Guineas on the Porch

Guineas on the porch. Why are there guineas on my porch. Where there are guineas needless to say there will be poop.  They are strange little birds.

 

This flock was hatched out this past spring in our incubator. They haven't gotten their red cheek flaps nor their cone head.  Very noisy birds.  Why do we have them?  Slugs and bugs.  Guineas are avid bug eaters. In summer the pasture will have thousands of grasshoppers.  These little voracious eaters will walk the yard and pastures in side by side formation eating every bug in sight.  They will loudly announce when you have a visitor.  Actually, they will deafen you when you have a visitor. 

Our guineas were raised in the same brooder as our chicks.  The were moved into a pen with the pullets and now roost every night in the coop. Dark comes to us around 4:30pm.  We leave a light on in the coop during the day.  As dusk deepens all the birds gravitate to the light in the coop.  We go in and feed every evening and close the coop and all its inhabitants up safely.  We have noticed that the older guinea flock and the young guineas are starting to patrol together more often. We have one lone smaller guinea who seems to think that it is a chicken and stays with the young hens all day.  It may have been a later hatch and is younger than the other birds. It even comes up to me like the young hens wanting an occasional pat. Not guinea like behavior at all.

I have watched the guineas as a group chase a fox up the farm road while making the loudest chatter you can imagine. The fox looked appropriately frightened.

I enjoy these birds immensely.  They are entertaining to watch. If we could only train them to stay in our yard.  They are roamers. They will debug the neighbors yard across the street, the cemetery across the street and of course they will also debug the side of the road.  Can you see where I'm going here? Occasionally we will hear a honk or two as the birds leisurely walk across the road.  I am very thankful for those who stop.  Once in a while someone will hit a bird or two.  Another reason we put up the board fence with wire.  Attempting to keep guineas home can be a challenge. Oh, they always come back home but they love to roam.  If you are thinking of getting guineas I can give a few words of advice.  Be aware that you will loose a few. It is sad and breaks my heart.  They are not bird that can be locked in.  They are independent. So that is one of the reasons I have guineas on my porch. Because they can.

Much Love and Prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm