Post by Lannie on Dec 21, 2008 12:51:23 GMT -5
I've heard this - that guineas will plot and plan their own destruction, but in the almost 3 years I've had them, I've found them to be quite resourceful in the area of self-preservation. So this is really baffling.
For two days now, one of my older roosters and one of the kids, have been perched up on the roof of the chicken coop and run. The run is covered. I can't reach them, and when I try to move them from underneath, they just get farther up on the roof. They won't come down, not even for feed. They haven't had any food or water for the last two days, and they've been two of the coldest days we've had so far.
Last night we got the predicted 40 mph winds, and the temperature bottomed out at 13 below (which is a darn sight better than the 20 below we thought it would be, but still... COLD). Night before last, I was sure they'd be frozen in the morning, but they were still sitting up there, wind ruffling their feathers, and very much alive. Then last night, I was POSITIVE they wouldn't survive, but again, they're still sitting up there, very much alive. I think their feet are starting to freeze, though, because when I do manage to make one or the other move, it's very clumsy and stumbling.
The snow's too cold to make snowballs with, so I can't even throw snowballs at them to get them off of there. Rich has a 12' tree pruner thing, and if I can wrangle it, I'll see if I can scoop them off the roof with that when I go outside again.
The other older rooster, Gimpy, is in the coop, and the other 4 kids are in the horse barn, and have been in there for several days. At least they can get water out of the trough and I've been throwing them seed to eat, so they're OK. They're also out of the wind.
I can't figure out this aversion to going in the coop all of a sudden. It's not like they get picked on - they're at the top of the pecking order in there. The guineas always get the "best" roosts, and won't let the chickens on there with them, they'll push the chickens away from the feeder if they want to eat, and in general they're very bossy birds. So I don't have any explanation for this.
The kind of funny part is that I was always worried about the guineas in the cold weather, and the heat lamps were mostly installed for them. I figured since they're African birds, and not used to polar temps, that they would get cold and suffer more than the heavy chickens would. Now I know they can survive a minus 50 windchill. No kidding, they sat on that roof in that blasting wind all night long! At least, they were there when it got dark, and they were still there at first light, so I assume they spent the night there. And right in the teeth of the wind. The older guinea rooster's wattles appear to be frozen out from his face, as if he were facing into the wind, it blew them back away from his face, and they've frozen in that position. I honestly don't know why he's still alive.
I guess I'm just rambling now, sorry. It's just such an odd thing. I finally decided that even if the two on the roof DO die, the flock will go on, because at least one of the kids in the barn is a female. There were only two females out of the five keets that survived. I don't know which sex the younger one on the roof is because I haven't heard him or her make any noise. So I guess if I lose one of the older roosters and one of the kids, it'll be OK in the long run, but it seems so senseless.
~Lannie
For two days now, one of my older roosters and one of the kids, have been perched up on the roof of the chicken coop and run. The run is covered. I can't reach them, and when I try to move them from underneath, they just get farther up on the roof. They won't come down, not even for feed. They haven't had any food or water for the last two days, and they've been two of the coldest days we've had so far.
Last night we got the predicted 40 mph winds, and the temperature bottomed out at 13 below (which is a darn sight better than the 20 below we thought it would be, but still... COLD). Night before last, I was sure they'd be frozen in the morning, but they were still sitting up there, wind ruffling their feathers, and very much alive. Then last night, I was POSITIVE they wouldn't survive, but again, they're still sitting up there, very much alive. I think their feet are starting to freeze, though, because when I do manage to make one or the other move, it's very clumsy and stumbling.
The snow's too cold to make snowballs with, so I can't even throw snowballs at them to get them off of there. Rich has a 12' tree pruner thing, and if I can wrangle it, I'll see if I can scoop them off the roof with that when I go outside again.
The other older rooster, Gimpy, is in the coop, and the other 4 kids are in the horse barn, and have been in there for several days. At least they can get water out of the trough and I've been throwing them seed to eat, so they're OK. They're also out of the wind.
I can't figure out this aversion to going in the coop all of a sudden. It's not like they get picked on - they're at the top of the pecking order in there. The guineas always get the "best" roosts, and won't let the chickens on there with them, they'll push the chickens away from the feeder if they want to eat, and in general they're very bossy birds. So I don't have any explanation for this.
The kind of funny part is that I was always worried about the guineas in the cold weather, and the heat lamps were mostly installed for them. I figured since they're African birds, and not used to polar temps, that they would get cold and suffer more than the heavy chickens would. Now I know they can survive a minus 50 windchill. No kidding, they sat on that roof in that blasting wind all night long! At least, they were there when it got dark, and they were still there at first light, so I assume they spent the night there. And right in the teeth of the wind. The older guinea rooster's wattles appear to be frozen out from his face, as if he were facing into the wind, it blew them back away from his face, and they've frozen in that position. I honestly don't know why he's still alive.
I guess I'm just rambling now, sorry. It's just such an odd thing. I finally decided that even if the two on the roof DO die, the flock will go on, because at least one of the kids in the barn is a female. There were only two females out of the five keets that survived. I don't know which sex the younger one on the roof is because I haven't heard him or her make any noise. So I guess if I lose one of the older roosters and one of the kids, it'll be OK in the long run, but it seems so senseless.
~Lannie