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

[JLeigh]

Hurray!!! Guineas in the coop!!!!! It's a great feeling and congratulations. They should go in pretty consistently from here, but don't take it for granted. They'll surprise you every once in a while. Good job though! Wish it had been me who gave you the good advice though .

 

[JimWWhite]

Well, it was you. Many thanks!

 

[JLeigh]

Thanks Jim - but as I recall, I was just agreeing with someone. Or I may have had a moment of brilliance...I guess it's possible LOL. I'm just glad everything is going well for you and your guineas. Happy Holidays!

 

[cowcreekgeek]

Success! Finally! I've been trying to get my five guineas to go into the coop at night with no success until just the last few nights. I guess it finally got cold enough. That and someone here responded to my earlier post and said to remove their outside roosting bar. We have an old carport that I put up 2x4 wire and chicken wire around it for a run. And inside that is a 4x8 coop that is elevated 2 feet off the ground. When I removed their roosting bar that was outside the coop they started flying up on top of the coop but wouldn't go in. Then one night I saw one little guinea was on the roost inside the coop. The next night another and still another the next night. Tonight the lone holdout finally went in at dark and got up on the roost.

Now I can take my mind off that and think about why my 24 BSL's haven't started laying yet. They're 26 weeks old and not a single egg yet. The previous flock of 24 Gold Comets were laying by 26 weeks pretty strongly. I've left empty Banquet Chicken Pot Pie pans down in the run and hung up a picture of Mrs. Tweety's Chicken Pot Pie machine from the movie Chicken Run but nothing yet...

Well, now .. there ya go. Anytime you get guineas to do somethin' that appears to display intelligence, you've had a good day.

As to the chicken's not laying? I'd guess it's the shorter days and colder weather slowin' things down. If you can get one of those gag rubber chickens, you could go where they can see you as to try 'n coax it into layin' an egg in the nest. And, when it doesn't (surely, it won't), give it the axe. Use just enough ketchup to create the dramatic effect req'd, so as to send 'em scramblin' to their boxes w/in minutes ~'-)

 

[PeepsCA]

Umm...axe a rubber chicken? Just enough ketchup?

You've officially lost it CCG, LMAO...

 

[cowcreekgeek]

Umm...axe a rubber chicken? Just enough ketchup?

You've officially lost it CCG, LMAO...

Well, grounding them from playing TIC-TAC-TOE doesn't work, 'cause they just go somewhere outta site, 'n continue playin' behind your back. Chickens are, as you know, so very much smarter than guineas ~'-)

And, while I'm at it ... remember the thread in which two different people w/ the same default avatar were askin' for help w/ two different chickens? Well, as part of makin' them change their avatar, I'd posted an 'award' specifically for you <-- peck there, to finally go 'n see it.

 

[PeepsCA]

Sorry, I wasn't following that thread... just having Silkies doesn't really qualify me as a "chicken person", so I don't follow very many chicken threads.
Really tho? A Kewpie Doll CCG? Way to show your age, lol.

Hmm... Chickens are smarter than Guineas? I prefer to look at it as chickens being more gullible than Guineas

 

[cowcreekgeek]

Sorry, I wasn't following that thread... just having Silkies doesn't really qualify me as a "chicken person", so I don't follow very many chicken threads.
Really tho? A Kewpie Doll CCG? Way to show your age, lol.

Hmm... Chickens are smarter than Guineas? I prefer to look at it as chickens being more gullible than Guineas

Ya didn't pan down the screen far enough ...
Despite that old tradition of givin' kewpie dolls as prizes, you had a second choice based upon somethin' even older ... and I was around for either one (just sorta feels like I was ~'-)

:: edit ::
that was the wrong one, and in the wrong thread
NOW, you can officially say that I've officially lost it (sorry ~'-)
:: /edit ::​

 

[JimWWhite]

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:




Here's a link to the eBay ad in case anyone is interested:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/110971828247?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

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.

 

[JLeigh]

Congrats, Jim. It's always good to get guineas to do what we want them to do. They don't know it's in their best interests . The solar light is a good idea!