temps below zero about 10 days this winter, with more coming this week. Our birds, chickens, turkeys and guineas are all housed in a 50' x 120' unheated barn. The only thing we heat is the drinking water. The guineas stay warm by tormenting each other and all the other birds. On days they have been able to be out, they are always the first at the door, with all others gladly letting them fly the coop first.

 

[jcatblum]

They have a large pen that is 30ftx60ft & acess to 2 indoor coops. We are finding most of them on the inside of the coop, only a few on the outside. The only other thought I have is they are getting wet from the snow & ice & that is chilling them more. The most recent recent loss DD bagged up, but I haven't yet called about getting them tested. I feel really sure they are not sick with anything visible.

 

[cracked egg]

My guineas have not had issues with the cold. It has been down into the -20 earlier in the year and right now is -12 with the windchill -27. They follow the turkeys around everywhere through the snow.

 

[jcatblum]

The last 4 made it through the night. The snow we had last night was our first dry snow. Each time before it has been snow mixed with sleet, ice, rain. I haven't found any birds with ice on them when they were dead inside the coop, but other than getting wet & chilled I don't know what else it could be! I think I am going to let their pen be for more call ducks. Not that we don't love the guineas, just not sure I want to go through this again!

 

[Elmer Fudd]

When I had guineas in Michigan they spent the winter in my barn next to a heat lamp. I set up a dog kennel with a tarp roof inside

 

[jcatblum]

My other 4 are still good, more ice coming Monday I think. Hope the other 4 stay dry & healthy. I haven't yet locked them inside, might consider it if the forecast doesn't change.

 

[wolfpak]

We had a -15 night about 6 wks ago, all of the guineas went into the coop except one. Blizzard like conditions that night. The sole guinea that spent the night out of the coop was found on the ground the next morning with its legs frozen solid and its tongue frozen to its beak.

I warmed the birds legs under a bit warmer than lukewarm water, to defrost, then noticed tongue frozen to beak. She was still alive. Defrosted her tongue with a couple drops of warm water, then wrapped her in a towel, set her in a dog bed in front of the fireblace, with a small heating pad set on low under her. Most of the day she laid there, gasping. Thought for sure she wasn't going to make it, but late that night she perked up, ate, drank, then slept in blankets, on the heating pad, in the dog bed for the night. Fairly good the next am.

After a few days I let her back outside, the other birds pecked & attacked a bit, but seemed to quit quickly. Two days later I took her back inside when she seemed to be faring poorly, huddled on the floor of the chicken coop in the corner. She seemed particularly thin, excessively so.
Several days later it seemed fairly nice outside, so I let her out, but about an hour later my husband found her cornered, several other guineas attacking her, and almost dead. Back in the house, washed her off, wrapped her up & put her back on the heating pad. She survived, but was covered in scabs on her head, and wattles are mostly gone. For a couple days it seemed the attack left her visual perception off, due to head trauma in the attack - the back of her neck/head had taken the brunt of the attack.

So for now she's living in a large metal dog crate, and seems perfectly content to watch the dogs come & go (they leave her alone, even if she's out. Dogs are very accustomed to the birds loose outside, totally non-aggressive towards them). We had another of the guineas get caught up in a bracket in the coop, breaking its leg, so she's now in the coop with #1. They curl up together, and seem perfectly content. One toe on one foot has dried up & turned black, but other than that, she seems healthy, & eats non-stop.

None of the other birds have had any issues with the below zero weather. The coop is insulated & the chickens & guineas peacefully co-exist in it. There are likely enough birds to roosting to keep adequately warm. As long as they're DRY, they're fine..... its getting wet that really affects their ability to stay warm on these bitter cold winter nights.

I'd do anything I could to get them cooped up where its dry at night when the temps are going to be extremely low!

 

[jcatblum]

wolfpak glad you were able to save yours. Mine are sleeping inside at night, but I think they just never recovered from playing outside when the rain, sleet, ice mixture was coming down.