Guinea talk.

[pattyhen]

Congrats on your new hatch. I would love to see pics of them if possible. Those are going to be some pretty guineas all those different colors.

I know this is off topic but I want to share a pic of my baby turtle Squrtle visiting the fairy garden.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Lol my mom had a red eared slider named Squirtle.

I'll be posting some pics tomorrow morning because I need help figuring out some of the colors. Right now some are a bit crusty and need to be cleaned up.

 

[charid]

Yes, my fears were confirmed just a while ago. I let the dog out and he ran across the street into the field, stopping about ten feet in. I walked to see what he was looking at and it was a pile of his feathers. Hopefully he was carried away already dead rather than attacked. I knew he was no match for predators and I regret letting him out, despite how distressed he was.

On the upside, I hatched out 23 new keets yesterday and today, most being new colors to add to my flock. 14 are blue, buff, chocolate, etc, and I wish I could keep them all! That would put me at 21 guineas, though, and their coop isn't big enough for that (6x8), especially once the snow hits. Though, next month makes one year since I have started free ranging guineas and I have lost ten in that time. So, it may seem like a lot now, but I know the number will fall.

I wish they weren't so dang loud, though. It doesn't bother me the majority of the time, but I know the sound carries. At night I think they are saying "Here I am, come eat me!" Why else would you give away your location to every predator within miles?

Many predatory animals are efficient killers. His suffering would not have been too long.

I am also anxious to make it to spring. I can lose a bird a day out here. The hunting season has evolved. Owls are out sooner or later into the day. Raccoons every hour of the day and night as their population explodes due to neighbors feeding them. Yep. People feeding raccoons. It's nuts.

I am going to attempt to limit free ranging to 4 hrs a day on work days, maybe 3-7pm and 6 hrs on off days, 1-7, but I am afraid this might only confuse them. Or perhaps attempt partial releases. Though I can only imagine how challenging and time consuming that will be.

 

[charid]

@pattyhen

Cute squirtle.


So baby made another come back. I guess he just has his days where he needs to catch up on rest. I have gotten better at noticing his exhaustion. I bring him into the "bird room" where he has a room made up inside the bedroom. He can run as he pleases. The floor is cushioned. Windows open. His buddy outside chirps to him. He chirps back. Eventually conks out for 6-12 hours. And when he is up finally and running around like a nut, I put him out with the other babies, together but separate, and he responds very positively.

Today he was walking tall all day so before I freak out and write a post about baby dying I now know that tomorrow he is going to be dead tired and will lay like a biscuit for 6hrs with eyes open. His cage mates are too loud and he can't sleep. I am catching on though.

His legs are straightening out, slowly but surely. Vet set me back 4 weeks but in just 2 days of rehab he was improved by leaps and bounds. He is very small for 7.5 wks old. His lack of growth is a blessing. It is the only reason that he can still make a full recovery and unless he does something foolish or over exerting,it looks like he may.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

@pattyhen

Cute squirtle.


So baby made another come back. I guess he just has his days where he needs to catch up on rest. I have gotten better at noticing his exhaustion. I bring him into the "bird room" where he has a room made up inside the bedroom. He can run as he pleases. The floor is cushioned. Windows open. His buddy outside chirps to him. He chirps back. Eventually conks out for 6-12 hours. And when he is up finally and running around like a nut, I put him out with the other babies, together but separate, and he responds very positively.

Today he was walking tall all day so before I freak out and write a post about baby dying I now know that tomorrow he is going to be dead tired and will lay like a biscuit for 6hrs with eyes open. His cage mates are too loud and he can't sleep. I am catching on though.

His legs are straightening out, slowly but surely. Vet set me back 4 weeks but in just 2 days of rehab he was improved by leaps and bounds. He is very small for 7.5 wks old. His lack of growth is a blessing. It is the only reason that he can still make a full recovery and unless he does something foolish or over exerting,it looks like he may.

I'm glad you have been willing to put the time and effort into his recovery, and that he is doing so well. After all that, I would be nervous about when he starts free ranging. I know what you mean about the predators this time of year and on into the winter.

Yesterday I was standing outside with my husband and the three adult guineas were in the soybean field collecting creepy crawlies when suddenly they screamed and came flying back to our property. So, the foxes are out pretty early. I think that was around 6:30pm. My current juveniles hang with the turkeys and chickens, which is a blessing. I need them to stay out of the cross for as long as possible. Last year I had a lot of hawk problems starting this time of year, though. Maybe the crops give their normal prey too much cover.

I think I too need to come up with a limited free range schedule. Easy now, since I'm unemployed, but I'm nervous about when I head back to work and the days are super short.

 

[pattyhen]

Thanks for the update on Baby and I am so happy he is doing so well. He has come a long way and it sounds like he is a trooper. Thanks to you and all your effort and time you have spent with him. Bless your heart for being there for him. He is one special guinea that is for sure. I would love to see a pic of him if it's not to much.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Here is a pic some of the new babies (one each of six colors, not including the pearl pieds and pearls). I'll be posting for color help in another thread.

 

[pattyhen]

Wow I love those colors. They are so pretty. I wonder what Spiderman would think if we had a purple or lavendar guinea strolling around the yard. Mary Jane would probably be so jealous. Thanks for sharing their pics.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I thought I'd share a picture of one of my annoying 3 months old. Guess what obnoxious sound she's making?

And here is my baby that is in the TLC unit. She had a curled foot and I bandaged it but she's still having trouble getting the strength to stand all the way up instead of walking on her hocks, and she falls over pretty regularly. So we snuggle a lot and I make sure she eats and drinks and does walking exercises. Her tendons feel tight on the bandaged leg so I do some light stretching to it.

Lastly, pictures of a couple of the 10 day olds as they free range with the chicks

 

[pattyhen]

Don't you just love their sweet little voices.

She's very pretty.

The baby with the crooked foot is in good hands. I hope he heels fast.

How are the keets getting along with the chicks? They are so cute togeather.

Thanks for sharing the pics.