Guinea sleeping on roof

[dudefromtampa]

My wife and I hatched 15 guinea fowl earlier this year and now they are about 6 months old. We have them a coop to sleep in and we let them out all day to roam. About 2 weeks ago, they stopped going into their coop at night and just started roosting on top of their coop. I've raised guinea fowl before and this happened with a bird here and a bird there but never the entire "confusion" of them. Just curious if anyone else out there has had a similar problem and how they dealt with it. With Winter around the corner, I better nip this in bud asap.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Vr

Joe

 

[R2elk]

My wife and I hatched 15 guinea fowl earlier this year and now they are about 6 months old. We have them a coop to sleep in and we let them out all day to roam. About 2 weeks ago, they stopped going into their coop at night and just started roosting on top of their coop. I've raised guinea fowl before and this happened with a bird here and a bird there but never the entire "confusion" of them. Just curious if anyone else out there has had a similar problem and how they dealt with it. With Winter around the corner, I better nip this in bud asap.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Vr

Joe

If you want to keep your guineas safe from nighttime predators, you need to teach them to roost in the coop rather than on it. Try putting them in earlier before they roost on the coop.

I coop trained mine by herding them into the coop every evening. You can also lure them in with treats.

 

[dudefromtampa]

Thank you. Sounds like good advice. I'll try this tonight.

 

[Sequestered Ridge Ranch]

If you don’t have one, get a light on in there on a timer. Mine will follow the ducks in since they are imprinted on each other or vice versus.

 

[R2elk]

If you put them in while it is still daylight, no light is needed.

 

[dudefromtampa]

If you want to keep your guineas safe my nighttime predators, you need to teach them to roost in the coop rather than on it. Try putting them in earlier before they roost on the coop.

I coop trained mine by herding them into the coop every evening. You can also lure them in with treats.

It worked. I used to herd them in before (when I had Guinea a few years back) but I never saw all of them roost on top of the coop like that before.

Thanks very much for your advice.

 

[tnctx]

My wife and I hatched 15 guinea fowl earlier this year and now they are about 6 months old. We have them a coop to sleep in and we let them out all day to roam. About 2 weeks ago, they stopped going into their coop at night and just started roosting on top of their coop. I've raised guinea fowl before and this happened with a bird here and a bird there but never the entire "confusion" of them. Just curious if anyone else out there has had a similar problem and how they dealt with it. With Winter around the corner, I better nip this in bud asap.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Vr

Joe

“confusion” LOL! Our confusion of 12 consists of Mama, Daddy and their five almost 11wk old babies which I now call the Goonies, plus five 4 mo old Boneheads. They’ve been roosting on the railing of a 2nd story covered deck. Suddenly last night they were all in the big live oak tree about 20 ft away. I don’t know why or which one decided that was what they were going to do. I know from watching them that Mama and s the boss of them all. But it’s going to start getting cold and I would like them to at least go back to the covered deck. @R2elk do you know why they did this and how to make them stop roosting in the tree? The Boneheads and Goonies have never been in the trees before last night.

 

[R2elk]

“confusion” LOL! Our confusion of 12 consists of Mama, Daddy and their five almost 11wk old babies which I now call the Goonies, plus five 4 mo old Boneheads. They’ve been roosting on the railing of a 2nd story covered deck. Suddenly last night they were all in the big live oak tree about 20 ft away. I don’t know why or which one decided that was what they were going to do. I know from watching them that Mama and s the boss of them all. But it’s going to start getting cold and I would like them to at least go back to the covered deck. @R2elk do you know why they did this and how to make them stop roosting in the tree? The Boneheads and Goonies have never been in the trees before last night.

Something bothered them. Perhaps a cat or an owl. If they were mine I would have never let them roost on the deck or in a tree. It is not a safe place. The only safe place is inside a predator proof building or coop.

The way to change their habits is to get them into the protected "coop" before it is time for them to roost. Herding them or luring them in with treats can work.

 

[tnctx]

Something bothered them. Perhaps a cat or an owl. If they were mine I would have never let them roost on the deck or in a tree. It is not a safe place. The only safe place is inside a predator proof building or coop.

The way to change their habits is to get them into the protected "coop" before it is time for them to roost. Herding them or luring them in with treats can work.

The plan was to enclose the deck for a permanent place for them. It’s not a people deck, it’s covered and on the second story. Mama has stayed in the tree most of the day just watching the flock from her perch. When we got Mama and Daddy in April it was our first experience with “owning” guineas. Just about everything I know about what I should do came AFTER we got them so it’s a miracle we still have 12! As always, thanks for your help, I appreciate your knowledge.

 

[dudefromtampa]

“confusion” LOL! Our confusion of 12 consists of Mama, Daddy and their five almost 11wk old babies which I now call the Goonies, plus five 4 mo old Boneheads. They’ve been roosting on the railing of a 2nd story covered deck. Suddenly last night they were all in the big live oak tree about 20 ft away. I don’t know why or which one decided that was what they were going to do. I know from watching them that Mama and s the boss of them all. But it’s going to start getting cold and I would like them to at least go back to the covered deck. @R2elk do you know why they did this and how to make them stop roosting in the tree? The Boneheads and Goonies have never been in the trees before last night.

Guinea are a quagmire