- Jun 5, 2013
- 11
- 1
- 24
I have 9 guineas still alive that free-range during the day and come into the coop on their own at night. I started with 16 and lost 4 the first day they arrived and 2 more a day later. They are 5 months old now.
Problems:
They wander into the road (55mph) and just hang around. They aren't afraid of cars and I've had to chase them back into the yard several times. They actually stop traffic and people honk and they just sit there. Buck-wheating. One guinea was hit and killed by a car already.
They attack the beta roosters. They all circle around the rooster that isn't in charge and kind of keeps to himself, and they just attack him. He can't hold his own and I've broken up the fights. I need to butcher the two beta roosters (easter eggers) so that may help, but they also chase around the alpha rooster from time to time, but he's a lot more flighty and confident (spangled hamburg).
THEY ARE SO **** NOISY!! Man, sometimes I can't even talk to someone next to me or get work done out in the barn because they are just going nuts! And it's not like they stop after a while. I read somewhere that they alert EVERYTHING that happens, even a leaf falling off a tree will set them off. I thought that person was just exaggerating, turns out I was wrong!
I got them for two reasons. Alert birds to help see hawks before the chickens do, since I let everyone free-range during the day, and eggs to eat as a bonus. Now I'm not sure it's worth it. I have roosters and a lot of cover so maybe that's enough for hawks. The electric fence keeps domestic dogs out, the only other common daytime predator I know of in my area. We also have a family of crows living near by, and I've heard they keep hawks away so I feed them peanuts and hope they stay.
I'm considering just eating the guineas and being done with them altogether.
/rant
Problems:
They wander into the road (55mph) and just hang around. They aren't afraid of cars and I've had to chase them back into the yard several times. They actually stop traffic and people honk and they just sit there. Buck-wheating. One guinea was hit and killed by a car already.
They attack the beta roosters. They all circle around the rooster that isn't in charge and kind of keeps to himself, and they just attack him. He can't hold his own and I've broken up the fights. I need to butcher the two beta roosters (easter eggers) so that may help, but they also chase around the alpha rooster from time to time, but he's a lot more flighty and confident (spangled hamburg).
THEY ARE SO **** NOISY!! Man, sometimes I can't even talk to someone next to me or get work done out in the barn because they are just going nuts! And it's not like they stop after a while. I read somewhere that they alert EVERYTHING that happens, even a leaf falling off a tree will set them off. I thought that person was just exaggerating, turns out I was wrong!
I got them for two reasons. Alert birds to help see hawks before the chickens do, since I let everyone free-range during the day, and eggs to eat as a bonus. Now I'm not sure it's worth it. I have roosters and a lot of cover so maybe that's enough for hawks. The electric fence keeps domestic dogs out, the only other common daytime predator I know of in my area. We also have a family of crows living near by, and I've heard they keep hawks away so I feed them peanuts and hope they stay.
I'm considering just eating the guineas and being done with them altogether.
/rant
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