Kaseyshopping
Hatching
Hi everyone,
I am new to guinea hens, so I apologize if this post is a little long and seems neurotic. This is not only a thorough backstory for information purposes, but maybe a little therapy session since almost all of my friends and family think I'm nuts for taking on this adventure.
When I was younger, our hometown would have a "pheasants' banquet" in February where people would gather together for a dinner and dance. It was also the time that everyone would place their order for how many pheasants they would want that year. By April, the phone would ring saying that our pheasants were ready to be picked up and we would open the box releasing full grown pheasants on our property to eat bugs for the entire summer. They were not smart birds, so about half of the flock would fly in front of a car or be eaten by a predator. Living in North Dakota, this was a common yearly occurrence and a "big date" for a lot of couples attending the banquet.
We bought our house on 10 acres in Northern NY last September and the entire property was overrun with ticks. I realized that winter is not cold enough or long enough to kill them off. My first thought was that we need some form of bird to help eradicate them. I was sure that this area did not offer a steak dinner that comes with a live pheasant order form, so I started researching what else could help knock them out and not be dependent on humans. I stumbled upon this site and saw how many people praised guineas for helping with ticks. I really loved the thought of guineas living in the trees and munching their way through the 5 acres of woods that we have beside our house. But, I really wanted something that wasn't dependent on me. My husband works out of state and I can be called away for work at a moment's notice. It seemed that guineas would be more than happy living in trees on our yard and having 90+ acres to roam around in without issue. (my neighbor has a lot of land beside us)
After reading posts from others, I estimated that 1/3 of the flock would survive all of the endeavors that challenge a guinea so I ordered 30 of them. I got an email on May 4th that 31 keets had hatched and were enroute to my home. They arrived on May 8th, 2018 and all of them survived the brooding process. I did not excessively handle them or try to do anything to get them to imprint since I intended for them to be a "wild bird".
I realize it's quite early in their growth process, but here is where I run into the issue and am seeking guidance. Once they were off of the 95 degrees/90 degrees decreasing weekly schedule, I was putting them in an outside enclosure for them to get familiar with it for a few hours in the afternoon. They had a great time! Last Thursday, I let them out to free-range without being in a pen. By the afternoon, they were all back in the yard and ran up to me when they saw me. I was outside all day on Friday and they were hanging around the yard. They ran up to the Fedex guy and followed the garbage man down the driveway when he arrived. Ten of the keets had started to fly up into the trees already. I thought it was a little early for them to be flying, but they were doing great with it. That afternoon, the ten that could fly were in the trees on the corner of our yard. They seemed happy and content to not come inside with the other 21 keets. I kept checking to see if they were on the porch or the driveway until I went to bed. I kept the porch lights on and they spent the night outside. Saturday morning, I heard them in the trees chirping to each other. Since Saturday, I have heard them on occasion on that side of the property. I didn't mind since that was exactly where I wanted them to be. But, they have not returned back to the yard.
The issue I am having is the other 21 keets. I apologize for calling it an issue because I have read so many posts from people who's wish would be for my problem to occur. Most people want their keets to come into the yard at night, run right into their enclosure and be more than happy to perch in a garage with food/water.
I have kept the keets in our garage from the beginning. We were getting snow here in Northern NY until May 2nd and it is still dropping into the 40s at night. Our garage is heated so it has been the perfect environment for them to grow and be protected. I have two sections of 4' tall dog fencing that have I set up on the garage floor with 2x4s slid through at various levels for them to perch/roost. The enclosure takes up the size of a small SUV. For the past week, I let them out of their enclosure in the garage and let them free-range all day. In the evening, they return to the yard and will walk right over to the garage door. A lot of them are "flying" but it is mostly just fluttering with a little lift. They are enjoying perching on our back deck which is 10 feet in the air and fluttering down to the ground. There are 8 larger keets that can flutter from the garage enclosure to the top of my husband's toolbox. There are a few smaller ones that don't seem to have the grasp of flying yet. They try, but they aren't quite there.
I am really torn about what to do with the little boogers, to be honest. I would have a whole farm if I could, but right now our careers are not conducive to that. I wanted the guineas as a tool, not necessarily as a pet. But, it's hard to not get attached even when they are screaming and pooping all over the place. My husband thinks we should get a coop, but a coop for 21 guineas would have to be quite large. I would really like them to be wild birds to ensure that they aren't dependent on humans since we don't know anyone well enough to take care of them when we are gone for weeks at a time.
So, that is why I'm asking the fine people of this website since I do not know of another place that has so much guinea experience. I welcome anyone's insight on the issue. I am wondering if that is why the big birds haven't left for the trees yet? Is it because the "flock" isn't ready? Or does this mean they are already imprinted on the house and that they think this is home? Will they go their own way eventually? Someone at the feed store suggested that I just stop feeding them and giving them water, but I'm not a monster. I don't want to see them harmed. I would like to see them go prosper in the trees. But, if they are considered tame and need a coop, I would try to find them a good home to go to and enjoy being pampered yard ornaments. If there is anything I can do to help put them on the road to independence, I welcome the advice.
With how old they are, this all seems so abnormal and I wasn't sure what to do. They seem so organized and "with it" that it is hard to believe that they have only been here for a little over a month. Any advice or experience from anyone on what to expect would be so reassuring.
Again, I am sorry for this being so long. It's just a topic that I wasn't able to discuss with many people.
I am new to guinea hens, so I apologize if this post is a little long and seems neurotic. This is not only a thorough backstory for information purposes, but maybe a little therapy session since almost all of my friends and family think I'm nuts for taking on this adventure.
When I was younger, our hometown would have a "pheasants' banquet" in February where people would gather together for a dinner and dance. It was also the time that everyone would place their order for how many pheasants they would want that year. By April, the phone would ring saying that our pheasants were ready to be picked up and we would open the box releasing full grown pheasants on our property to eat bugs for the entire summer. They were not smart birds, so about half of the flock would fly in front of a car or be eaten by a predator. Living in North Dakota, this was a common yearly occurrence and a "big date" for a lot of couples attending the banquet.
We bought our house on 10 acres in Northern NY last September and the entire property was overrun with ticks. I realized that winter is not cold enough or long enough to kill them off. My first thought was that we need some form of bird to help eradicate them. I was sure that this area did not offer a steak dinner that comes with a live pheasant order form, so I started researching what else could help knock them out and not be dependent on humans. I stumbled upon this site and saw how many people praised guineas for helping with ticks. I really loved the thought of guineas living in the trees and munching their way through the 5 acres of woods that we have beside our house. But, I really wanted something that wasn't dependent on me. My husband works out of state and I can be called away for work at a moment's notice. It seemed that guineas would be more than happy living in trees on our yard and having 90+ acres to roam around in without issue. (my neighbor has a lot of land beside us)
After reading posts from others, I estimated that 1/3 of the flock would survive all of the endeavors that challenge a guinea so I ordered 30 of them. I got an email on May 4th that 31 keets had hatched and were enroute to my home. They arrived on May 8th, 2018 and all of them survived the brooding process. I did not excessively handle them or try to do anything to get them to imprint since I intended for them to be a "wild bird".
I realize it's quite early in their growth process, but here is where I run into the issue and am seeking guidance. Once they were off of the 95 degrees/90 degrees decreasing weekly schedule, I was putting them in an outside enclosure for them to get familiar with it for a few hours in the afternoon. They had a great time! Last Thursday, I let them out to free-range without being in a pen. By the afternoon, they were all back in the yard and ran up to me when they saw me. I was outside all day on Friday and they were hanging around the yard. They ran up to the Fedex guy and followed the garbage man down the driveway when he arrived. Ten of the keets had started to fly up into the trees already. I thought it was a little early for them to be flying, but they were doing great with it. That afternoon, the ten that could fly were in the trees on the corner of our yard. They seemed happy and content to not come inside with the other 21 keets. I kept checking to see if they were on the porch or the driveway until I went to bed. I kept the porch lights on and they spent the night outside. Saturday morning, I heard them in the trees chirping to each other. Since Saturday, I have heard them on occasion on that side of the property. I didn't mind since that was exactly where I wanted them to be. But, they have not returned back to the yard.
The issue I am having is the other 21 keets. I apologize for calling it an issue because I have read so many posts from people who's wish would be for my problem to occur. Most people want their keets to come into the yard at night, run right into their enclosure and be more than happy to perch in a garage with food/water.
I have kept the keets in our garage from the beginning. We were getting snow here in Northern NY until May 2nd and it is still dropping into the 40s at night. Our garage is heated so it has been the perfect environment for them to grow and be protected. I have two sections of 4' tall dog fencing that have I set up on the garage floor with 2x4s slid through at various levels for them to perch/roost. The enclosure takes up the size of a small SUV. For the past week, I let them out of their enclosure in the garage and let them free-range all day. In the evening, they return to the yard and will walk right over to the garage door. A lot of them are "flying" but it is mostly just fluttering with a little lift. They are enjoying perching on our back deck which is 10 feet in the air and fluttering down to the ground. There are 8 larger keets that can flutter from the garage enclosure to the top of my husband's toolbox. There are a few smaller ones that don't seem to have the grasp of flying yet. They try, but they aren't quite there.
I am really torn about what to do with the little boogers, to be honest. I would have a whole farm if I could, but right now our careers are not conducive to that. I wanted the guineas as a tool, not necessarily as a pet. But, it's hard to not get attached even when they are screaming and pooping all over the place. My husband thinks we should get a coop, but a coop for 21 guineas would have to be quite large. I would really like them to be wild birds to ensure that they aren't dependent on humans since we don't know anyone well enough to take care of them when we are gone for weeks at a time.
So, that is why I'm asking the fine people of this website since I do not know of another place that has so much guinea experience. I welcome anyone's insight on the issue. I am wondering if that is why the big birds haven't left for the trees yet? Is it because the "flock" isn't ready? Or does this mean they are already imprinted on the house and that they think this is home? Will they go their own way eventually? Someone at the feed store suggested that I just stop feeding them and giving them water, but I'm not a monster. I don't want to see them harmed. I would like to see them go prosper in the trees. But, if they are considered tame and need a coop, I would try to find them a good home to go to and enjoy being pampered yard ornaments. If there is anything I can do to help put them on the road to independence, I welcome the advice.
With how old they are, this all seems so abnormal and I wasn't sure what to do. They seem so organized and "with it" that it is hard to believe that they have only been here for a little over a month. Any advice or experience from anyone on what to expect would be so reassuring.
Again, I am sorry for this being so long. It's just a topic that I wasn't able to discuss with many people.
Have a great night!
