Rescued guinea set free

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Just so you all should know. I found a place, a so-called sanctuary only two miles from my home, that agreed to take her and one of the males who had mated with her and kept her company. This place came highly recommended, even by a veterinarian I respected, and I thought she would be safe. I gave them specific instructions on how to keep her safe and they reassured me everything would be OK. It wasn’t. After a week in quarantine where she and the male were confined to a stall, they put her in an open run with their other birds. She and the male flew away, which is exactly what I told them they would do if they did that. Though they knew she responded to my voice, they didn’t notify me until hours after she had gone. I went to look for her, it was dark, no luck. The next day and the next I searched. Thenow ears of the “sanctuary“ were were unsympathetic and hostile. Finally, acting on information from a friend, I found her remains—well, feathers, no carcass. I searched for her mate because people who had seen her had seen him. He has not been seen since that day. They were clearly heading home. I am heartbroken. I relied on others’ recommendations and because of the Covid lockdown, I did not tour the place. If I had, I believe I would have seen they did not have an enclosure suitable for the birds to be in until they acceptEd their new quarters as home. It has been heartbreaking for me because I loved that bird as much as I have any animal in my care. So, a sad ending.

Oh I’m so sorry to hear that about Popeye and her mate! I liked hearing about her, and your care for her really shone through. Hugs and healing for this difficult loss.

 

[KirbyH]

Oh I’m so sorry to hear that about Popeye and her mate! I liked hearing about her, and your care for her really shone through. Hugs and healing for this difficult loss.

Thank you so much! I am so so sad. I feel I betrayed her trust when I handed her over to those people. She was a treasure, a sweetheart and a window into the life of a creature who was otherwise mysterious. What I didn’t really understand was how much she thought she was human or integrally part of a human life. I actually thought she could enter guinea-world albeit with a bit of help. If I had understood the degree to which she was attached to my world, I might have done things differently. This place where she went supposedly had kids visit to see the animals. I thought she could be some kind of ambassador for guinea fowl. I was so wrong.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Thank you so much! I am so so sad. I feel I betrayed her trust when I handed her over to those people. She was a treasure, a sweetheart and a window into the life of a creature who was otherwise mysterious. What I didn’t really understand was how much she thought she was human or integrally part of a human life. I actually thought she could enter guinea-world albeit with a bit of help. If I had understood the degree to which she was attached to my world, I might have done things differently. This place where she went supposedly had kids visit to see the animals. I thought she could be some kind of ambassador for guinea fowl. I was so wrong.

It’s hard that they let you down, but you had her best interests at heart.

 

[jeepgrrl]

For scaring guineas... I've found that my birds hate the broom. All of my birds. They're terrified of it. Maybe that'll help your guinea into the air?
They also hate umbrellas, in my experience....

A couple of weeks ago one of my hens completely lost it when I walked into the hen yard carrying an umbrella. Lesson learned, lol!