We raised some guineas this spring to help keep down the bugs in our large yard. When old enough to leave the pen, they started roosting at night in a mulberry tree that's between our house and shed. But they've stopped roosting on the tree and now roost on the dog kennel where the chicken coop is (which is beside the shed.) They roam the yard in the day but always come back to the the house/ chicken pen area for grain and water and to roost. They are not afraid of me but don't want me to actually catch them. My problem is that when winter comes, they will need shelter from the cold and sometimes snow and sleet. What kind of shelter do guineas seem to prefer in cold weather? They do not want to be penned up now since they are big birdies (all grown up.) Any ideas would be appreciated.
shelter for guineas in the winter
Hummmm. That is an interesting question. There are a lot of people on the forum who have guineas...I am sure someone knows.
We had guineas a number of years ago and kept them mostly with our chickens. We taught them to go into the chicken coop at night. It did take a good deal of persistence, finding them and stuffing them in the coop door night after night, but it did pay off. We finally got rid of them because we couldn't seem to have guineas AND a vegetable garden; they turned out to like bean and pea and other flower buds...
Unfortunately you're right that it's probably past that point for your birds. We have friends with guineas and they just let them free-range, summer and winter. They do lose a significant amount to predators, though.
If there's a way at all to get your guineas into a coop, I would try to do that.
Have they ever had millet? Mine wouldn't touch it for weeks but I kept introducing it and finally a light switched on and now they go crazy for it. I'm currently using it to try to train them to come to the sound of a bell. Maybe you could try something similar to get them to go into the coop at night? Maybe you already do this but guineas are also great at being "herded" if you use a long stick and just sort of guide them in the direction you want them to go in.
Just a thought. :) Good luck!
Thank you for the ideas and thoughts.
Our guineas come to the house when I call them a certain way so getting them to come to a coop is not a problem, getting them to go in the coop is the problem because they want to roost up high (to feel safe I guess). I will try offering them some millet as you suggested, Niere.
We have a good guard dog so predators have not been a problem so far. But when the freezing and wet weather comes, I hate to think of them getting so cold. I'll try herding them as you mentioned.
My DH fenced in the garden to keep the dog out so we have not had much of a problem with the guineas eating the buds of the veggie plants. They have quite an appetite, though, so I'm sure they would do some damage if they could get to the plants.
Can you put some roosts that are high up in the chicken coop? We have roosts of varying heights in our coop, but yes the guineas love the highest ones. :)
Well our chicken coop is not really big enough for the chickens and the guineas. The building/coop is inside of a dog kennel which I close the gate at night so nothing can get to the chickens (it is chain link fence on the sides and is covered to keep anything from coming in through the top.) So the guineas roost up there on the top where the cover (net) is. We will have to build something (a pole barn maybe) to give them shelter from the weather. But they will still get cold even if they don't get rained/snowed on.) Guess we should have thought of this before we got them (guineas.)
Here are a couple threads from a Guinea Fowl forum:
http://www.guineafowlinternational.org/forum/index.php?id=17353
http://www.guineafowlinternational.org/forum/index.php?mode=thread&id=18173
It sounds like they can handle the cold pretty well when they are mature...but there are other problems.
Our guineas perch on sweet gum trunks we've arranged in their coop. In winter we put a red heat lamp in the coop and they are quite happy. We used millet and herding sticks to train them to go into the coop at night. When we put them up at night we close and lock the door and they're OK with that. They also respond to a bell we ring midday after we put millet in the coop. We think that midday millet keeps them close to home. Having done all this we can pretty much depend upon them to return to the coop at the sound of the bell. If a couple of males won't enter the coop (usually because of a dominant male at the door) or a female won't leave a nest, I add a "here guinea guinea " chant which usually works. If yours have been perching in the trees for a while, you may not be able to change that. Some people believe they won't come out of the trees if there's snow on the ground. I don't know whether that's true or not but we keep ours in on snowy days. Given all that I must add we have several friends whose guineas free range all day and roost in the trees at night. A couple of them have had guineas live to a ripe old age. Good luck.
Thank you Catscan and Halfspied. You have given me some good ideas. I had not thought of using a bell to signal them to come. Usually if they see me come out in the yard or garden they'll come around to get fed again or see what I'm doing. They are such strange birds. Yesterday I saw one of them preening the another one's waddles. The one being preened was standing up tall and very still. It was funny to see.