Here we go again!!!!

melroseladi

Songster
8 Years
Mar 17, 2011
744
59
143
Melrose, Florida
Well things have been moving along here on the homestead. My guineas are back out free-ranging which was a concern for me because my chicks are also big enough to be out free-ranging. After reading on here about potential problems between guineas and chickens I was a bit skeptical on what would happen. I have 2 hens and a rooster that are about 15 weeks old and 3 hens that are about 12 weeks old, along with my 2 silkies that are 6 months old.

Well when I let the guineas out the chickens let them know right off the bat that they are top around here. My little black silkie chased and pecked at Rocky, my alpha guinea. It was funny to watch. The rooster and the male guineas have not had any confrontations so far. For the most part the guineas run from the chickens and have not chased them back at all.

Sweet feed is working great as their "come home treat" and they have not taken to the trees to roost. BUT yesterday when I went in their pen to clean up a bit I found 4 eggs in the dogloo. EEEEK! I thought I would get a bit longer reprieve before they started laying again. I did remove the eggs though, my grandson wants to try them. I will mark the next few eggs and leave them in the nest and then remove any I find after that.
 
Quote:
Sweet feed? Is that the same we feed the horses and goats on occasion? Called COB by some.... Corn Oats and Barley with molasses, either wet or dry.

Glad the pecking order is being established... Those guineas are good at runnin away for sure.
 
Yeah that is it. They discovered my little Nubian buckling's sweet feed one day and boy I have to tell you I have tried everything as a lure to get them to come home and nothing worked except the dang sweet feed. They don't get much of it of course, but it gets them home from free-ranging, which given the little flock of hellions I have is a miracle in itself.
 
Quote:
Someone mentioned sweet feed on another thread. This is good very good. I have three Nigerian and one Pygmy goats I use COB dry to coax them back into their yard after some playtime in the driveway.... (we have big big big rocks they love bouncing on them) This means I wont have to buy yet another kind of feed..... Yay.
ya.gif
 
My adult birds all get sweet feed as a treat... I already have it on hand for my goats and horses, and it's fairly cheap. When it's on sale at tractor supply I stock up. The Guineas (and Turkey) eat it like candy, because...it IS candy, lol.

They hover around the horses' feeders/buckets snatching up any dropped nibbles they can, even after they've already just scarfed down their own share of it, lol. Only thing I worry about is the possibility of them choking on some of the larger rolled corn pieces, but so far so good.

I don't give it to my younger keets until they are about 10 wks old tho, cuz I don't know how to give a Guinea the Heimlich!
woot.gif
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom