Help! Guineas have sores on their head.

[BoogieBug]

I have learned the reason for the guinea's sore heads. The guineas love to sleep in the very front corner of the tractor, up against the chicken wire. It always bothered me that they did not sleep in the covered part of the tractor because I felt they were susceptible to predators. This morning, as I approached the tractor, I saw half a carcass of a guinea laying there. Horrified, I ran up to see if the others were okay and there was only one left. ONE!!!

We believe it was a raccoon. I know they are very devious and while they could not get into the tractor through the chicken wire, it was able to drag pieces of them through the wire. I am having a difficult time trying to figure out how it got THREE of my guineas. WHY wouldn't the other three run into the back of the tractor when one got attacked?!?!? Well, at least one of them had the sense to get away.

I'm traumatized. My heart is broken. MY BABIES!!! I've been holding the surviving guinea and carrying him around for a while this morning trying to comfort him/her. NOW, my husband wants to put the fence up around them that I've been asking for for the past three weeks. I actually started putting the t-posts in the ground yesterday but only got two set. I am going to try to find this baby a new home with other guineas. I'm sick to my stomach. I don't want to do this again.

And here I was trying to protect them until they were bigger and able to fend for themselves. They never had a chance. I still cannot believe a raccoon was able to get THREE through the chicken wire.

Thanks, everyone, for your help.

 

[Joe Soslick]

I have learned the reason for the guinea's sore heads. The guineas love to sleep in the very front corner of the tractor, up against the chicken wire. It always bothered me that they did not sleep in the covered part of the tractor because I felt they were susceptible to predators. This morning, as I approached the tractor, I saw half a carcass of a guinea laying there. Horrified, I ran up to see if the others were okay and there was only one left. ONE!!!

We believe it was a raccoon. I know they are very devious and while they could not get into the tractor through the chicken wire, it was able to drag pieces of them through the wire. I am having a difficult time trying to figure out how it got THREE of my guineas. WHY wouldn't the other three run into the back of the tractor when one got attacked?!?!? Well, at least one of them had the sense to get away.

I'm traumatized. My heart is broken. MY BABIES!!! I've been holding the surviving guinea and carrying him around for a while this morning trying to comfort him/her. NOW, my husband wants to put the fence up around them that I've been asking for for the past three weeks. I actually started putting the t-posts in the ground yesterday but only got two set. I am going to try to find this baby a new home with other guineas. I'm sick to my stomach. I don't want to do this again.

And here I was trying to protect them until they were bigger and able to fend for themselves. They never had a chance. I still cannot believe a raccoon was able to get THREE through the chicken wire.

Thanks, everyone, for your help.

Wow, that's really awful to hear, very sorry you lost your baby guineas

That's unbelievable that the racoons could get them that easily through chicken wire... you can only hope the other few died trying to save their friend(s).

If you were near me I would happily house your guinea, but I do not believe that to be the case. Good luck finding a home for it, and hopefully you can try again in the future with the new knowledge you have about the 'coons.

 

[BoogieBug]

Wow, that's really awful to hear, very sorry you lost your baby guineas

That's unbelievable that the racoons could get them that easily through chicken wire... you can only hope the other few died trying to save their friend(s).

If you were near me I would happily house your guinea, but I do not believe that to be the case. Good luck finding a home for it, and hopefully you can try again in the future with the new knowledge you have about the 'coons.

I was wrong about the raccoon. It was a possum ... now a dead possum. The surviving guinea has been living in our home in a dog crate and is getting quite comfy. I'm out of town now but I'm still trying to find some companions for him/her.

 

[Joe Soslick]

I was wrong about the raccoon. It was a possum ... now a dead possum. The surviving guinea has been living in our home in a dog crate and is getting quite comfy. I'm out of town now but I'm still trying to find some companions for him/her.

Glad you got some revenge! Oddly enough, I took a shot at a possum about a week ago whom I saw wandering towards the coop right at twilight. Not sure if I got it, but I haven't seen it since.
Ironically, I also learned that possums (or opossums?) eat loads of ticks... so I'm on the fence about removing it entirely, but obviously they also destroy baby guineas. We choose our battles

 

[BoogieBug]

Glad you got some revenge! Oddly enough, I took a shot at a possum about a week ago whom I saw wandering towards the coop right at twilight. Not sure if I got it, but I haven't seen it since.
Ironically, I also learned that possums (or opossums?) eat loads of ticks... so I'm on the fence about removing it entirely, but obviously they also destroy baby guineas. We choose our battles

Good deal! Hope you got his sorry butt!! I just read that they also eat chickens .... full grown chickens!!! People have posted that they leave nothing but the feathers and that's exactly what happened with two of ours. It was like they vaporized except for the pile of feathers. Possums claws are so sharp that they lacerate the neck of their victim to immobilize them.

I picked up three 7-week old guineas this past weekend in So GA on may way back home from Florida and they are getting along with "Radar" - our lone survivor - beautifully. She is much happier now too!

I have also set up a game camera focused on the coop. We have fenced in the coop with chicken wire and bird netting over the top. I read that opossums don't like light so I'm leaving the back porch on.

We are also adding a second level of protection with heavier gauge welded-wire fencing with hot wires around around the outside of the chicken wire fencing. And finally, we have an alert system that rings in the house when motion is detected... and a 12 gauge sitting by the back door. We're ready if there are any more predators out there with their sites on my guineas!!

ha ha ha ha!!!

 

[Joe Soslick]

Good deal! Hope you got his sorry butt!! I just read that they also eat chickens .... full grown chickens!!! People have posted that they leave nothing but the feathers and that's exactly what happened with two of ours. It was like they vaporized except for the pile of feathers. Possums claws are so sharp that they lacerate the neck of their victim to immobilize them.

I picked up three 7-week old guineas this past weekend in So GA on may way back home from Florida and they are getting along with "Radar" - our lone survivor - beautifully. She is much happier now too!

I have also set up a game camera focused on the coop. We have fenced in the coop with chicken wire and bird netting over the top. I read that opossums don't like light so I'm leaving the back porch on.

We are also adding a second level of protection with heavier gauge welded-wire fencing with hot wires around around the outside of the chicken wire fencing. And finally, we have an alert system that rings in the house when motion is detected... and a 12 gauge sitting by the back door. We're ready if there are any more predators out there with their sites on my guineas!!

ha ha ha ha!!!

You have thoroughly covered your bases, very nice! Good luck with the newbies

 

[Krazyquilts]

Good deal! Hope you got his sorry butt!! I just read that they also eat chickens .... full grown chickens!!! People have posted that they leave nothing but the feathers and that's exactly what happened with two of ours. It was like they vaporized except for the pile of feathers. Possums claws are so sharp that they lacerate the neck of their victim to immobilize them.

I picked up three 7-week old guineas this past weekend in So GA on may way back home from Florida and they are getting along with "Radar" - our lone survivor - beautifully. She is much happier now too!

I have also set up a game camera focused on the coop. We have fenced in the coop with chicken wire and bird netting over the top. I read that opossums don't like light so I'm leaving the back porch on.

We are also adding a second level of protection with heavier gauge welded-wire fencing with hot wires around around the outside of the chicken wire fencing. And finally, we have an alert system that rings in the house when motion is detected... and a 12 gauge sitting by the back door. We're ready if there are any more predators out there with their sites on my guineas!!

ha ha ha ha!!!

You might want to think about using hardware cloth instead of chicken wire. Hardware cloth is more expensive but significantly more predator-proof since predators can't rip through it or stick their paws through it.

So sorry about your loss. :-( That must have awful for you to find.

 

[BoogieBug]

You might want to think about using hardware cloth instead of chicken wire. Hardware cloth is more expensive but significantly more predator-proof since predators can't rip through it or stick their paws through it.

So sorry about your loss. :-( That must have awful for you to find.

It was horrible! This is the lone survivor after I discovered what happened. She spent a week in the house with my husband. I was out of town.


Now we have a welded-wire fence outside of the chicken-wire fence, and three hot wires going around the pen. This is just a makeshift set-up for them; hence, the rake holding up the bird netting!!

We've never had guineas before so we're still in "testing the waters" mode. I wanted to see how they would affect the neighbors. HA! As it turns out, that's the least of my worries!! I underestimated the onslaught of predators! I knew we had them, just didn't expect them to be a problem until AFTER the guineas were out and about. A hawk was trying to get to them thru the pen recently and even though it was getting zapped by the hot wire and knocked backwards, it kept getting back up and lunging for the guineas until we came running out and scared it off.

If we decide we're going to get a bunch more, the guineas will definitely have a much more substantial and safe coop. With all the predators around here, I'm not sure they would ever be able to free-range and if that's the case, what's the point. My first batch, other than the lone survivor, never had a chance to free range. Breaks my heart. Plus, I don't think I can handle them getting mauled on a regular basis. I get too attached to my critters.

Time will tell.