How to get Guineas to go in to the coop at night?

[cowcreekgeek]

I feel a lot better now that I've gotten the guineas to go into the coop at night. I just added this solar powered light to the coop and now they go in on their own without having me to shoo them off the door. I bought it off eBay:

I let it charge up on my front porch banister all day yesterday and then mounted it at the back of the run and pointed it due south before dark late yesterday afternoon. I turned it on about 5:30 or so just as it was getting dark and everyone went inside for the night. When I came back out at 9:00 the light was still going when I closed the pop door on the coop. It was out when I opened the door this morning at 6:00 to let them out. I need to rig up a longer chain to turn it off because so I don't have to reach inside and scare them off their roosts to turn it off.

Good news, and good idea ... although you could just drill a hole to drop a cord through? You could relocate the power switch or, better still, use a light sensor + a timer, so it's come on when it begins to get dark, 'n go off on it's own (you could pick up one of the cheap led landscaping lights, 'n wire it up as the controller ~'-)

 

[JimWWhite]

Good Idea! This particular light has a nylon cord running back inside the light unit to turn it on or off. The cord is about 3 feet long so I just ran a couple of eye-hooks along the rafter inside the coop and added a small lead weight at the end right at the door opening. Now when I go out to do the final headcount and lockup at night I just have to open the door just enough to reach in and give it a tug to turn off the light. But still the guineas are skittish and still want to jump down from the roost but I figure they'll quit that once they see no one's coming to get them.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

Good Idea! This particular light has a nylon cord running back inside the light unit to turn it on or off. The cord is about 3 feet long so I just ran a couple of eye-hooks along the rafter inside the coop and added a small lead weight at the end right at the door opening. Now when I go out to do the final headcount and lockup at night I just have to open the door just enough to reach in and give it a tug to turn off the light. But still the guineas are skittish and still want to jump down from the roost but I figure they'll quit that once they see no one's coming to get them.

I'd guess (which is mostly all I can do, w/ my limited experience) is that disturbing them a bit does 'em some good. One of the things I've been tryin' to do is force everyone to let me handle them ... some of the guineas will still climb into my hands, although that'll probably end once they finish growin' up. Even some of the chickens are still skiddish, to the point of thinkin' they're gonna become supper ... which they might, if they continue misbehaviors.

 

[JLeigh]

I think disturbing them just disturbs them. Lol. But it's a good experiment.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

I think disturbing them just disturbs them. Lol. But it's a good experiment.

You're guineas were more fortunate, in that they were born into a life of luxurious accommodations, delicious treats and a relaxing environment. Mine, however, weren't so lucky ... they've learned to live where I put 'em, eat what I want 'em to, and tolerate my constantly pickin' on 'em. None of these lil' guys/gals ain't even earned numbers all their own yet -- I just call whichever one I get hold of first #1, and continue 'til I run out of birds to manipulate ~'-)

 

[PeepsCA]

IME the more tame/calm/trusting the Guineas are... the less alert, aware of danger and predators they can be as well (and the shorter their lifespan can be because of that).

Being skittish by nature is hardwired into their survival instincts, so I prefer not to mess with that. I've learned to let Guineas be Guineas and just work around their wild nature.
If I feel the need to hold/pet/cuddle a bird I'll just go grab one of my Silkies, lol.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

IME the more tame/calm/trusting the Guineas are... the less alert, aware of danger and predators they can be as well (and the shorter their lifespan can be because of that).

Being skittish by nature is hardwired into their survival instincts, so I prefer not to mess with that. I've learned to let Guineas be Guineas and just work around their wild nature.
If I feel the need to hold/pet/cuddle a bird I'll just go grab one of my Silkies, lol.

Really good point. I've rescued a few wild animals, and the squirrels? They were taught to be ridiculously paranoid of bein' snatched from above, and that I'd steal any food they hid ... but I've pretty much given up on the notion of them free-ranging where hawks continually fly, and fox and bobcat have been seen in the daylight, and coyotes call every few days from every nearby hill. The only thing that's likely to ever snatch 'em up, hopefully, is me ~'-)

 

[PeepsCA]

That's a shame about not being able to free range your Guineas... even just short periods of supervised free ranging makes for much happier birds, so hopefully you'll get something worked out. Supposedly free ranging a big Tom (Turkey) with a flock of Guineas (and/or chickens) helps deter the hawks. I have Toms free ranging with some of my Guineas, but I don't have a significant enough hawk issue to have been able to prove or disprove that theory (yet)... but my Toms are always watching the sky and hissing or letting off an effective warning call when they see anything above. Sometimes all I see is a tiny tiny dot way way up in the sky, but the Toms (and the Turkey Hens) are instantly honed in on whatever is up there (even if it's a jet 10,000+ ft up lol). The Guineas usually chime in with their screeching alarm call a split second later and everyone scatters for tree cover.

 

[JLeigh]

Peeps, how do you supervise them? Just follow them (mostly) and sort of herd them where you want them to go? Here's what I'm getting at...

I'd love to be able to let mine free-range even if it's just for an hour a day, or two or three hours on the weekends. Anything is better than nothing, right? I'm wondering if that would train them to stay on my property, UNsupervised, over time. I know it would take a LOT of time to do that, but man would I love to let my flock free-range. What a time investment that would be though.

Is that even realistic for me to consider? I can't supervise every day for an hour or two "until....". That's just not in my scheduling ability. And they'll certainly go to the neighbors property, because that's the way my luck runs, if I'm not out there watching and "redirecting".

 

[cowcreekgeek]

That's a shame about not being able to free range your Guineas... even just short periods of supervised free ranging makes for much happier birds, so hopefully you'll get something worked out. Supposedly free ranging a big Tom (Turkey) with a flock of Guineas (and/or chickens) helps deter the hawks. I have Toms free ranging with some of my Guineas, but I don't have a significant enough hawk issue to have been able to prove or disprove that theory (yet)... but my Toms are always watching the sky and hissing or letting off an effective warning call when they see anything above. Sometimes all I see is a tiny tiny dot way way up in the sky, but the Toms (and the Turkey Hens) are instantly honed in on whatever is up there (even if it's a jet 10,000+ ft up lol). The Guineas usually chime in with their screeching alarm call a split second later and everyone scatters for tree cover.

Oh, I've got plenty of fields for 'em to roam when I'm around, and I'll take 'em out often (even if I do eventually lose a few). I couldn't live in a cage, and wouldn't want them to always have to. But, they'll have to warn me, 'cause I can't see the hawks all that well 'til they're right there where I am.