Guinea Hens - looking for some detailed info

motdaugrnds · #21 08/23/11, 02:17 PM

We raised guineas (had over a dozen) for years. They were raised from "day-olds" inside the chicken house (the part where we have the brooder) until they were old enough to fly pretty good. Then they were let out to free-range. Every evening they would roost in the same 3 trees around our barn. They served as great watch dogs for predators or anything "different" coming onto the place.

Then our neighbor started raising a garden and put out a "stuffed" guinea beside it. That neighbor complained that our guineas were scratching up his garden; so he started poisoning them when they wondered over to say hello to his stuffed one. This went on until we had none left. (That same neighbor is not the same now that he is ill; so now we are considering getting guineas again.)

Let me tell a little true story about one of our guineas. It was during the early summer. I noticed a guinea "hen" hanging around the barn limping. I noticed her feet looked strange. I figured she had hurt her feet and needed time to heal; so each time I milked the goats, I threw out some "cracked corn" for her, which she ate. Soon she was walking good and even sleeping in the trees with the rest of the guineas; however, she would always come to the barn when I was milking looking for that cracked corn. When she was perched on the rail, I noticed she had no toes; so I named her "no-toes"; and would always toss a little corn on the ground beside me. One day she disappeared. I figured some predator got her. A few days later as I was milking she shows up, sits on the rail and starts fussing at me. I knew something was wrong, though had no idea what. I tossed a little cracked corn on the ground next to my feet, she hopped down and ate quickly, then flew away. A few days later No-toes showed up with 6 baby keets.

Dumb? Not No-toes!