Something killed a guinea yesterday. :(

[Sfraker]

I had five guineas when I released everyone from the coop in the morning. 2 hours later I only had four.
I found a pile of feathers in between two chain link fence panels that are leaning against a tree. I assume it got cornered and that was that.

Poor thing. It was one of my pearl grey males. So I now have 2 females and two males. The others didn't seem too upset which suprises me. It happened right up near my duck pen which worries me. I don't want predators that close to my ducks. I did see my neighbors dogs in my yard shortly before I realized the guinea was missing, however they live with chickens and muscovies so I don't think they would eat the guineas. They generally leave my ducks and guineas alone and just come over to say hi and play with my dogs.
We have a TON of red shouldered hawks around, they do kill birds but the local raptor rescue said they are not big and strong enough to fly away with a guinea. We do get the occasional stray dog, fox, coyote, bobcat, owl, etc... Poor guinea, I hope it was a fast end for it.
My daughter and I collected a bunch of the feathers to use in an art project. She thought that we could remember him that way.

Sorry for the rambly post. Just feeling sad.

 

[Cajungirl86]

I had five guineas when I released everyone from the coop in the morning.  2 hours later I only had four.
I found a pile of feathers in between two chain link fence panels that are leaning against a tree.  I assume it got cornered and that was that. 
Poor thing.  It was one of my pearl grey males.  So I now have 2 females and two males.  The others didn't seem too upset which suprises me.  It happened right up near my duck pen which worries me.  I don't want predators that close to my ducks.  I did see my neighbors dogs in my yard shortly before I realized the guinea was missing, however they live with chickens and muscovies so I don't think they would eat the guineas.  They generally leave my ducks and guineas alone and just come over to say hi and play with my dogs.
We have a TON of red shouldered hawks around, they do kill birds but the local raptor rescue said they are not big and strong enough to fly away with a guinea.  We do get the occasional stray dog, fox, coyote, bobcat, owl, etc...  Poor guinea, I hope it was a fast end for it.
My daughter and I collected a bunch of the feathers to use in an art project.  She thought that we could remember him that way.

Sorry for the rambly post.  Just feeling sad.

I understand....I lost my white keet, Snowy...but, unfortunately, I know what happened...My sheltie mix, Ginger, got a hold of her somehow...she was in the run with the others, and next thing my husband knew, Ginger was running around the yard with her in her mouth....he heard the others start to holler, and got up to check...RIP, Snowy....

 

[meangoatlady]

i know the feeling..its sad

 

[mommaguinea]

It is sad to lose one. If you free range birds, it is pretty much inevitable. Being certain they have a safe coop and a place to get to when harassed is the best you can do.
I always feel bad when one of mine disappears.

 

[Lady Badlands]

I suspect it was your neighbor's dog. If the dog wasn't used to guineas, he might have wanted to get up close and personal with it to check it out. My dogs will not hurt our guineas or chickens (after lots and lots of training) but they will go after a hawk, owl, or pheasant. So I think they get used to the smells of the ones they're meant to protect or live with, but new smells, not so much.

Hawks are less stealth and can't get into the spaces that owls can and I'm thinking a hawk is less likely to have been the predator.

I lost 4 of my precious guineas over the past couple of months. Two to owls after they stayed out later than the rest of the crew, one fell between a trash can holding feed and a wall (total bummer) and the "wife" of one of the boys who were killed by owls, just wasted away and died. I've heard they mate for life so who's to say that she passed because she didn't want to live on without her love. The two of them were always together roaming the yard. So sad.

 

[Sfraker]

The guineas always come running up to me when I get out of the car. Yesterday only three came running and the blood drained out of my face. I thought I lost another. When the last one finally came running over it got a lecture not to do that again.

It scared the heck out of me. BAD GUINEA!

 

[Lady Badlands]

Yup, I hear ya. I'm always counting my guineas when I see them. If I don't see 8, then I start to panic.

 

[Sfraker]

Yesterday I took a hike in our woods and came across a pile of feathers. I have 10 acres, my house and pen sits in the middle of the land. The pile of feathers was all the way on the edge of the property. The feathers we previously found must have been where it was caught. Something carried it a ways before eating. My daughter and I collected more feathers. I'm thinking of making a feather wreath with them.

The bones were mostly gone. While collecting the feathers I found half the skull and two other bones that I'm guessing were leg bones, broken in half, along with some other bone pieces. I'm thinking that if it was the neighbor dogs they would have eating it whole as they are big boxer/lab mix looking dogs. Also, I think they would have taken it towards their house. This was going towards the back of our property not the side the dogs live on.

Poor guinea...

 

[meangoatlady]

poor guinea

 

[mommaguinea]

If carried off, it is usually a ground predator, fox for us. I have recently lost two to hawks - a lavendar roo and a pearl pied hen.