Guineas and hawks

[R2elk]

Okay, redirected myself from the chicken side of things... As I posted there, my guineas never had a problem seeing off the raptors we have in Nova Scotia and that one quasi-attack I witnessed, with the hawk dropping down out of a spruce tree to try and spook a guinea family into scattering, didn't end too well for the hawk, since the male guinea came forward and was willing to fight. I just checked some photos and believe it was a goshawk that was involved that time. I remember being impressed that the male guinea was willing to take on a hawk that stood just as tall as himself...it was a touch bigger than a crow and seemed quite substantial. Anyway, ended in a stalemate at best and I can't recall a single other incident of any raptor genuinely threatening my own guineas, either adults or young, let alone succeeding in killing one. I also don't know anybody who's lost a guinea to a raptor, at least not hereabouts. Maybe they look too odd or move too differently compared to the fowl the local raptors are much more used to, the ruffed grouse and ring-necked pheasants that are actually fairly common where I live? Or maybe they're just really put off by the way guineas scream at them. I never saw a sitting raptor that lasted long once they'd been spotted by the guineas and vocally harassed and cursed at by the entire milling flock. Kind of like owls being mobbed by crows. They usually move on too, to try and find thicker, better concealing evergreens to sit in.

I do remember seeing a home video once of an eagle--bald, I think?--standing over the body of an adult guinea that it had reportedly just killed in the yard of the person videoing the action. And honestly, that's the ONLY case of an adult guinea being taken by a raptor that I know of...presuming the video was for real and not just a case of an already dead bird being tossed out and a passing eagle dropping down to enjoy some tasty carrion!

The teepee looks good, like a game bird shelter. Try scattering some white millet seed near and in the shelter to overcome your guineas' caution. Mine used to be absolutely nutz about white millet. It was like their version of crack or something, the way white bread is like crack to the chickens.

Owls are also raptors although night hunters. I lost my whole first flock of guineas to Great Horned Owls.

 

[R2elk]

As I mentioned in an earlier post when I was young my brother and I had a pigeon coop and an old farmer or my mom would drive us up to 30 miles away and release our birds with other coop's birds and they would circle once or twice and bang like an arrow they would start flying back. Crazy as it sounds some would beat us back just to be pacing back and forth not wanting to go into the trap( the bars that hung down so they could go in but the birds inside couldn't get out) and then some of the slower birds would land and bam, shoot right in. So like pigeons, i'm learning guineas know where they are they just get hung up on the final move in. I have quit trying to herd my birds in , it tends to get them more excited and confused(which they don't need) and just trust( like I did the pigeons) that they will coop. I've left a light out there and so far every evening about 9 or so I go out and they are all in, sometimes I watch them getting frustrated but they make there way in. I've also started grounding them when they don't go in at night but go in during the day I close the coop up and let them ponder (lol) their situation. Maybe a day or two in then back out , they don't seem to range as far and it seems to be working. Learning everyday about these crazy birds.

Herding guineas when done properly does not cause any stress. I can herd my guineas in at any time of the day. Waiting until too late can cause issues since they don't like to go into dark places. They do learn from repetition. Mine are at the point that all I have to do is tap my long stick on the ground and tell them to get in. It has even become somewhat of a game for them. If I am late getting to the coop, they will all be inside with a lookout watching for me. Once the lookout spots me they will all come back out before I can get to the coop. They then wait near the coop for me to herd them back in.

 

[R2elk]

Ooh, that’s rather gruesome! We heard that owls will only eat birds in flight, so wondered if that was true. New plan: leave guineas penned up while I’m out of town! They still need coaxing to get up the Chunnel and into in the coop at night

I have had owls sit in trees while dining on their prey whether it be a mouse, bunny or bird. Why on earth would they force a bird into flight when they already have it captured by cozying up right next to it? Since they eat lots of other prey that cannot fly, the idea that they will only eat birds in flight is definitely not true. The other issue is that they don't eat their prey while in flight.

 

[johnsonhillfarm]

I have a flock of 9 who turn 4 months old tomorrow. For the past 3 days have let them out and they follow me. They are very tame with me and I hope that did not mess them up! A hawk circled us today and they didn't really respond and make much noise or try to hide. O had an air horn and was able to scare it off and got them all back in chicken run/coop as fast as I could. Now I am so worried about letting them roam alone.​

 

[Sydney65]

Yes, I don’t know if @R2elk employs any hawk control measures in his large fenced area? My guineas don’t even have a fence, so those kind of measures aren’t as useful for my situation. Mostly, I’m relying on the guineas themselves to learn and adapt. That’s another reason I’ve wanted to introduce new keets via broody, so they can learn from the older birds. There are stories of guinea flocks that were “too stupid” to fly away from predators (like dogs) that kill most of a flock at one time. I am guessing that predator avoidance is both instinctual and learned in guinea fowl, and that those birds didn’t learn fast enough to fly away…

As for your corn fields - you’re giving me the heavier jeebies there! I always thought big Iowa corn fields were more boring than creepy! As a horror fan, you’re making me think I should go read Children of the Corn again…

Thank goodness they're all down now..I think. Atleast we have a chance at seeing what's out there.
@R2elk - I promised to wait until after Halloween, but did bust open a pumpkin for them today. They like it.

 

[R2elk]

Thank goodness they're all down now..I think. Atleast we have a chance at seeing what's out there.
@R2elk - I promised to wait until after Halloween, but did bust open a pumpkin for them today. They like it.

I don't do anything about hawks, owls or eagles other than to take their pictures. I don't often have hawks in here but when they do show up they are usually after the collared doves that have moved in. They are welcome to all the collared doves they can catch.

My guineas will do the what is it dance as they circle a pumpkin. They will not eat pumpkin at all. The chickens and turkeys won't wait for the pumpkins to get ripe before they start eating them.

All of the poultry will clean up the Russian Olives I knock onto the ground.

 

[R2elk]

I know I’m in the minority, but I don’t give pumpkins to our poultry. I actually give the guineas almost no produce, as I didn’t want to teach them to raid our gardens. The guineas will steal blueberries off the bushes, but eat almost no other of our fruits and veggies. Lest you think they are deprived, we planted a small field of winter wheat and turnips that they love, plus plenty of clover (see pic). They are enthusiastic grazers.

As for the chickens, I keep thinking of our nearby pumpkin farm that I took our kids to years ago. I told the farm owner that I wanted to buy her pumpkins to make a pie, and she stated that they use so many pesticides on their ornamental pumpkins that she wasn’t comfortable selling it to me to eat. That mirrored my own experience trying to grow pumpkins, because we can make them look great for awhile, but squash pests always show up eventually and give them a disease that rapidly kills the vines. Pumpkins are slow growing, so it would take a lot of pesticide (or row covers, I want to try that!) to keep it going long enough to get big pumpkins in our area. Anyway, while we give lots of leftover produce to our chickens, I don’t give them pumpkins due to presumed heavy pesticide use of the typical pumpkins left over from Halloween.

I grow lots of pumpkins and do not use any pesticides on them. I do use praying mantises.

Just a few of my pumpkins.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I grow lots of pumpkins and do not use any pesticides on them. I do use praying mantises.

Just a few of my pumpkins.
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WOW!!! Those are just gorgeous! The massive one in the wheelbarrow is just UNreal!!!

do you have the wilting virus spread by squash beetles there? How do you use the mantises?

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

No wilting disease here. I buy mantis egg cases in the spring and place them in the garden and various trees around the place.

The big pumpkiins are Big Moose. They are a short season pumpkin that is said to be able to get to 120 lbs. My biggest one this year was 123 3/4 lbs.

Well Big Moose is something else! Very impressive pumpkin!!!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I can see that being an issue in large production. Pumpkin growing for us has always been a curiosity. We don't can or eat them, but kids are always fascinated by a pumpkin patch. We don't use pesticides in the garden; the only thing the pumpkin patch got was whatever came out of the coop every day plus whatever they left behind while lounging under the canopy of leaves.
View attachment 2885333 (the 2 reg size pumpkins were store bought)View attachment 2885349

Wow! I’m envious of everyone else’s pumpkin growing abilities!