Christmas Eve Loss

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I had a not so happy Christmas Eve - after a busy day of errands, I came home to find that I was missing a guinea. Of course, it was the six month old juvenile that I painstakingly acquired as a set of pricey eggs, stressed over when they hatched under the first time guinea mom (Welch) while I was out of town, and only got one of the sought after fancy colored birds from this hatch. Macbeth was a pastel or maybe copper bird, and I had planned to breed him to my pastel and slate hens this spring. He was one of the most vigorous of the new group of keets; I’m still on shock that I lost him. I don’t know what happened to him either - no obvious feather pile and no body by the road.

I’d like to keep the guineas penned for two weeks as it seems it must have been a predator attack - but I currently have no pen as I haven’t gotten around to rebuilding it after the ice storm. I’ve been trying to show good holiday cheer today for my family, but it’s been hard and I wasn’t very successful. I finally bailed and we made a frozen pizza for dinner instead of the fancier meal we had planned to cook. Hope you all had pleasant holidays and that your birds are doing well. RIP Macbeth; you were such a beautiful, happy, and healthy bird! I am really going to miss him.

 

[Callender Girl]

I am so sorry for the loss of MacBeth, and I know it cast a shadow over your holiday. He sounds like a wonderful, and well-loved bird who was cared for and nurtured during his life.

We had a blizzard here Wednesday, and although all the runner ducks were alive Thursday morning, early in the afternoon, I looked out and saw a still, dark form in the shelter. I think the cold, wind and snow just overcame Grace Kelly, who was always a little smaller and more delicate than the rest.

I'm sure pizza was enough for your family, and I wish you good luck with rebuilding your pen. Here's hoping you, your family and the rest of your flock have a better 2021.

 

[Sydney65]

I had a not so happy Christmas Eve - after a busy day of errands, I came home to find that I was missing a guinea. Of course, it was the six month old juvenile that I painstakingly acquired as a set of pricey eggs, stressed over when they hatched under the first time guinea mom (Welch) while I was out of town, and only got one of the sought after fancy colored birds from this hatch. Macbeth was a pastel or maybe copper bird, and I had planned to breed him to my pastel and slate hens this spring. He was one of the most vigorous of the new group of keets; I’m still on shock that I lost him. I don’t know what happened to him either - no obvious feather pile and no body by the road.

I’d like to keep the guineas penned for two weeks as it seems it must have been a predator attack - but I currently have no pen as I haven’t gotten around to rebuilding it after the ice storm. I’ve been trying to show good holiday cheer today for my family, but it’s been hard and I wasn’t very successful. I finally bailed and we made a frozen pizza for dinner instead of the fancier meal we had planned to cook. Hope you all had pleasant holidays and that your birds are doing well. RIP Macbeth; you were such a beautiful, happy, and healthy bird! I am really going to miss him.

Oh, Honey, I am so, so sorry. Sometimes when I'm sitting w/the others I think I hear a hen in the distance. For sure it's an illusion, but just for a second, I wonder if it cld be Lucy, bc like MacBeth, no body, no feathers.
I know you had high hopes for next season, so I think I'll say a few prayers & cross my fingers, just incase. Meanwhile, another time I wish we lived closer.

 

[My2butterflies]

I’m so sorry for the loss of your boy
I too hope maybe, just maybe, that he will return.

 

[TwoCrows]

Oh gosh, I am so sorry for your loss. Losing them is so hard on the heart, most non-poultry keepers just don't understand. My heart goes out to you.

 

[sunnie7]

I lost one on Christmas Eve as well. I lock mine up in a pen under my kids playhouse we made for them and I went to let them out and had one dead, frozen. It was down in the teens but last winter I never lost a bird like this. We put tarps up so I think that will help a lot.

 

[Sydney65]

I lost one on Christmas Eve as well. I lock mine up in a pen under my kids playhouse we made for them and I went to let them out and had one dead, frozen. It was down in the teens but last winter I never lost a bird like this. We put tarps up so I think that will help a lot.

I'm sorry you lost your little one. You can't be that far from me,& it was chilly for a couple of days at 11°.
It seems like if it was from the cold, you would have lost more or at the very least had some in poor condition, and goons are pretty resilient once grown.
The only reason I bring it up is the safety of those remaining, because a tarp is going to hold moisture in, & I'm pretty sure that's more of a hazard than cold because of frostbite and respiratory illness.

 

[sunnie7]

I'm sorry you lost your little one. You can't be that far from me,& it was chilly for a couple of days at 11°.
It seems like if it was from the cold, you would have lost more or at the very least had some in poor condition, and goons are pretty resilient once grown.
The only reason I bring it up is the safety of those remaining, because a tarp is going to hold moisture in, & I'm pretty sure that's more of a hazard than cold because of frostbite and respiratory illness.

We only wrapped 3 sides partially and left some good gaps for ventilation and cross wind to come through but covered enough to keep the drafts off them where they roost. I’ve had predators attack before and this wasn’t the case. No trauma, no feathers others went right back into their pen the next night. My flock of 14 now seems healthy and fine. I’m not sure what happened. I did have a tiny runt that would not grow for a really long time so im sure it had some genetic issues he finally caught up to the others and I have a hard time telling it apart, it could have been that one. It was also down to the single digits and the wind was really bad but in my 3 years with guineas now this is a first that I found one just frozen.

 

[Sydney65]

We only wrapped 3 sides partially and left some good gaps for ventilation and cross wind to come through but covered enough to keep the drafts off them where they roost. I’ve had predators attack before and this wasn’t the case. No trauma, no feathers others went right back into their pen the next night. My flock of 14 now seems healthy and fine. I’m not sure what happened. I did have a tiny runt that would not grow for a really long time so im sure it had some genetic issues he finally caught up to the others and I have a hard time telling it apart, it could have been that one. It was also down to the single digits and the wind was really bad but in my 3 years with guineas now this is a first that I found one just frozen.

We only wrapped 3 sides partially and left some good gaps for ventilation and cross wind to come through but covered enough to keep the drafts off them where they roost. I’ve had predators attack before and this wasn’t the case. No trauma, no feathers others went right back into their pen the next night. My flock of 14 now seems healthy and fine. I’m not sure what happened. I did have a tiny runt that would not grow for a really long time so im sure it had some genetic issues he finally caught up to the others and I have a hard time telling it apart, it could have been that one. It was also down to the single digits and the wind was really bad but in my 3 years with guineas now this is a first that I found one just frozen.

Did you have an outcast by chance? I'm so glad the others are doing well.

 

[sunnie7]

Did you have an outcast by chance? I'm so glad the others are doing well.

Not noticeably....I have 3 that were from last year and the others were hatched this past spring. They stick together as a whole group. They are too young so no male fighting during breeding season yet. This group I have trained really well they go into the pen every night on their own. If I’m out there with food or not. When I get home if they are down at the neighbors yard I holler “guinea, guinea, guinea” from my car and they come running/ flying and follow me up the driveway to our house. They literally stay at my feet at times (see photo, those are my feet....in my chicken boots!!!) Actually today for the first time one kinda flew up at me, startled me a bit. I don’t think it was trying to attack me idk what it was doing.