Integrating tame guinea into flock

[KirbyH]

She escaped from her coop yesterday and rather than follow the flock she flew into the lower branches of a pine tree on our property and not far from the coop. When I located her from her calls, she was already shivering. I was able to call her down after some time of talking to her and using a clicker which I had tried to train her to associate with treats. She was clearly lonely and cold and did not seek comfort from the flock which at the outset was nearby. When I gathered her up, she was grateful. When she got inside she spent the next hour dust bathing in my LL Bean jacket and snuggling under my arm. I think she sees us as her flock and the area around her coop as her territory. We can expand her horizons when it is warm.

 

[KirbyH]

I had a guinea get attacked by a dog earlier this week, she’s chilling out in my bedroom closet with the light on during day and off at night... she STINKS. My closet stinks and my bedroom stinks. How do you deal with the smell?

As for integrating her, I would just let her out with the flock and watch what happens. Hopefully she will follow them around, if not I would keep doing the mesh cage, like you are, and try releasing her like once a week.

It occurs to me, you are experiencing bad odors because there is no air circulating in the closet. We keep Popeye in a dog crate and cover her at night. If I have not exchanged out her litter the day before, in the morning when we uncover her there is a smelI that goes away with the cover removed. I can see it would get bad if she were in a place where air doesn’t circulate. So maybe put the bird in an open cage of some kind. The bird herself smells good.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

She escaped from her coop yesterday and rather than follow the flock she flew into the lower branches of a pine tree on our property and not far from the coop. When I located her from her calls, she was already shivering. I was able to call her down after some time of talking to her and using a clicker which I had tried to train her to associate with treats. She was clearly lonely and cold and did not seek comfort from the flock which at the outset was nearby. When I gathered her up, she was grateful. When she got inside she spent the next hour dust bathing in my LL Bean jacket and snuggling under my arm. I think she sees us as her flock and the area around her coop as her territory. We can expand her horizons when it is warm.

Awww, poor baby!!!