ape99 McCoy

Sorry about your birds.

Rock salt load and apply liberally with shotgun. Shouldn't kill them but will get their full attention.

Or setup the cage so you can trap them, then call animal control.
The neighbor will have to go bail out each and every dog...would be costly.

ape99

Leila Rich wrote:Be warned: in my experience, guineas are crazy, upredictable, make a really, really annoying racket and keel over dead for no apparent reason
The European song thrush is a keen snail-eater, smashing snails on a favoured 'anvil' stone. You may have a local version?

Then you should come check my guineas out.
Only go noise if there's something out there (hawk...etc) and are extremely tough birds.
Have one (Falcon X) that survived a hawk attack, lucky for him I was there to scare off the hawk right after, but he had been sliced from right shoulder to left butt and was coughing up blood for a bit but has fully recovered.
Very predictable too, have their routes when they go free range outside my place, do their loop and come back in.

Think it's all in how you raise them when young. If you really work them they'll be like parrots and will ride on your shoulder.

Fantastic permaculture birds that won't tear your garden up like chickens, highly recommend them if you're willing to put the upfront time in with them.
But once you 'train' the parents they pass down those habits to the next generation.

Plus the eggs are on another level from chickens. Same goes for the meat too.

But they don't eat snails...they are attracted to fast moving bugs/lizards/small animals/snakes etc.

ape99

how guineas should behave...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPSDBkIJPKw

Well, never had a rooster in the mix but did have a nice couple of laying hen (only one at a time).
They got along with the guineas just fine...they were even low to mid way up the pecking order.
And both were introduced into the flock as adults.
Chickens and Guineas have been know to cross breed, but it's rare and the offspring are sterile.

Your girls are hungry for some males and I'm betting they're not too particular right now.

Biggest problem I see would be if you ever got male guineas they'd start to kick the roosters butt.

Could always keep him caged and let the ladies come check him out first...maybe you could borrow one of your neighbors to test the waters.

As to the BFS, just now starting to see the adults buzzing around here. Should have lots of them about soon enough.

ape99

What about Pedroslista Abe?

Sorry to hear about the road runner. Not as tough as in the cartoons would have you believe...

I think they're just sexually frustrated...a big rooster should hold his own and maybe calm those ladies down a bit.

Could always make rooster soup should it not work out.

ape99

BTW
How's the black solider flys doing? Hope they're taking hold out there.

Yeah, guineas will go after snakes. They'll kill and eat them if small enough and will surround the larger ones and drive them off.

Some patterns set them off...had an old rug with a diamond pattern and for weeks after I tossed it outside they'd go crazy and circle it while sounding the alert.

They'll go after just about anything of the right size and if it's quick moving. Mine have even gobbled up baby rats about the size of a mouse. Great for tick control too.

When they eat something large like that you can tell from their droppings...about 6x larger than normal.

ape99

Glad to hear you're getting in the groove with your girls.

Yeah, used to take mine on walks into the adjacent city park (rough, unimproved part)...now I just let them free range out there and return.
I live in the 'hood' so there have been a few times were me and my flock have walked up on people in the 'throws of passion' out there.

Having a big backwoods looking guy and a dozen plus very curious guineas come out of nowhere and encircle them tends to keep repeat business at a minimum.

Never thought about nomadic people and guineas but I can see that having happened.

Very smart and loyal birds. They are very comfortable around animals they've come to trust. And can tell the part...had a stray dog show up once that looked like a trusted neighbors dog and they went off.
I was thinking it odd until I looked closer and noticed it was a stray.
Took me awhile to realize that they know me from my face. Kinda makes sense as they have such unique facial features themselves.

That's funny about yours snatching food from the pigs, would like to see a video.

Any luck with finding a couple of lucky males yet?

ape99

Yeah,
Guess I've been lucky as my heard is quite 95% of the time and only really go car alarm loud when real danger is about.

But, I've worked with them from hatchlings (except 3 fems I had to buy a few years back to improve the male/female ratio) so maybe that's why.

Here's a vid of how mine are most of the time...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPSDBkIJPKw

ape99

Yeah, they really need a male around. Most times the only adult guineas available are the males.

Might try a rooster until you can find a male guinea or two.

ape99

So did you find some male guineas or are did you cull them all?

They do like to pair up and will let you know when they're lonely.

ape99

I had a guinea that would lay with no shell. Good thing they're membrane is so tough the shell-less egg where little bags o egg and yoke.

Used to boil them up and always great.

Wish she was still around and laying...

ape99