I thought dodo birds were extinct?

[Foghorn Mike]

My 8 guineas usually get together with the 5 from a farm across the road (across the road is 1000 yards away mind you). Anyway, today they were all together in my yard around the pines in the grass. We have about 2 inches of snow on the ground so they hung around areas that had melted. Usually the farms 5 will go back around 3pm and I coop mine up, not today. None of them wanted to go across the snow and I guess they forgot how they got there. Finally I had most of them right at the coop and then they decide "hey, these 50 foot oak tress look nice". Now all the birds, including the farms, are in the oaks spread all over limbs. It's dark now and they wouldn't come out. Bad part is it's going to be 15 degrees tonight with wind chills in the single digits. I hope there isn't 13 frozen birds in the oak trees in the morning.

 

[cracking up]

I've heard they're pretty hardy - can't wait to see how they do.

 

[robin416]

That's why I suggest Guineas not be turned out when there is snow on the ground. I had mine up for two days because of snow this week. Just enough had disappeared for it to be safe to let them out this morning.

 

[sourland]

One visit from a GHO will convince them that the coop is a smart idea. Amazing how a change in environment or routine can screw up their little dinosaur brains.

 

[Foghorn Mike]

Well, all 13 (my 8 and the farms 5) were still in the trees at 7am this morning talking to each other. It was 10 degrees this morning. Now if I can get them down and cooped today. They are calling for 2-5 inches of snow Thursday. Looks like I will be clearing a path to the coop and hopefully it will melt enough that I can guide them down it. That is if they come down.

 

[robin416]

This won't help much now but a pen attached to the coop with a wire top allows them to choose to leave the coop when the snow is on the ground but keeps them confined so they can't take to the trees.

The path is a good idea, it works for others that keep Guineas in snowy areas. The issue for you will be that at this point its not something they've been trained to.

 

[Foghorn Mike]

No luck tonight either. Mine are now between me and the farm at my father's house, under pine trees. 3-6 inches of snow tomorrow so, if they make it, I guess I will see them in spring.

 

[cgmccary]

I thought dodo birds were extinct?

Guineas have been around longer than our species by millions of years. There are other evolutionary traits and adaptations just as advanced, if not more highly, than the "intelligence/ brain" trait. Birds have quite a few of these: flight, sight, breathing/lung -- very advanced.

"Intelligence" is just one of many highly advance evolutionary traits. Guineas have a few of the other traits. Always a trade-off.

As with many extinct animals, we doomed the flightless Dodo with our arrogance and our ignorance.​

 

[racuda]

Quote:
I used this to my advantage when I wanted to keep them out of the chicken coop, because they ate all of the chickens feed.

I hung strands of clothesline rope across the door, kinda like hippie beads. The chickens didn't mind at all but the Guineas were scared to death of it.

 

[Finn's Mom]

How did you do with the snow? Have they come back at all?