I have freerange chickens and they do just fine without being cooped at night- they decided they liked the trees better than the coop. Around here, a coop without a top is known as a "hawk feeder" and I don't have enough wire at this point to enclose the top of our coop. The dogs keep away the foxes and coons.

Anyway, I am getting (inheriting) several grown guineas from a neighbor with terminal cancer very soon, like tomorrow. She has been cooping them at night in an enclosed coop. Will they adjust? Am I going to lose all these birds? I know I have to keep them caged for several days to begin with, but what about after that? All I have at present in a VERY small cage and a large, open-topped coop.

-- Sylvia Dyson (slydy@intrstar.net), September 04, 2000

Answers

This is something I saw several years ago. To help keep hawks out of chicken runs run monofiliment fishing line in a kind of spider web across the top. The hawk will see the line and turn away so as to not get hit by it. From my experience free-ranging guineas have a very high attrition rate. But, hey, the price is right.

-- Ken S. in TN (scharabo@aol.com), September 04, 2000.

Thanks! Guess I'd better figure out a way to get fence over the top of that coop, at least for nights. We really need the guineas to freerange during the day- ticks are a terrible problem here in S.E NC- even if the guineas do diminish in number, it beats the fevers the ticks spread.

I've tried the fishing line bit. All I can say is, someone is getting fishing line cheaper than I can! To completely weave a hawk- proof cover takes a lot of line. The hawks burst right through the first effort, that I'll admit was half-hearted.

Also, the cats got tangled in it and the chickens got tangled in it (we don't clip wings, so they can get away from the occasional half- hearted dog chase).

-- Sylvia (slydy@intrstar.net), September 04, 2000.

Good point, Ken!

We have stretched berry netting over the run of our coop and no hawk has ever tried to take out our birds. However, one night, my husband awoke to a racket out in the coop and our dogs going nuts.

He went out expecting a 'coon in the coop, and found a very large great horned owl hanging from the netting - she hopped down and stood in the run, looking as regal as she could in such a situation. 8-) Meanwhile, the roosters were screaming their heads off and when Dom went to check inside the coop, all the chickens (20+) were jammed and stacked BEHIND the feed bins. Every bird was fine, so we closed off the door into the coop and opened the gate to the run. We managed to convince the owl to hop out the gate and watched as she spread those huge wings and silently flew off... What a sight...

The hole in the netting was impressive, but since then there have not been any other night raid attempts. I think she found easier prey elsewhere.

-- Judi in CT (ddecaro@snet.net), September 04, 2000.

One source of plastic bird netting is Memphis Net & Twine Co. (800- 238-6380). 32" x 60' is less than $7, plus shipping.

-- Ken S. in TN (scharabo@aol.com), September 04, 2000.

Your local farm or garden supply store should have or be able to get the netting for you. I bought one this spring that was about 10x12 ft and its cost was $10 to$15 don't remember exactly. We used it to cover our goose pen when they had little ones, it catches black snakes to.............................JAY

-- JAY (jay@townsqr.com), September 04, 2000.

You may have already discovered this website, but www.fritsfarm.com has just about everything you could ever want to know about guineas. Plus it has great music. In my experience, guineas will range on their own, then come into the enclosed chicken house to roost at night with the hens. The two who adopted us are about as independent as an old maid with a pension. goatgal

-- melina bush (goatgal1@juno.com), September 04, 2000.

I laid long dry branches over the top of my coop then piled lightweight brushy branches on top. Hawks and eagles prefer a clear flight path to catch a meal on the run.

-- Laura (gsend@hotmail.com), September 05, 2000.

The best way to have Guineas return to the coop at night is to have a chicken hatch the eggs. (The Guineas will be tamer.) Once fully feathered, continue to keep in a pen for an additional 6 weeks. This isn't possible in your case.

It may/may not help to keep older Guineas penned for 6 weeks.

My pens are chainlink dog kennels. I used 2 extra panels for each 'roof.' The chain link is covered (not the roof) with 1/2 inch hardware cloth. Coons/possums, etc., can't climb the hardware cloth nor get a paw thru to grab the chooks. Lots of nighttime predators here. My chooks free range during the day and tuck themselves into the pens at dusk to roost. I then close the gates.

Guineas are excellent for tick/snake control ~ and any other insect that's out there. If not penned, like the chooks, they will roost in the trees (easy pickins for hawks/owls) or wander out to a forest area if there's one near you.

One day you might think they're gone, but if they're not picked off by a predator, they could come walking in trailing a bunch of babies....if there's a male in the group. (Egg incubation is 28 days.)

Good luck whatever you decide to do!

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), September 05, 2000.

See a post on guineas about two weeks ago. Several people had advice on training guineas to return to a coop at night.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), September 05, 2000.

If you are getting adult guineas, you had better keep them penned for at least several weeks before you let them free-range. Otherwise, you will have nary a bird after a few days. They do not "transplant" well as adults, and sometimes even penning them doesn't work. I'd keep them penned for a while, then free-range a couple. If they stay around, let a couple more loose. If you can't pen them, just eat them now! GL!

-- Brad (Homefixer@SacoRiver.net), September 05, 2000.

I raised my guineas from chicks and they stayed around roaming with chickens ok, in fact they thought it their job to protect the chickens. Every time I thru a new chicken in the field, they chased it clean across the pasture holding on to its tail. They didn't want me to touch the chickens either. The noise every day was horrid. I traded my guineas for hens. When you all figure out how to surgically remove their vocal cords let me know.

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@msn.com), September 06, 2000.

Thanks for all the help- looks like we'll pen them for 6 weeks and we found some berry netting locally for cheap. Wish us luck- we really need these bug snatchers; we live near (in, during floods...) a swamp of some size.

-- Sylvia (slydy@intrstar.net), September 07, 2000.