Guinea talk.

[pattyhen]

Welcome I've never had a turkey before and I hope you enjoy your guineas. Lappers do you mean the guineas sitting on your lap? We've had Spiderman and Mary Jane since they were 2 days old. I tried to hold them everyday when they were little to get used to people. Now Spiderman wants nothing more then to be plopped down in my lap. He loves to be held and talks constantly. Mary Jane is more stand offish but she wants to be beside Spiderman so she will jump up and sit beside him. They follow me around in the yard like dogs. They hang around the back door if I'm in the house and pace back and forth. If I open the door they will run in the livingroom and jump in their chair. They have a chair that they claim and perch on the back and chatter. They stay in the house for about 10 minutes then jump down and want to go back outside. It's like they just want to come in and visit a while. They are characters I love watching them they are so funny looking.

 

[GlennLee]

Hey folks my wife and I are turkey lovers but just bought a couple Guineas. We're wondering if it's possible to have lappers like we do with the turkeys? Our Guineas maybe too old by now but it would be kind of fun

Welcome Turkey parents! I'm not sure how old your Guineas are, but I ended up with one a little over a year old - never held and he's very skittish. I don't know if he'll ever sit in my lap. He's been here about a month in a half and I work with him several times a day. He tolerates me and will follow me while I ring a bell for his meal worms. He'll let me get about 6 inches away, but that's his limit. I don't know if that's typical for one that hasn't been handled, but that's been my experience. Have fun with them! They are very entertaining - not sure how they compare to your turkeys.

 

[Turkey parents]

Those are lappers alright! I just lost my Broad Breasted Bronze Hen Turkey, who used to sit on my lap watching T.V. talking to me. She had a bed on my nightstand for the really cold nights and knew exactly where it was. We had without thinking about it taught her to only drink from black bowls. I was a firefighter a few years back and suffer from a mild form PTSD from some of the stuff I dealt with she was therapy she was there to talk to me when I couldn't sleep because of the memories of those I couldn't save.

 

[GlennLee]

How old are they?

 

[pattyhen]

I'm sorry for the loss of your turkey. I would say the more you handle the guineas the more apt they will be to be lappers. You really need to start out with young guineas I think that would give you a better start.

I had a chicken that sounds a lot like your turkey. I lost her several years ago but I've never found another one that could replace her. Sometimes you just get those lucky and find that special bird.

 

[GlennLee]

So sad to hear that you lost your turkey - it sounds as though she was quite the companion. In time, I hope you are able to find one who you will be able to bond with and create new memories.

 

[pattyhen]

Is Henry still in jail? Are the babies doing better since you took the mean keet out?

 

[GlennLee]

Henry is still between the coop (shed) and the enclosed run. It's a pretty big area for him and he seems happy - he never rushes to get out the door and he likes the snacks I provide! Things are much better with the meanie removed. I'm beginning to think he/she was responsible for the 3 injuries I had right within the first two weeks - one was REALLY bad and I thought it wasn't going to make it. I had to set up a mini sick bay in a margarine tub in the middle of the brooding box! I'm still monitoring for injuries, but everyone just seems to be better with that one removed.

What have Mary Jane and Spiderman been up to today? Did you have wind and do they do okay with strong winds? I'll bet they are getting big now! You'll have to post another picture. I'll put a few up tomorrow to celebrate our 5 week mark. Thanks for checking in.

 

[pattyhen]

I'm so glad that Henry is home and safe. I'm glad you solved the aggression problem. He must have been the ring leader and I'm glad he didn't teach the others his bad ways.

The guineas don't seem to mind wind but they certainly don't like rain. Yes they are growing by leaps and bounds. We took pics of them the other day but they didn't turn out very good. They were to blurry to see. I'll try and get some pics of them tomorrow. I would love to see pics of your keets. Is the little one still in sick bay or did it get released yet?

 

[Turkey parents]

Our two Guineas are what I would guess to be around 6-7 weeks. I don't know how fast they grow or anything we have never thought about them before. We were told they weren't remotely tame and we like to be able to at least find our birds when they get out of the coup. My wife had dealt with Guineas during a year long stay in North Africa but didn't know what they were, she just recognized them and we both thought it might be an interesting experience.

Mars my turkey was a great companion very protective of me and knew how to chirp and whistle at me to make me smile. Her loss is still fresh but I have two juvenile Broad Breasted Bronze Turkeys and two Rio Grande Wild pullets that are trying to fill the void left by Mars. There will never be another like her but I can develop a new different relationship with a different bird hopefully a heritage bird as they tend to live longer than broad breasted birds