Silly Sleeping Guineas

[BoogieBug]

I looked into the coop today and couldn't figure out what my keets were doing. I thought they were looking for bugs! Three of them are hanging over the side and one is sleeping nearby.


It turns out they were SLEEPING!!! With their heads hanging over the side!!!

I took a second pic and the flash woke them up!! These little munchkins never cease to amaze me!


I also noticed that three of them stick together and one of them seems to be the odd man out. It is usually close by the others, but not doing the same thing as the others. The odd ball is also the one that seems most comfortable with me... will climb into my hand and let me hold it whereas the other three are still skittish. Any thoughts as to why he seems like the odd man out? Is this normal behavior?

 

[chicks are life]

They are sooooo cute.

 

[BoogieBug]

Thank you! I know, they truly are ... now!! lol. I'm changing out the pics so that it's easier to see the keets. Didn't realize, till after I posted, how hard it was to see them.

 

[chicks are life]

Dow. U have grown guinea fowl too or just babies?

 

[BoogieBug]

That's terrible that you lost 30 in one day. It makes me sick to my stomach just to think about it.

OHHHH NOOOO!! I did not lose 30 in one day. I HAD 30 and lost them over the course of time. However, my neighbor had 40-some-odd hens and he DID lose 40 in one night... to a wolf pack! Yes, it is sickening.

Sometimes I feel like I'm running a buffet for the vermin!

It does seem that way at times.

I love the pearl guineas (gray). They have such beautiful feathers and their coloring changes with time. This is the first time I've gotten a variety and it's only because that's what was available and with a lot of them, it's a bit easier for me to count heads.

The lighter ones are very pretty, but I've read the they are usually the ones that get picked off first by the predators because it's so much easier to spot them.

Sorry to hear about the two owls.... there's always something to worry about.

Ain't that the truth!!

BTW - that chicken tractor looks like it's working out great. They seem very happy there. I'm just holding mine in a box inside a big dog crate until they get a bit bigger and then I'll have to figure out where to put them when the next batch arrives!

HAHA!! It IS working out great! I'm tickled. I previously mentioned - either in this thread or another - that mine started out in a Kohl's box in our RV! ha ha!! That was the only place where I could keep them warm and protected.

Oh, and I'm so excited!! The keets GRADUATED TODAY!! They finally got off the platform and were down on the ground. I thought they were gone and I was momentarily horrified! But then I found them here!! YAY!!!

A little bit ago, I peeked out at them and they were busy pecking on the ground eating up bugs! YAY again!! =D

Have a good rest of the weekend and keep those pics coming!

Thanks!! You too!!

 

[BoogieBug]

Dow. U have grown guinea fowl too or just babies?

Just the four keets. I'm a newbie keet mama. =D

 

[GlennLee]

That is too funny! You will find they will do the silliest things. That's why I enjoy them so much. They're quirky birds. I wouldn't worry about the one being "odd one out". Usually within my flock, I have some that are more interested in people than others. They are just more comfortable coming up, while the others tend to shy away a bit. Just subtle differences, but nothing to worry about. If one stayed separate from the rest and was being pecked at by the others, then that's another story and might require some intervention. I just picked up 20 mixed color keets yesterday and am thrilled to be back raising a flock again. We lost 7 to a fox this spring and are down to 3. Very sad, but will try to solve the problem and regroup to get that flock again!

 

[BoogieBug]

That is too funny! You will find they will do the silliest things. That's why I enjoy them so much. They're quirky birds. I wouldn't worry about the one being "odd one out". Usually within my flock, I have some that are more interested in people than others. They are just more comfortable coming up, while the others tend to shy away a bit. Just subtle differences, but nothing to worry about. If one stayed separate from the rest and was being pecked at by the others, then that's another story and might require some intervention. I just picked up 20 mixed color keets yesterday and am thrilled to be back raising a flock again. We lost 7 to a fox this spring and are down to 3. Very sad, but will try to solve the problem and regroup to get that flock again!

They are truly entertaining... an added bonus, for sure!

I'm sorry you lost seven. I dread the thought of it. I'm a bit concerned about the number of predators we have around here, but I guess that's the nature of the beast. I started out with just four keets because we have only 3 acres but lots of trees between us and our neighbors. I can't even see them. I wanted to do a test run to see how the keets will affect our relationship with our neighbors. I've warned them all! lol. Some are excited, others don't seem to care either way. We do have a farm just down the road with goats, horses, chickens, llamas, and bees. So, it's not unusual to see chickens running around our road. Two neighbors asked me to send the guineas to their homes to eat bugs!! ha ha! If all goes well, I'm going to add to the flock. =)

 

[GlennLee]

Oh, thank you for the sentiments... that is the downside of free ranging, but that was the purpose for having them and I have to keep going back to that. I am finding that spring and fall are the worst for me with predators. Last year coyotes and this year foxes - during the day.

At first, I was thinking of adding a livestock guardian dog, but we already have one dog and most of the breeds used for livestock need to be in a fence - we don't have our 10 acres fenced in and we won't be doing that! They can also become a bit too overprotective when strangers come on to the property and I didn't want to deal with that one either.

So, now we are looking into electric poultry fencing, to use all the time with my chickens (they are new to me) and at certain times with the guineas. Pretty much everyone is on lockdown now unless we're outside working for the day; lucky for them that is most days.

Three on three acres will be fun. Just get ready to have your heart broken when something happens. It doesn't matter if you have 3 or 33, it's hard to lose one. I have just fallen in love with mine and can't imagine being without a flock. It sounds like your neighbors will be fine and that's a good thing! Do you know what color your guineas are? It was hard for me to tell from the picture.

When we had our flock of 12, they were all over - up to one neighbor's eating her winter birdseed, making themselves at home on another neighbor's deck, and hopefully eating ticks out of the woods at our

3rd neighbor's house. We are fortunate that our neighbors enjoy them as well and miss them when they don't come to visit. When my lone male - lone male at the time, it's like a soap opera one day they have 3 females, the next day they lose it all - didn't have a girlfriend (the dominate male took all 3!) he would go next door and sit by the neighbors car, looking at his reflection in the bumper and cooing to himself. They looked for Napoleon every day! Another thing that helps is that we already have a history of guineas on the road. Within a mile there are 6 of us with guineas! My new 20 - several colors - I picked up yesterday. I have 20 lavender jumbos arriving around the 4th - probably mentioned that in a previous post. Here's to perpetuating the flock!

 

[BoogieBug]

When I lived on my farm in TN, I had 30 hens and I lost them all to predators, so I know what I'm in for.

I suppose the color of my guineas will be standard issue gray! lol. It's challenging getting them to stand still for a close-up shot.



My husband got a video today of our resident "Hooters." Here is a screen shot of them. I'm a bit concerned about them and the guinea's safety. I'd known we had one, but this is the first time I've seen two of them

and they've been hanging around our property a lot lately. Mostly in front of our house, while the guineas are in the back.