Guinneas that don't go 'home' to roost...Please help!

[KareyABohr]

A neighbor of ours gave my son 7 full grown guinnea hens and cocks that he no longer wanted. Because we live about 15 miles away I knew they wouldn't take off and fly home. The problem is that we keep them closed up in their own coop for over a week and yesterday my Son accidentally let them escape. Now they are roosted in the morton building and needless to say my DH is not super happy about Guinea fowl near his new truck or expensive farm equiptment.
Is there ANYTHING that I can do to get them to roost at night in the coop? Or am I just outta luck?

 

[ilovechickens]

Learning from experience on trial and err, I received 8 Guineas in November, at first I had them locked up for only a week, then I let them out with the chickens and boy did my chickens get a chase, I went on line to "Raising Guinea Fowl" and asked for their input. I was told to lock them in their confinement for 6 weeks, not to let them even go out in the pen until at least 4 weeks of lock up. Every night I would go out and shake a coffee can that had white millet in it, and gave them some every night. Their six weeks are up, and they are allowed outside, they stay near by, fly to a tree or visit the chickens, but they all come in and roost at night. You will have to catch them when they roost, confine them, and use the millet as a treat. Now all I do is get the can and shake it.

 

[KareyABohr]

That is a super good idea....any ideas on how to catch them in the rafters of the Morton building? LOL

 

[ilovechickens]

No, but they do have to eat, I didn't see where you are from, I have snow, so they eat in the pen. Make sure that their food is in the area that you want them, get some white (it has to be white millet) millet throw some up in the air at the birds, they love the stuff so much that they would lay their heads on a chopping block for the stuff, make a path to where you want them, throw some more in the pen and hopefully they will take the bait. I don't know how far the building is that they are in from your pen, but scatter and they will come Keep me posted.

 

[KareyABohr]

Iowa here.
It is working! I am a little foiled becaue a warm streak melted off most of our snow and uncovered some whole corn we threw out to the chickens, but they know the yard is where to eat now.
After they get all of that cleaned up there won't be anything left to eat except in their own coop!
Thanks so much for the great suggestions!