Yeah! Big strides today!

[SimplyForties]

I went out to put the guineas and chickens back in their coops this evening and the guineas had put themselves to bed! Hooray! This is the first time they've gone back into their coop by themselves. Next thing you know they'll be coming out by themselves too and I'll be superfluous! Makes all that tedious training worthwhile.

 

[annaserv]

I so understand what a relief it is. It got tedious having to do the guinea round up every night. One night I was at the neighbors a little on the late side and said I had to get going to round the guineas up and joked "maybe they found their way in the coup by themselves" ha ha we all laughed at that thought. Sure enough everyone was in and on their perches.

Now it's funny to see them stopping in for a snack in the middle of the day or standing inside looking out at the rain. They really are getting way more low maintenance now.

I even thought I cured them of their roaming down to the neighbors, but I guess I was wrong there. She said they make a swing through every morning. Well, at least they know how to come back. I'm glad my neighbors enjoy them too.
Another neighbor was concerned thinking I lost some, cause he only seen 6 out of my nine. I asked where he seen them and told him that because the other 3 were probably laying eggs in the tall grass.

The biggest issue I have is to keep them from sitting on eggs. Hopefully, that season is nearly over. I found the best way to find their nest is when I open their door for them in the morning and watch where the hustle off too.

 

[SimplyForties]

How nice that you have understanding neighbors! Mine haven't left the property yet. I really like my neighbors but I'm not sure how well guinea poop (or chicken poop for that matter) on their front porch would go over!

 

[Soccer Mom]

Good for you! I'm about to take the big plunge with letting mine out to free range. They are 9 weeks and brooded in the coop. I hope to keep them in another week but the little boogers are eating me out of house and home. I go in and out with the door hanging open and they never try to leave. I wonder if they even know they can go out.

I like the idea of free ranging for just a couple hours. They are already conditioned to the idea that chow is brought to them in the evening.

I've got 30 of them and I hate the idea that I've put in all this work just to feed them to preditors, but the idea was always for them to free range.

 

[annaserv]

That's right, I forgot how much those suckers ate when they were confined to the coup. I swear they were eating like my big Cornish crosses ate. I hope that was just because they were at a growing stage and they don't eat like that all winter when they'll be locked up.

Was at the neighbors this morning dropping off some vegetables and on my way out of the yard guess who I seen on their front lawn? How embarrassing.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Around here, the guineas are the last ones to go to roost, they wait until after all the chickens are in bed, and it's so dark they can hardly see before they go in. Goofy birds

On a lighter note, this late in the season the hens probably won't try to brood their eggs, they should stop laying soon as well.

All my girls are too young to lay, so I don't have to worry about losing anymore hens this year!

 

[SimplyForties]

Quote:
I felt exactly like you do. I hated to push them out and then have them disappear (or get eaten) but I had to remind myself that I didn't get them to be zoo animals in their cage. I got them to free range so I had to go for it.

I think pushing them out at 4p and then herding them back in at 6p for a few days meant that they had a better chance of remembering and less chance that they would wander too far off. I guess it worked!

Today they went back in by themselves again but still aren't coming out by themselves. I think I pushed them out about 11a, their earliest "out" yet, and they hung pretty close all day. I think mine are around 10-12 weeks old or thereabouts.

Good luck!

 

[damselfish]

Congrats! They will backslide sometimes, but just be patient.

 

[Soccer Mom]

Yay! It's worked. For the last two days, my guineas have free ranged and all have gone back in the coop for me in the evening. They've been waiting at feeding time and when they saw me with the red bucket, they started calling and actually came running to meet me.

These are the friendliest I've ever had a group of guineas. They aren't cuddly like other birds, but they don't flee in terror and they actually hang out around me when I'm outside and come to me when I call (mostly to see if I've got treats--the little mooches)!