My 26 New Babies Have Arrived!!

[Gingerlilypad]

The ones on top of the pen are my older ones. They are about a year older than the keets. I have three adults. The flock (or mob as I call them when I walk out with the feed bucket) on the ground are the keets. Some of the keets are already getting their voice. Several are already calling "buck-wheat", so I know I did get a few hens too.
All of them have now discovered the brooder with my barred rock chicks and make sure that any spilled or scattered food is quickly cleaned up.

 

[PioneerPrincess]

Okay, that's neat! The only voices I've heard from our young guineas are chi-chi-chi. Every now and then, it seems as though one of them is trying to buckwheat, but it doesn't fully/ really sound like it. I wonder if all of them are males; I did want at least one more female, but that's all right. I did want at least one male guinea, too! : )

 

[Gingerlilypad]

It has been a sad few days for me. Since I turned my keets out, they have been returning and responding to my call, no matter what time of the day I called. I always threw them a handful or two of feed when they did. Four days ago, some neighbors (about 1/2 of a mile away) had a visitor that brought their 6 little dogs (Pomeranians and Feist types). That visitor turned their dogs loose. Needless to say those dogs made a beeline to my house. I wasn't home that day, so wasn't able to lock my keets up. I have no proof that these dogs have killed my babies, but only 5 of the 23 returned that day. I have called and searched for my babies. These dogs are still coming to my house and chasing my 3 adult guineas. I have yelled at the dogs, shot at them, even gone to the neighbor and asked them to restrain the dogs, but have no cooperation on that front. This afternoon, I found an area that had a lot of guinea feathers (smaller, like the keets had), but no bodies or anything else. I keep hoping my babies have just wandered off and will soon return, but I suspect that it is not going to happen. My remaining 5 keets are being kept in a cage next to my brooder.
I have made the decision to no longer shoot AT the dogs, but to stop their terrorizing my poultry. They are predators. I have my .357 Magnum pistol ready, as well as my shotgun. I have an empty raised garden bed that has a pile of dirt and sand beside it, so burying the bodies will be easy. I hate taking this step, but feel I no longer have a choice.

And yes, I am crying over the loss of my babies.

 

[Hotcookie]

Oh you poor thing......I'm so sorry for your loss. Neighbors can be so inconsiderate - why can't they see these birds are OUR pets!! I don't blame you one bit at all for taking things into your own hands next time they're around - I'd do it, too. I would hate to "get rid of" any living thing - but if it comes down to either MY pets or the neighbors dogs....and they're in MY yard terrorizing MY birds, well, good bye dogs. That's the last time they'll ever kill any of my defenseless birds.

 

[tomingreeneco]

In most states it is legal to kill dogs that are terrorizing your livestock. Just make sure you bury them and shut up. No reason to give your neighbors a reason to be mad at you. Good luck and sorry for your loss.

 

[Gingerlilypad]

Thank you. As for burying the dogs, they will go into my now empty raised bed and be covered up. I am also picking up some lime to add to help them to decompose. They will at least help to fertilize the soil in my bed.
I worked hard to make my pen predator proof. I thought with my 8 acres and the 2700 acres behind me they would be pretty safe free-ranging in the day. I guess I was wrong.
I will get more guinea keets in May when they are available again.