# And you think homers are bad...



## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

...for randomly showing up on the landing board after weeks of being MIA. How about my guineas???

In October, one night I forgot to close the door to the coop my guineas and 5 chickens were roosting in. Next morning, I find 1 dead guinea, and all my chickens. No one else in sight. All my surviving guineas (if I remember right, about 9 or 10) had gotten spooked, which is common, and flown the coop!

So for the past few months, I've heard their cheeping and shrieking up on the hill (several houses away with a large pasture between us) almost every afternoon. I couldn't see them, but could still hear them. Sure, the people with the horses could have gotten guineas all of a sudden, but I was convinced they were my runaways.

Turns out, I was right!


Today when I went outside, I saw my three young adult guineas running around with my cochins like usual. These three were just babies when the others disappeared, and are now grown up and talking 24/7. But all three are boys...and I heard the 'buckwheat' call of hens all over the place. Looked around the corner, and behold, 6 banded guineas - most of my runaways were back! So all day I've been feeding them and making sure they were happy. Tonight they were gone again, but I expected that, since they obviously have a well-established roosting tree somewhere. Hopefully with some time and lots of food, I'll lure them back to sleeping in our yard. Or perhaps tomorrow, if they visit again, I'll be able to coax them into the covered pen with some food...close the door, catch, and clip wings...so I can start all over again!  Even if I'm only able to catch a few of the 6, I'll be happy. At least one hen, that's all I'm asking! 

Guineas are pretty expensive around here. Everyone wants these prehistoric looking tick-eaters in their yard, and their rich eggs for breakfast and desserts. And of course with 3 boys, that won't get me very far in the incubator, LOL. I don't think I'll have to worry about my strays taking my 3 boys off with them. The youngin's are convinced my 3 blue cochins are their moms and dad  Maybe it's just because they sorta grew up together, or perhaps because their color blends in with the guineas so nicely? Either way, you'll never see the guineas far from the cochins, they're all best buddies  It's very cute!


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## c.hert (Jan 15, 2010)

What a nice story and you are a good writer my lady--how did that one guinea die in the beginning of the story--just curious---c.hert


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Thank you 


I'm assuming an opossum got in, which is how they all got spooked and the one was killed. You would think they could go one night with the door open, without something happening. But I guess with winter coming, everything was out and hungry


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## Pigeon lower (Oct 23, 2007)

I know around here they go for about 10$ a peice, farmers let them roam around there farm and roost in the tree's at night because they will go all loud if they see something.. 

Glad ur birds are coming back


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## Crab_Shrapnel (Jan 17, 2010)

I raise chickens, and most of mine are fancy breeds so I put a guniea out there to guard 'em. Never fails, it goes crazy when something comes near


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## pattersonk2002 (Jun 1, 2008)

MaryOfExeter said:


> Thank you
> 
> 
> I'm assuming an opossum got in, which is how they all got spooked and the one was killed. You would think they could go one night with the door open, without something happening. But I guess with winter coming, everything was out and hungry





Crab_Shrapnel said:


> I raise chickens, and most of mine are fancy breeds so I put a guniea out there to guard 'em. Never fails, it goes crazy when something comes near


 It never fails that the one time you leave a door open somone gets out or something gets in. I have been there before but it was a lesson learned (maybe) so that it does not happen again, I never knew gunieas would roost in the trees and be kinda like a watch bird at night, this gives me a thought and I may get some in the spring and use my old chicken coup for them if they choose. How do they do in a michigan winter?


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Yep. Well right now all but two of them are trapped in the chicken pen. That one isn't covered, so they could easily fly over the fence, but the 4 don't seen to mind being in there. The other two are having a fit because there's a barrier between them though  They've already proven they remember how to go in the coop, so hopefully when it gets dark, I'll find at least 4 in there.
They'll roost in trees pretty high up, and usually if they are full grown, nothing will get them because they're smart enough to pick thicker leaved trees. I feel better having them sleep inside, since there's all kinds of owls all over the place, along with ***** and opossums.


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## Aviephile (Oct 25, 2009)

I've thought about getting some gunieas as alarm birds, but whenever someone around here gets some they lose them to the road pretty quick. Seems they like a nice long flat runway to land on. :-{
Best! Bill


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Yeah they do seem to be attracted to the road. Mine aren't so much because the coops have some good distance from the road. But our neighbor up the road, has a small yard separating him from the road, so his flock wanders around, often strolling down the road to eat in our yard


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## Pawbla (Jan 6, 2009)

Did you catch them?


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## Keith C. (Jan 25, 2005)

Two friends of mine both had guineas I hatched and gave them, leave emasse. They both were given the guineas a day after they finished hatching and let them out at a couple of months old.
One had 43 walk off into a cornfield and never come back the other had 17 disappear across a pasture.
My friend Ralph, whom I got the eggs from, at one point, had over 170 guineas that I hatched running around. We would find nests that started as a depression in the ground that had over 60 eggs in them.
Keith


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

I wasn't able to catch these guys, but they do act like they remember how things go around here. They visit almost everyday to eat, and then travel back up and down the road. They seem happy being "wild" and must have a safe, high branch to roost on. So although I would really like to catch them, I'm not so worried about them anymore.


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Very cool!


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## leosmith678 (Apr 30, 2010)

The story is really very interesting. As it is of my favorite bird i really liked it genuinely. Also it is good mode to entertain the kids and also teaching a very cute lesson. This story seeming very true not a tale. I really liked the tasks of this and its rewards.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

It seems with these guineas they either go wild and you don't see them agian or they stay right on the roof pooping allover it...ugh.... they are cool birds though and would like to try their eggs sometime.. we want domestic ducks too but have to wait till the ol' bird dog goes over the rainbow bridge first.


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

I love Guinea Hens!


My first memorable experience with Birds, was when I was about six years old, and I was attacked by a momma Guinnea Hen because I was too close to her Babys.


She just flew at me out of no-where, clawing at my Head and face and shreiking and repeating the passes to do more of it!


Wow!


Somehow instead of freightening me or upsetting me, I just admired her immensely and felt very impressed by her bravery, and knew instinctively that I had made some sort of faux-pas, then I saw the Babys, so I left the area.


I hope someday to have room and amenity to have a few!


Love that 'Spike' they have on their Head!


Great story there on how they decided on the Trees past the Pasture but still wander back.


Very cool...I hope they do well..!


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

*Domesticated once again!*

A year and a few months have gone by, and every once in a while I'd hear them up the road at the top of the hill. Too far to see them without creeping up there with binoculars. Figured the people who lived there caught them and kept them, or were feeding them regularly. Recently they have finally made their way to the flock of chickens kept two houses up from me. Now I could very clearly see the 5 of them, and was very excited. I pondered explaining to the preacher that they were mine, and that I would like to catch them so they won't hog up all their chickens' food. BUT I just let it go. This past week, they came down to my yard to hang out with all my critters, so I fed them everytime they were here. Today I was able to trap them all in the chicken house, so they now have clipped wings and are in their own pen.
Tis the season, so I'm hoping they lay eggs soon so I can fill up the incubator. Then I'll let them hatch their own, and let them out again. They should be broken to my house by then. I'm so happy they are back! I've missed their obnoxious screeching


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