New guineas...need help.

[scruggs]

(let me preface this by telling you that we have chickens, so we are familiar with fowl) We live way out in the middle of nowhere and driving out our road the Sunday night, there were 6 guineas just walking down the middle of it. Figuring that a coyote or dog would get them since they were not on roost, I stopped and loaded them up...couldn't catch the 6th one, but got the other 5. Since it was dark I left them on the screened in back porch, which is 5-6 feet off the ground. All day Sunday, they just circled the house pecking, scratching, and drinking out of the water bowl I put out there for them. Sunday night, they slept on the ground in front of the steps. (Why are they not flying up in the trees or on something higher than the ground???) Monday, they ventured a little further but basically stayed in the yard. I went to the feed store and bought a sack of scratch grain (they didn't seem to like my chicken's layer crumbles) and when I went to throw a hand full out, I thought they were going to attack me. I figured that just my hand motion of throwing something their direction would spook them, but obviously not...and they obviously belong to someone who has fed them this way before...but I know of no one within a mile of us who has guineas. They climbed the steps and spent the night at the back door of the porch. This morning I got up to only two guineas. We have dogs in a fenced in pen, and they were tossing one around so I figured something spooked them at night, they flew and one landed in there...unsure about the other two. Middle of the day today, they make their first real noise...and do they ever. Started honking and cackling like crazy...then 30 seconds later, the other two showed up. For about an hour tonight before dark, they continuously erupted in the noises again for 5-10 seconds at a time. I thought something was after them, so I got down out of the deer stand to walk back to the house to see what was going on...nothing. They were just walking around the yard eating, when all of a sudden they would erupt in the noise...then go right back to eating for a minute or two, then start the noise over. At no point did they ever look "spooked" so I am now thinking this noise is not because they are startled. Is this "normal" behavior? I figured they would wake up the next morning and fly off, but so far they have not. Anything I need to know about what seems to be our newest "pets"? Any tricks to get them to roost? Eventually a fox, coyote, or stray dog will wander down here and find them...prefer that didn't happen. Thanks!

 

[robin416]

If you don't provide them with secure quarters they are all going to slowly disappear whether they fly up to roost or not. They need a secure coop.

There is a possibility their wings have been clipped and they are unable to fly.

Scratch is not an adequate diet, they need a game bird feed for the higher protein, especially in Winter months. Again this is where a coop is helpful to train them to eat a game bird feed.

Guineas have a wide range of vocalizations, it takes a while to learn what the different sounds are. The younger the birds are the more noise they make. As a flock matures they quiet down by quite a bit.

 

[TomNY]

Quote:
I think someone decided they had enough of Guineas and loaded them up and dropped them off. Tom

 

[scruggs]

Tom, I think you are on to something and was my thought exactly.

Robin, how can I get them in a secure spot when I can't catch them except at night by flashlight? Should I just catch them at night, stick them in a nesting box, then leave them to find it again the next?

Thanks!

 

[robin416]

Nesting box? Are you referring to a nesting box that we are all familiar with? Or something else?

If the only time you can catch them is at night then that's what you will have to do. We can't see your set up so its rather difficult to give suggestions. I don't recommend keeping Guineas and chickens in the same coop since Guineas can be quite hard on chickens with their super active personalities.