Dewinging guineas?

[javaferret]

Ok so after looking at various hatcheries and finding the one I want to order chicks for next spring, I started looking at the guineas they offer (Ideal) and they have a button to check if you want to debeak and dewing. What is dewinging? I am guessing its not clipping flight feathers because well they are baby keets and do not have feathers yet

Do they really mean to some how cut off part of their wings? I just never seen that before and am kinda horrified (but ya I know how hard it is to keep the lil buggers at home base, my aunt lost all her guineas to the road, even tho they had an acre and half to themselves to hang out).

Bonus follow up question I do want to get guineas for bug control and will have 5 acres for them to work on, what would be the best way to keep them at home without completely fencing all that land? Keep a handful in a permeant enclosure and hope the rest come back to roost?

Thanks!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Sounds like that is the term they have opted to use for pinioning - if you google pinioning you'll have a better idea of what it is they are offering to do to the birds. Honestly, I'm surprised they've labeled it that way because it is so in your face/graphic as opposed to the more "technical" and less specific terms that can be used to make it seem less like what it is
*I* am not a fan of pinioning at all - nor do I support other "cosmetic" alterations that can be done to animals.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

ETA - as horrifying as it may be to think of it being done to "just a baby" - the fact of the matter is that *IF* it is going to be done, it is best done at the earliest possible point in life as it is actually less traumatic as it is taking place at a time when the parts involved are smaller, more easily severed and the body is already at a point of tremendous growth and development leading to rapid repair/recovery.

 

[javaferret]

Thank you! I looked pinioning up and still kind of horrible sounding to me, but I understand what you mean about it being not so bad on a newly hatched due to quick healing and less bleeding from it and hopefully won't be traumatized by the procedure. My mom worked for the ASPCA all my life and probably would ground me as an adult if I even considered ordering this to be done. Though I guess if my aunt had this done to hers, they would not have died horribly by the cars on the road and stayed in her fences like her chunky chickens that were too plump to even consider lift off, ok ok they were cochins and big boned

How high of a fence/netting would be needed to be to keep in guineas?

 

[MakeshiftAcre]

Fences only keep in guineas when they don't remember they can fly. One is stomping around on my roof right now.

 

[chickchick8]

I read somewhere, maybe on the guinea fowl association forum, that the only way to keep guineas out of the road was to build them their own. Not saying it works for all of them, but it sure has helped here!

Mine will follow ANYONE anywhere: people who pull off to fix their car, bikers, random walkers....it was getting pretty scary. One missed a car literally by feet. I pulled the box blade out and made something of a road around the back of my limited property and they haven't been back to the real road since.

Good luck, they're fun but craaaaazy!

 

[hyelaw]

Mine will follow ANYONE anywhere:

Mine are the exact opposite, usually running away from anyone or anything, particularly me. Unless I have treats in my hand...

 

[chickchick8]

Mine are the exact opposite, usually running away from anyone or anything, particularly me. Unless I have treats in my hand...

My guys are weirdos. I think I babied them too much. One of them loves to be petted. He will sit on your lap and fall asleep while you pet him. And if you leave them to go in the house they'll sit in the window sill and scream.

Weirdos.

 

[hyelaw]

My guys are weirdos. I think I babied them too much. One of them loves to be petted. He will sit on your lap and fall asleep while you pet him. And if you leave them to go in the house they'll sit in the window sill and scream.

Weirdos.

I'm not sure there is a thing as too much babying. It's probably a good thing! I tried, but well, yeah, it didn't work. My bronze turkey loves to be pet and does run to me when I go outside. I tried to pet the guineas this weekend and they didn't run (too busy eating bugs) but they just ignored it.

And the guineas have discovered the porch and the deck, but I'm not sure they've made the connection that I'm inside the house.