Loretta Van Riet
Trying to hang out with the cool kids.
My niece lives along a river in Illinois. She found this fellow this morning...
CHAT Need Bird ID'd
- Thread starter Loretta Van Riet
- Start date
Freeholder
This too shall pass.
That's a guinea -- they are domestic in this country, native to Africa.
Kathleen
ETA: They come in several colors; this one is a pearl. They go wild very easily -- I've given up on trying to raise them because as soon as I let them out of their pen, they take off and I never see them again, even if they've been penned for three months. (Chickens usually know where home is after only a week or so.) But if you can keep them around, they are supposed to be good tick control. And they are good to eat.
Kathleen
ETA: They come in several colors; this one is a pearl. They go wild very easily -- I've given up on trying to raise them because as soon as I let them out of their pen, they take off and I never see them again, even if they've been penned for three months. (Chickens usually know where home is after only a week or so.) But if you can keep them around, they are supposed to be good tick control. And they are good to eat.
Capt. Eddie
Veteran Member
Guineafowl
Martinhouse
Deceased
Yup, it's a guinea fowl, and that one looks like a male!
Walrus Whisperer
Hope in chains...
They get on your roof and scream!
Martinhouse
Deceased
The years I had guineas on my place, I had no ticks and very few chiggers. I'd get them again, but the neighbors don't much care for all the noise, plus the birds need at least ten acres to roam in and I don't have anywhere near that much area.
If you do have them and find a new nest, recommend you put some of the eggs under a good broody hen. They take a day or two longer to hatch than chickens do, but she will be a good mama to them when they hatch, whereas guinea hens drag their newly hatched babies all over through all sorts of stuff including the wet grass in the early morning. And if a baby lags behind and hollers for its mama, she doesn't bother to go back and get it. Also they will lay eggs in an enclosure, but they won't set them when they are confined, so the eggs go to waste unless you care to use an incubator. And often all the females will lay on the same nest and you'll eventually find one hen sitting on a HUGE pile of eggs!
Don't expect even hand-raised keets to become pets. They are simply too wild to tame.
If you do have them and find a new nest, recommend you put some of the eggs under a good broody hen. They take a day or two longer to hatch than chickens do, but she will be a good mama to them when they hatch, whereas guinea hens drag their newly hatched babies all over through all sorts of stuff including the wet grass in the early morning. And if a baby lags behind and hollers for its mama, she doesn't bother to go back and get it. Also they will lay eggs in an enclosure, but they won't set them when they are confined, so the eggs go to waste unless you care to use an incubator. And often all the females will lay on the same nest and you'll eventually find one hen sitting on a HUGE pile of eggs!
Don't expect even hand-raised keets to become pets. They are simply too wild to tame.
Loretta Van Riet
Trying to hang out with the cool kids.
Thanks, everyone!
Martinhouse
Deceased
I use a long-handled spoon to get eggs out of any occupied nest. No fun getting pecked by a disturbed mama of any type!
Martinhouse
Deceased
Oh, and that old "truism" that a bird won't set an egg that has been touched or bothered is just plain not true!
Freeholder
This too shall pass.
I just grab the hen by the neck -- gently but firmly -- and hold onto her while I pull the eggs out. I've never gotten pecked very badly by a hen. Now, a goose would be a different story. If she has eggs under her, more power to her, because I'm not going anywhere near those, LOL!
Kathleen
Martinhouse
Deceased
After seeing what geese do to the ground, I never wanted geese anywhere near where I'd be walking. I'm not especially squeamish, but YUCK!
Illini Warrior
Illini Warrior
don't see much guinea fowl around IL >>> all disadvantages and the benefits don't fit the area very well .....
JasmineAndLace
Senior Member
Martinhouse is exactly right, guniea hens aren't very good mothers. We had a batch hatch out in late fall and the mother dragged them around in wet grass and snow until I thought she was going to kill them all. I gathered them up and took them in the house to raise in a galvanized tub. Had to put a wire top over it--they do fly and really stink up a place. I was really glad to see spring arrive so I could put them outside. They are good watch dogs, though. Always let you know when someone comes onto the property.
night driver
ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
ranch across the street from the RV resort we were at in TX had 3 of them and we NEVER just wandered into their car yard. NOISY and they WERE damned aggressive...
homecanner1
Veteran Member
lol it looks furious, probably read the Peoria newspaper this morning.
Ragnarok
On and On, South of Heaven
"Say, Hello, to Fred..."
1:56 Land of the Lost clip
goosebeans
Veteran Member
I was going to say, he probably belongs to someone in the next county over.
I gave up too. - not to mention the repetitive and relentless noise they make, all night long. Thought I was going to need meds for my nerves.I've had them different times over the years but the varmints always end up getting them all. The last one left of my last batch was lonesome I guess. It took up with a flock of wild turkeys. I would see it cross the road with them occasionally for over a year but haven't seen it now for a year or so. I bought 40 powder blue ones a few years back and raised them with chickens. Beautiful birds but when they were grown I gradually turned them out over a few days and they separated into groups of 8 or 10. I really enjoyed seeing them across the lane foraging around the pond but in 2 months they were all gone. I think the light color made them too easy to see for the owls when roosting in the trees.
DryCreek
Veteran Member
Not as loudly as a peacock though (or peafowl).
Freeholder
This too shall pass.
I was going to say, he probably belongs to someone in the next county over.
Mine never stayed around long enough to know that they make noise all night long. For myself, I could probably get used to it. But there are nights when my daughter sleeps poorly, and shrieks at the rooster who starts crowing at O-dark-thirty. I don't think I would want something that made noise all night long.
Kathleen
Martinhouse
Deceased
They don't make noise all night long unless there is something causing them to make noise all night long. Something they identify as not belonging where they're seeing it/them.
Walrus Whisperer
Hope in chains...
I've had roosters that every nite would crow around 3:30 am. I've never kept one past when they were about 8 mos old. They get obnoxious and think they are the boss.
goosebeans
Veteran Member
We gave the remaining birds to a fellow homesteader who adored guineas - they are beautiful birds- She seemed to have no problem keeping them around. There must have been something out there at night that set them off every few minutes. The sound really carried. Surprisingly, no one complained.