I am constantly trying to "convince" my guineas to go into a woodshed off of my house that is nice and sheltered. THey will go in once in a while, and yes, I've hung enough mirrors where it is starting to resemble a rustic disco. Am I worrying to much when they don't seem to stay in their during the rain? THey will go in for a small bit of time, then run around the yard. I have locked them in their for bouts, and they don't seem to mind..still,l they choose to roost up in the pine trees. hoping this changes as it gets colder. Does their instinct kick in regarding finding shelter in the rain or snow?

-- kristine stone (stonekr_31@hotmail.com), October 06, 2001

Answers

had to laugh at your thread title(sorry;) We had a few guineas in Texas, and while they were fine, sometimes amusing birds, they had no sense. They were excellent flyers, but if they happened to bump into a fence, would pace it all day(and night) in the rain before it would occur to them to fly over it. If one got stuck on the other side of the pasture fence on a rainy day, it had to be rescued soon or would look like a drowned rat before long.

-- mary (marylgarcia@aol.com), October 06, 2001.

Sure is nice to find an animal that makes chickens look bright, ain't it? We have three guineas that we hatched this summer and they bonded so hard to the little banty hen we had sitting on their eggs that even after we let them roam free and their little "mama" passed on over (of old age) they will only roost on top of the chicken tractor that her twin lives in. What a mess.I have made a little lean-to next to the chicken tractor but they ignore it. They look like soggy rats after a storm, but they don't seem to notice.

I'm hoping they'll make it through the winter, but they are as dumb as a sack of hammers so it'll be a miracle. If you want the best lowdown on guineas and just a great website to visit go see Frit's Farm at:

www.geocities.com/heartland/meadows/9463

Don't get me wrong, I love my little special friends, and if God loves them too they'll still be here in the spring to eat those darn bugs!!

Good luck and keep us posted...

-- gilly (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), October 06, 2001.

Depending on the type of rain, both my guineas and chooks will stay out and enjoy it. I've been unloading the guineas little by little. Just can't take the constant screaming! I only have a few more to get rid of and then I'll be able to enjoy the quiet. They're only quiet at night when it's pitch dark.

I have a bunch of roosters that crow around the clock ~ except for a few hours during the night ~ but it's not as nerve racking to me.

Someone asked me what they could do about the noise of their rooster crowing. I told him to get a few guineas and they wouldn't hear the rooster! -LOL-

I agree about the guineas ~ they make the chooks look like the chooks have a college education! -G- The only time the guineas have showed any smarts is that they were easy to train to return to the pens at dusk, on their own, to roost. I just pen them for 3 weeks, keep the hoppers filled with feed, and then at the end of the three weeks I open the gate of the pen. I feel the free feeding is really an important part of the training. If you move the pen or move to a different house, the 3 week 'jail' time has to be repeated. I also do this with the chooks. I've never had to chase a bird down to pen it.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), October 07, 2001.