Newish to guineas

[SunHwaKwon]

Just ended up with 11 new 2 day old keets O.O looks like I am in for a noisey messy winter! @clsranch I trapped 3 coons and then had to drive them up to my neighbors house to have them "taken care of" I couldn't do it. I can gut a adamn deer in the woods and happily eat it but I couldn't shoot the coons. Something about shooting an animal in a trap didn't sit right with me :\

I'm the same way. I sat out for a few nights trying to get a fox that killed some of my birds. Then I decided to borrow some live traps from a neighbor since I wasn't having any luck. After a bit of thought, though, I gave them back. I knew I wouldn't be able to shoot the fox in the cage. I don't know if I have any neighbors who would be willing to do it for me.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I have 24 standard size poultry chickens and guinea and 6 bantam. I bought eggs at the store yesterday. None of mine are old enough yet to lay. The only things that survived the coon raid earlier this year from my big coop is a RIR roo and 1 male guinea. I left the door open. My fault but I have to when I leave for jobs (over a month). And not going to ask some1 to come twice a day to open and close the door. Not enough room in the coop and not rebuilding for a rent place that the land lord will be moving back into sooner or later.

You left the coop door open or the run door open? I guess if you're gone for a month you can't keep them in a run anyway because of food and water. Tough situation. I probably wouldn't have replaced them in that situation, but that's just me. Sounds like just buying dinner for the wildlife.

 

[CLSranch]

Coop open. No run. I took out 5 coons this spring. Thought that was all that was close. Aug came and they returned. I can have someone come every other day to take care of them. Some will do it with out being asked just for the eggs. But when I come home I want my chickens. Yes I am buying coon food. That's why I got Cornish to reproduce all year and keep me in the same supply.

 

[guineagirl0124]

I have caught a total of 12 coons and 3 fox the coons have been shipped off to my neighbors (they were taken care of) and the three fox we drove out to the state park and released them. I'm baiting the traps with cat food and they seem to love it. I'm finally building my coop after lots of deliberation I am basically building a semi smaller version of my shed they are roosting in now with insulation. It's 8 foot long, 8foot wide and 8foot tall with rafters. My spoiled little brats have heated roosts, blow heaters for their rafters, heated water dishes just in case the heaters and roosts don't keep the coop warm enough. I'm thinking about attaching a huge run that reaches around the branches of the trees so they can still roost in the trees if they want to but still have the saftey of being in the run.
My husband seems to think i have gone way overboard for a "bunch of guineas" but i absolutly love them.

 

[CLSranch]

Maybe a wee bit overboard. Naa. I'm only renting or I'd have already built some overboard coops. I've get about that many coons every year and that many plus half possums. But they keep coming.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I considered heating my coop but after reading about all the cons/dangers I've opted against it. The only thing I'll be heating is the water. Make sure you don't keep it too warm, maybe 45 at the most. I say this because with so many birds that coop is going to get small quick and if you keep it too warm they won't venture or into the run and fights and bullying might get out of control.

 

[guineagirl0124]

Right now they are in a 8x12 ,8 foot high shed and are only out 3-4 hours while I'm doing chores and no fights have taken place. They are extremely tame for being guineas they don't run and hide, eat out of my hands and they interact with my neighbors chickens pretty much every day.

 

[guineagirl0124]

Maybe a wee bit overboard. Naa. I'm only renting or I'd have already built some overboard coops. I've get about that many coons every year and that many plus half possums. But they keep coming.

I'm thinking as soon as we are settled in I'm getting a coon dog and we are going hunting

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Right now they are in a 8x12 ,8 foot high shed and are only out 3-4 hours while I'm doing chores and no fights have taken place. They are extremely tame for being guineas they don't run and hide, eat out of my hands and they interact with my neighbors chickens pretty much every day.

mine are the same way. However, you said you got 11 more keets which will bring you to 20 if I'm correct. As everyone grows, the coop will be small, trust me, as I have 14 12-week-olds + 5 chickens in a similar sized coop. If I had the resources I would add on and make it twice as big and my run 3x as big or more, even though they are now getting to free range for about an hour in the morning and 2-4 hours in the afternoon. I know when winter comes they may not want to venture out of the covered run (one reason not to incorporate a tree in the run and instead cover it and build a jungle gym inside like I did - keep inclement weather and predators out). I really love my guineas. They run to me whenever I go out to check on them, which makes it easy to get them back to the run in the afternoon as I just walk to the run and they follow me. I am really hoping for babies in the spring even though I'll have to sell them for lack of coop room.

 

[farmguy5]

How do you make a fodder grower