Dumb fowl

[Pennsylvania girl]

Hi I’m new to this so bear with me. Guinea fowl adopted me after losing mate, there was 6 of the fowls in neighbor hood and she’s only one left. I call her Elliemae. They all came from a farm who just let them go. This winter is brutal here in Pa and she insists on sitting on a neighbor’s scaffolding in the night and was coming to me all day. Well since January 1st will not come back. Hasn’t eaten or drinks water from eaves of roof over there. Anything I can do. The next days are supposedly going to be dangerously cold. Will she survive? I feel horrible and have no means of catching her. She had a shed, coop heater, pine shavings and will not come back. She’s just a wild animal to neighbors. Blame the farm for not keeping them.

 

[R2elk]

Hi I’m new to this so bear with me. Guinea fowl adopted me after losing mate, there was 6 of the fowls in neighbor hood and she’s only one left. I call her Elliemae. They all came from a farm who just let them go. This winter is brutal here in Pa and she insists on sitting on a neighbor’s scaffolding in the night and was coming to me all day. Well since January 1st will not come back. Hasn’t eaten or drinks water from eaves of roof over there. Anything I can do. The next days are supposedly going to be dangerously cold. Will she survive? I feel horrible and have no means of catching her. She had a shed, coop heater, pine shavings and will not come back. She’s just a wild animal to neighbors. Blame the farm for not keeping them.

Providing supplemental heat to them prevents them from properly acclimating to the cold temperatures.

Guinea fowl that do not get supplemental heat are very cold hardy. Mine routinely went through -20°F to -30°F every winter without any problems.

What they do have a problem with is snow. They will take to high places and not come down to the ground if it is snow covered.

I and others have been successful in getting them down from trees, etc. by spreading straw or hay on the snow as a landing zone.

 

[AGeese]

You could also try animal control, unless you're in a county that recommends handling it yourself.

 

[Pennsylvania girl]

She had it very cozy here. I seen her drinking water from the eaves of that house I felt bad and don’t know if she’s eating. She came down from there for a couple hours and went back up. Hoping she knows how to take care of herself. It’s going to be -4 here.

 

[R2elk]

She had it very cozy here. I seen her drinking water from the eaves of that house I felt bad and don’t know if she’s eating. She came down from there for a couple hours and went back up. Hoping she knows how to take care of herself. It’s going to be -4 here.

Guineas can handle -4⁰F without any trouble. They huddle down on their feet and stick their heads under their wings.

 

[Gill-b]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens, @Pennsylvania girl. It is nice to have you join us; just saddened over the reason for your joining. The compassion that you have for this lone Guinea shines through in your words, and it is wonderful. Thank you for caring as you do. Please keep us updated, and I am wishing you both all the best with this challenge.

Thank you @R2elk, for your reassurance that Guineas can handle such cold weather. I had no idea they could and I found the information interesting.

 

[Pennsylvania girl]

I have grown very attached to this guinea. She came here 3 years ago with a mate and lost him/her, don’t know which it is. I lost my husband last year too. I can’t believe how dumb these birds are, but they are funny. The neighbors house she’s at don’t like her so go figure. She is under a roof and drinking eaves water, but no food. They say lone Guinea will not survive well it’s been over a year.

 

[Sydney65]

I have grown very attached to this guinea. She came here 3 years ago with a mate and lost him/her, don’t know which it is. I lost my husband last year too. I can’t believe how dumb these birds are, but they are funny. The neighbors house she’s at don’t like her so go figure. She is under a roof and drinking eaves water, but no food. They say lone Guinea will not survive well it’s been over a

They can survive in the cold, but not free of consequences. Frostbite is a very real issue, as is hypothermia and dehydration.
She must be getting food somehow, probably litter in the same gutter she's drinking from. Most likely something frightened her in the shed causing her to abandon it, whether a furry predator or a snake.
If she's under a roof, she's found shelter to keep her dry; that's significant in survival.They can tolerate cold, but not wet and cold.
With their eyes on the sides of their head, the have monocular vision, meaning they can only see out of one eye at a time. This is great for scanning large areas at a time with sharp detail.
Because no one has ever got a straight answer from a guinea on the subject, I will only say that it *is suspected* that when winter days are cloudy and there's snow or frost on the ground, this monocular vision works against them. Everything is white, so determining up and down becomes frightening. Hence the pathway R2 mentioned.
I've also played recordings of guineas calling to coax them down. Nothing is guaranteed every time, but soometimes they work.
Make sure the shed is safe from predators, & if she returns to it, keep her lock in for a few weeks so she learns this is home. That way she'll return to it nightly on her own so you can close her in for her safety. In addition to monocular vision, they can't see in the dark, so a guinea sleeping outside is easy prey.

 

[Gill-b]

Everything is white, so determining up and down becomes frightening.

This is a very good point. I personally know Helicopter pilots who have flown over the continent of Antarctica to suffer this. Without the use of the helicopter instruments they could not determine up and down either (white sky, white ground), so what you have stated makes perfect sense.

I've also played recordings of guineas calling to coax them down.

This is a GREAT idea!!

I wish I had thought of it.

 

[Pennsylvania girl]

She has been in this shed before and always insists on sleeping at the neighbors they’re in Florida now. I would open the shed through daylight and then close it at night.i have also played Guinea recordings too and no luck. She won’t move. She’s drinking water from the eaves, but don’t know when she ate last. The good news is we’re going to start at least going into 30’s, 40’s after Thursday I just hope she survives. The thing is she sees snow she might not move. I’m also worried about frostbite.she’s on scaffolding under a wave of the roof and I see her moving around. I feel if the farmer took care of them in the first place, she would be on her farm. She’s really not mine, but I feel bad.