Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[ozexpat]

oz is this cheaper than what you get? http://www.revivalanimal.com/Ivomec...c31234_d_412&gclid=COWlnOe-l7wCFRAS7AodPUQAaQ

A2-AP Agrimectin Pour-On, 250 mL Each $14.95

http://www.jefferspet.com/agrimectin-pour-on/camid/LIV/cp/0041084/cn/31002/

Orders under $60 will incur a flat $6 Service Charge to cover shipping and handling and orders$60 or more are eligible for Free Economy Shipping. Standard Ground will be available for an additional $4.99 for customers who prefer quicker transit.

 

[Ashburnham]

LOL, ours have survived -15 temps (colder with the wind chill) in an unheated coop and have been just fine. They don't go outside when its that cold...and when there's snow on the ground.

Your temperatures over there amaze me.
I don't know how you and your livestock can survive.
The coldest temp ever recorded here is -4 Celsius.


xxxxx M

 

[Ashburnham]

Hey, Oz, before you eat those young males........ I have had many Guineas over the years and they are not like chickens.

Mine tended to pair off and became very attached to each other. In the spring, the males like to spar and chase each other to compete for the females but once a mate is chosen, they stick together like glue. It was very sad to see a female, that didn't have a mate, tagging along with a pair. The male didn't mind, and would service the second female, but if she went broody he would not guard her and her nest. The Guinea hens tend to go broody according to rank. They all lay in the same nest, then when there are a bunch of eggs, the top hen will start to sit, and the male will stand guard. Also, the primary female in a "pair and a spare" group would try viciously to run the other female off, all the time. Spare males, on the other hand, spent all their time trying to mate with another male's girl, fighting, and chasing each other.
They would fight and seriously hurt the roosters and also attack and molest the chicken hens.

I think it is better to have pairs, and maybe just a few extra girls, but don't take my word for it, ask around to be sure. I ended up with only three males (the hens will make their nests in the wood, or hide them in fields, and will not come in to roost at night. Something always found them and killed them during the night. The three males nearly drove me nuts, chasing each other, fighting with the roosters and hens, and screaming constantly, so I decided not to get more.

I kept Guineas for many years and I agree with this advice.
Eventually I ended up with a a flock of males only as the females all
made secret nests out in the paddock, and all were taken by foxes when they started sitting.

 

[Wisher1000]

I had very good luck with the method I used, so I will share it. I found that they imprint on the place they are brooded. I brooded them in in a large cardboard box in the garage when they were still fuzzy, but moved them, box and all, to the coop as soon as they could be without a lamp. They were allowed to roam inside the coop but still sleep in the box at night. Eventually, they started roosting in the rafters above the box, but would still spend time in and on the box until it was flattened by their weight. Then I started letting them out for an hour or two before dark and they went back to roost on their own. After that, they would go in to roost as long as the door was open. If it was accidentally closed, they would roost in the trees outside the coop. I trained them to fly down from the trees (or roof) by giving the command "Git off tha' ROO-OOF!" then squirting them with the garden hose. I did this when they started flying up there when they were young. I didn't want them to poop on the roof because it looks bad. I was amazed that it worked when they went up into the trees. I sometimes had to knock them out of the trees with a collapsible survey pole

 

[perchie.girl]

Looks like I may be able to do guineas again this year I agree about the ratio....... My flock stays in and will have a net over a large run.

deb

 

[ozexpat]

Fun times ahead with Guineas!

My parents in law had them for many years in Kabankalan but as no one was there to keep an eye on them, they fell victim to dogs when they were nesting wildly.

I hope I can atleast self perpetuate a small flock

 

[ozexpat]

So as I am all inspired by the new fruit trees and the garden growing veggies, I spent some down time on the net and ordered a few unusual trees, shrubs, vines and plants with edible components:

Carica papaya - Waimanalo Dwarf Papaya
Cymbopogon winterianus - Citronella Grass
Harpephyllum caffrum - Kaffir Plum
Laurus nobilis - Bay Leaf
lettaria cardamomum - Cardamom
Muntingia calabura - Strawberry Tree
Opuntia ficus-indica - Prickly Pear
Passiflora mollissima - Banana Passion Fruit
Rollinia deliciosa - Biriba
Solanum integrifolium - Pumpkin Tree
Ziziphus mauritiana - Indian Jujube

 

[ozexpat]

for those of you complaining about the cold

you could always move.

lots available next to mine...

 

[Sweetpea3829]

Your temperatures over there amaze me.
I don't know how you and your livestock can survive.
The coldest temp ever recorded here is -4 Celsius.


xxxxx M

Just for clarity, we were at -15 F!!!! Honestly, I don't remember how to convert from F to C so I'm not sure how cold that is in Celsius. But either way, it's been freaking cold.

 

[Wisher1000]

lots available next to mine...

If there are lots available next to yours, why not expand?