Guinea Keets Coming Soon...Have Arrived!

[SunHwaKwon]

How exciting! Why not just open the door to the run and keep the run in place in case you need it?

 

[DeAnzaJig]

That is a very logical question.

The best answer is because the pen is going to be moved to the right side of the guinea coop shortly and the guineas will have a door on that side to enter it. The door that opens into the pen now was just supposed to open into the yard and my father thought it best not to confuse them by having to go out the pen door into the yard.

But I think because I am brand new to guineas I am over complicating things, and my father is involved so there is a second opinion, so there really is no good answer.

My dad did come up this evening and take down the side of the fence by the guinea door. Tomorrow the guineas will be free to explore the yard. I hope the weather is nice so I can sit outside and watch the fun!

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Congrats I have four to six more weeks before I reach that point with my guineas. For now I am content to sit in the coop and watch them and the chicks. Oddly, its very relaxing! I know I'll be excited (and nervous) the first time I let them out.

 

[DeAnzaJig]

Today was the day I have been looking forward to ever since I realized I was finally at the right place in my life to get guineas...about a year ago.

My guineas were going to begin free ranging!

This morning a little before 7 am I went down to open the guinea door and change the water. First out the door was the Big Fat Chick and then one by one each of the 13 guineas appeared. They formed their flock and immediately began exploring the yard. They buck-wheated, they picked at grass, they picked at bugs, and they had a grand time.

I was lucky enough to have 2 free hours this morning where I just sat in my lawn chair and watched them move around. It was very satisfying.

The kids and I went out and called them over to us and fed them some millet. They aren't jumping up on our shoulders or wanting to be petted, but they come around us, and that felt like a small success.

I was in and out all day, but saw them take a trip back in the coop for a little bit.

The sky was overcast and it began to rain in the late afternoon. I expected them to head back into the coop, but they stayed outside and hung around under the leafy bushes near the coop. As soon as the rain let up they were pecking away in the yard.

I was so curious to see what would happen when it got dark.

As I was putting the kids to bed, I heard them march around the house squawking and when I looked out they were heading towards the coop. Big Fat Chick led the way and one by one more than half hopped up inside. I watched for about 10 more minutes while the rest went around to the other side of the coop and hung out. Two even flew up and perched on the edge of the coop roof.

I decided to head down and break out the millet to get the rest inside. First I reached up and got the 2 perchers off their roost. In hind sight I wish I had just left them and tried to call them in with millet. Next I marched them around to the guinea door and told them to go to bed...and three of them jumped in! With only three left I went into the coop and broke out the millet. Pretty soon the last three stragglers hopped in! I fed them millet, left the coop, and shut the guinea door for the night!

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I feel silly but that was so exciting to read!

Around 2 o'clock every day my guineas like to settle in and take a nap. They have had that routine since they were days old. Has that ever been/is it still a habit of your flock?

 

[DeAnzaJig]

I'm so happy you are enjoying this! Thanks for the ovations...you make me blush.

I never really noticed any patterns to the meets sleeping, but I have two children who are 3 and 5, so I think the keets would catch their zzz' when we were out of the house. If I did catch them napping, it was short lived when the kids showed up!

My favorite thing to watch was them going to bed at night as they were learning to roost. It was so odd to see a keet asleep on the roost with her head just dangling down.

 

[DeAnzaJig]

Ok, so after I posted my inaugural free range day post yesterday I started to wonder if there would be anything else left to say. Well, I should have known the guineas would not let that happen!

Day 2 of free range started like Day 1.... Birds buck-wheating at full volume around 6:30 am. I walk down to the coop, open the bird door, out they march, and I change their water and add some food to the feeder.

I watch them walk around the yard and head back inside. I go about my business when I hear a lot of squwaking in the right corner of the front yard. Sure enough the flock was advancing towards the edge of the driveway. Now yesterday they didn't walk on the driveway, just turned around and headed back from where they came. Today was different!

They walked right around the corner of the wooded area and out to the edge of the road. I see this and think Nuts! I need to get those birds back in the yard before they get hit, wander off, etc. I run out and try to entice them back with calls of Guinea, Guinea and they cross the road to the mailbox! Now I am standing there watching as they head down the street and a neighbor drives by and says he sees I got my guineas and talks a bit about guineas he had. He also gave me good advice...guineas are less likely to get hit on the road than chickens. Bad news for Big fat Chick who is out there, but good news for the guineas. I realize I am making no progress by standing in the middle of the road like a crazy woman and head back inside as I watch my flock head down the road.

By the time I got inside I realized two things. #1 My guineas are free range. I am not going to be babysitting them all day. They need to use their bird sense to make this work. #2 If my entire flock of Guineas march off down the road to a new home never to be seen again, it's time to convert the coop into a rotational pasture system for chickens.

Lo and behold, not 10 minutes later I hear the familiar buck-wheat and the whole flock came around the corner of my house and headed into the backyard!

The rest of Day 2 was thankfully uneventful. The birds worked around the yard and by 6:45 pm had all gone into the coop for the night. The kids and I went out, gave them some millet, and shut the bird door for the night.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I was nervous reading that but I'm glad all turned out well. I'll be the same way, I know. I have tried to prepare myself for some losses from the start but I'm still hoping for the best. Are you going to get any more chickens?

 

[DeAnzaJig]

My original keet order was 18. I, too, had planned on losses. I only have 13 now because the hatchery had a problem getting live keets to me.


I hadn't ever thought I wanted chickens, but this summer I got on a two egg white a morning kick and my daughter and son really loved Big Fat Chick. BFC was the only chicken that made it to us alive. So now I am committed to getting 6 female chicks to raise with the kids into friendly egg laying hen next spring.

 

[DeAnzaJig]

Day 3 of the Free Ranging Diaries!

Morning starts off fine. Everyone comes out and gets to work.

Around 9 am I go out for my jog, and guess who I see in the neighbors yard? That's right! The Flock. They are pecking away near the strips of trees and brush that separate our land. As soon as they see me they start running at me, so I guide them back to my yard out of sight and go on my run. Now we don't really have any neighbors there, because the house has been for sale since we moved in. Why the guineas must go there instead of the huge field with pond on the opposite side is beyond me.

Fast forward to 4 pm. I notice things are very quiet. Too quiet. So I scan the yard for the Flock and not a feather to be seen. I remind myself they are free range birds and hope for the best. It starts to rain and no birds. At 5:30 pm, I stand on my front porch and call Guinea, Guinea! I hear them squawking across the road. But they don't come to me, so I go in to feed the kids. Afterwards, we go out and call them. Lots of noise, but no birds.

I tell the kids to stay put and I go across the street. I can just barely see one or two through the thick brush. So like the crazy guinea I have now become I grab a stick and beat down a hole in the brush. I start calling the guineas and the brains of the bunch, Big Fat Chick Rooster (he crowed his first crow today!), muscles through to the front and leads the parade out. I get them across the street back to the yard, the kids cheer, and the birds make a run for the coop with my son on their heels. I feed them some millet and shut the bird door.

I think they might have stayed stuck there all night! I hope this is just a case of youthful ignorance.