Happy Harvest Blog
These two are dating
These two guineas are dating. Or bonded for life; I can't tell what stage they are at. Probably post-commitment ceremony somewhere on the continuum, maybe still honeymoon. It's been nearly two months. Here they are running away from the paparazzi and seen here jumping out of the bath after privacy invaded: You wouldn't know that these are the tamest guineas I've ever had and let me get quite close. It's been hard to get a picture of them together, although they are ALWAYS together.
There may be no keets this year
Ugh, it’s always awful logging in and seeing how long it’s been since I last posted. Almost a whole month!!! I will try harder! It’s been an action-packed month though. Major personal changes, and a whole lot of dental work. The toothache I’ve been “toughing out” (not a recommended course of action) for months, outlasting the waiting period for my dental coverage, needed a root canal so that finally happened this week, sweet relief!! but there’s more to do.
Keet care share
The keets have been around more; they even got walked nearly to the house. I hear their cheeping like tiny bells (they will grow into klaxons). They already have dart-and freeze-in-the-grass skills, scratching, dozing, and following skills. Little beings the size and weight of ping pong balls, walking, eating, pooping, thinking. They're so cute I can hardly stand it. They are already surprisingly independent, with a noticeably larger radius of dispersion than two days ago, and the flock moves faster.
OMG KEETS!!!
I went out to feed everyone lunch and got stopped in my tracks by a tumble of new keets! A whole new cast of characters. I think there's 13. They're hard to count. Little white ones and brown ones! The white guinea hen is back with a hugely successful brood! I've been seeing her at the food trays occasionally the last couple of weeks wolfing down food, at off-hours, so I've wondered.
Nosy guineas
I was sitting on the sill of my open front door, a convenient place I've found for potting upstarts, my dirt and trays arrayed in front of me, when the guineas wandered up. They arrived quite suddenly, maintaining their constant twittering conversation about everything, and they came right up on the deck to see what I was doing. Whatrya doing? I was so glad I was in arms-reach of my camera. I thought they were after the green stuff, but they didn't make a move for it.
Guinea was here
The snow is almost all gone now, but when it was still here, it didn't stop the guineas. They tramped up and down and all around and made a fantastic constellation of footprints. They were so pleased to be out, they put up with little cold feet. Who says we're jungle birds? We're Canada birds now. I found them at the end of their footprints!
Escape escapades
Little Nosey, being herself. I'm teasing her with a litter grabber. She's like Why. Why are you pointing a robot arm at me? The guineas had a big adventure, escaping in the morning. Good day for it. They came yelling down the trail, went grazing in the woods, but around lunchtime they were wanting back in. It's cold. We would like to be back with the food. They found this challenging. I propped the fence open, away from the corner of the greenhouse.
Guinea grazing
We have snow, everywhere but in these pictures where the sun shone. A light crunchy layer of snow. It was very nippy today and I thought the guineas weren't going to even come out for their graze. They've taken to climbing up the pile of sticks during their recess. No grass up there. Maybe they just want to look around. This little one is the most successful greenhouse escapee. She darts out right in the middle of the guinea pack so I cant' turn her back.
Escapee
One of the guineas escaped from my carefully constructed bird shield. It flapped and scramble-ran up the plastic, therefore slipping under the edge of the mesh and out into the clear air.I actually saw it in progress, yet was unable to stop it from happening. It had just enough foot friction, I supposeI'm up here. Now what? Looked neat from inside. I left her up there to figure it out.Later... how's that guinea doing? Well, it's on the wrong side of the mesh, and now suspended, like it's in a mesh bag.
Roof sitting
Apparently the coop roof is the place for the guineas to camp out. It's nice to work in the greenhouse for some time, enough to see them relax into completely ignoring me and resume their chicken activities. Dozing on the roof. Grooming...Chilin' This is the gang that hangs out on the other roof. Too bad the roofs don't get washed by the rain when in the greenhouse.
I won't forget to close the doors again
Forecast: Snow changing to ice pellets then developing to rain later in the afternoon. In other words, gross. This morning at dawn already there were a couple of inches of snow accumulated, and it was eerily dark in the greenhouse, but also very warm, with the blanket of snow. To my horror, only one guinea was walking around. What the? I started closing up the drafty holes in the wall for the chickens to access their yard. I could see by the snow that there were no footprints using them.
The guinea graze
The guineas haven't had their evening graze for a couple of days due to rain, and I let them out a touch early. (Time change! What time is it? Old time or new time?)Perchick shot out along with the guineas. That's a Cheeks move, to get in the middle of the guinea crowd and run where they're going. Can't see me! Guinea speed is a dead run for a chicken. I wouldn't mind some grass too. Then a few other chickens squeezed out. What's going on out here?
Let them eat grass!
I've made the observation that guineas "like" to eat grass the way addicts "like" heroin. They seem desperate for it. They'll crowd up and rip grass so you can hear the grass getting mowed. Just a hunch. Guineas need grass in their diet more than the average bird. So post-bobcat, I've been letting the guineas outside for a half hour before bed, to get their grass fix. Really? Then I stand over them, supervising, but they're so into the grass they barely notice me
All in!
What a load off my mind! Everyone is in. I thought it might all be too crowded for the numbers I have now, but it's ok. It's sloppy and slapdash right now, but it will work out. There's plenty of room for the coops, and a pool, and more. The guineas are being very tolerant about this mass invasion. They very much like to sit up on top of Silkieland. Perhaps we'll poop on you. I think they're so cute. They treat the chickens more like pets they're fond of, than equals.
Guineas going to bed
Now that there are chicks in the greenhouse, they like to come adventurously popping out when I open up for the guineas. Greetings, part-time residents. The keets are looking, and acting, quite grownup now. First, they all run by, seeing if the door is really open. Then they muster up somewhere and ... all surge in at once. Cheeks have developed a new trick. She watches and waits, and then gets right in the middle of the flock of keets and runs in with them.
No more Inky
Inky is gone. She wasn't in her tree and I searched, and found a half dozen black and iridescent green feathers. I'm heartbroken, and I've already been having a hard few weeks. I want to get out of chickens, because it hurts too much. I can't protect them 100% and let them range. It's captivity, or risk. It's not fair though, it's like they know which are my favorites, and get the special ones first.
Then there were eight - nine
Last night when I yoohooed Galahad and crew in to the open greenhouse door, I was horrified. Only eight keets came with him! He did his doorway pause, and satisfied, he went in and they proceeded to shuttle up to their perch. But! You're missing two! Where are they?! A white and a grey one were missing. I came upon the grey one hunched in the weeds nearby. Immediately I knew he was hurt, and when I tried to coach him to the door, he demonstrated a limp on the right side, and more alarmingly,
Instagram.
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