Roosting in the snow!

[Lexiluke]

I have 8 six month old pearl guineas that have always found their way back into the coop (with my bourbon red turkeys) every night. Last night, they decided that they would roost in the trees right next to the coop(first time). I didn't mind that much but we also got 6 inches of snow last night. It is now almost 11:00am and they are still in the trees. I have shovelled a nice opening in front of the coop as I always do and have put feed out in the coop and in the open where they can see it. My turkeys are out ranging in the yard and I am hoping that they will fly down when they are hungry and go back in the coop. They appear very happy and are moving around on branches so I don't think they are hurt in any way. Any other suggestions to get them down? Temps are mild and in the 30s but we are getting a cold spell in starting tomorrow. Thanks in advance.

 

[sourland]

I wouldn't force them out of the tree. If spooked, goodness only knows how far they will fly. When they get hungry, they will come down.

 

[Lexiluke]

Well, they have decided to spend another night up in the trees. Bitter cold coming this way. Hopefully, they will be warm enough up there. Luckily no more snow tonight. They have to come down sometime!

 

[JLeigh]

If they've come down for food (or when they do) herd them into the coop and let them stay there for a few days or a couple of weeks to get back into the routine of roosting in the coop. They probably won't like being locked up, but it's better than being eaten by a predator.

Letting them get the idea that they can roost in the trees opens them up to predators, which of course you know, but they don't. It may take a week or two, but IMHO, it's worth the effort to "retrain" them.

 

[PeepsCA]

Guineas have been known to stay up in trees long enough to starve, dehydrate or freeze to death. If this is the first time they've seen snow, they may refuse to come down until the snow is gone... Guineas hate change, and snow is a big change for them. Hopefully they have come down by now, a couple days without food and water in frigid temps makes for some really cold, weak birds... that are typically not smart enough to come down on their own because all they see is the scary white stuff all over the place.

If they have not come down yet then I'd try tossing down some straw or shavings on the snow and then feed some treats to the Turkeys right under the tree the Guineas are in, in hopes of coaxing the Guineas down. The straw or shavings provides them an area they should feel is safe to land on, and they hate missing out on goodies but you may need to try this a few times to really be able to tempt them down.

If that doesn't work, you could try pushing them off their branches at night, in the dark with a broom, long pole or PVC pipe, then quickly grab them once they are on the ground. If you do this in the dark they should not fly off too far, they are blind in the dark and tend to freeze in place once they land. The only other option is to climb the tree...

Once you get them down, I agree with JLeigh. Keep them in until the snow is gone, and keep them in whenever more snow is expected, or you may be dealing with getting them down again and again, every time it snows

 

[Lexiluke]

Thank you all for the advice. Yesterday, they decided to come out of the trees but only as far as on top of one of my chicken coops and that is still where they are. I just put out a nice bed of straw with feed and treats in hope of enticing them down. Am hoping today is the day that I get them back in their coop. They are very smart in that I do see them eating a lot of snow off from the coop. I am glad knowing they are getting some water in their systems so they do not dehydrate.

 

[Lexiluke]

They finally came down and are enjoying a hefty serving of feed and treats. I will let them be for a while and then attempt to herd into the coop (hopefully, they will go in on their own!)

 

[sourland]

Good!

 

[JLeigh]

I'd get them into the coops ASAP. Why wait? They can calm down in there rather than get another bright idea to go back up to the trees or the roof.

But congrats on getting them down. That's cool!

 

[Lexiluke]

I was able to get them in the coop this afternoon. I told them how disappointed I was and put them on restriction for at least a month, maybe until spring. I also took away their cell phones and computer games. Let's see if that teaches them a lesson. Thanks everyone!