Happy Harvest Blog
Greenhouse goings-on
Earlier this year in the greenhouse. Now it’s a little wilder. Even at this point, though, the guineas were getting lost. The “aisles” have kind of disappeared. I went to open the far doors, and there was a white guinea in the melons. Chirp chirp. Her boyfriend came back in for her, bushwhacking towards her to lead her out. I have a theory that the guineas have kept down the beetles this year. I don’t have a problem this year, although I saw eggs on the leaves earlier.
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.
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.
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 lift
I can’t believe this just happened. I was closing up the birdies’ coops in the almost completely dark, and there was one guinea that wasn’t up on the perch. It’s tough; their perches swing, and they fall off, or knock each other off, but they are usually all back on by nightfall. He was sitting on the edge of the chickery slash confinement module. I was already crouched beside him to shut the big coop, so I reached out, like, here, I’ll help you up (haha).
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.
What do I do when I haven't taken any pictures all day?
Take pictures in the fading light at guinea hour. There's the guineas grazing in colour-coded groups. There's the chicks that slipped out today, quite proud of themselves. Nosey on the left. They're pretty good about following the guineas back in, when they call it a night. The little barred rock again. I'm with you, right? I'm the right colour! Oooh, can I come out?! The small chickens are so cute. They're cute right up until they're suddenly big burly roosters swaggering around.
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.
Guinea spa
I heard the musical little sounds of the guineas approaching the house (doesn't happen especially often), so I peeped out.They were going for the bath! There's a spot right by the trail where I was weeding out buckthorn, and the birds have decided that that's the optimum dust bathing locale. Now there's all divots and feathers. The guineas came in for the bath as purposefully as if they had little towels over their shoulders. It was their specific destination.
dirt bath and other shenanigans
Chocolate's out of the chickery now too. This is great. All the small chicks with moms are at large, meaning I don't have to constantly monitor do they have shade, do they have water? Their moms take care of that now (lots of water options). Soon enough there will be another round of chicks hatching. She's diving right into the dirt bath. There's two popular spots at the moment, an old pig wallow, and this one under the corner of the hen rain tent, which is a bit of a sauna in the sunshine.
Keet bedtime
The guinea family is admitted to the greenhouse as early as 6:30, and usually by seven. They go to bed much earlier than the chickens. Galahad watches for my appearance, and they scamper in as soon as I open the door. Bedtime begins with some last foraging for a snack and a familiarizing walk around the greenhouse. Then they hit the ladder. They really do use it as a ladder, hopping up a rung at a time, zigzagging, until they get to the top. Then they have to fly to the perch.
All they needed was a keet ladder
Last night when Galahad and the keets went to bed in the greenhouse, there was a lot of noise, and G was running laps around the greenhouse-like he wanted out. He settled down, but I felt he was distressed, and maybe frustrated with sleeping on the ground. Tonight after bedtime, I thought the greenhouse was remarkably quiet. I peeked...and just about died! In case it's unclear what you're seeing, that is one keet perched on Galahad's back, yes, and all the keets lined up on the (swinging) perching rail, at 6' in the greenhouse.
Close call and a happy ending
I had a rough-ish day and came home wanting to just eat and go to bed, but then had unexpected visitors that disrupted my usually smooth bird closing procedures. With the delay and tumult, Galahad and his keet fleet failed to get back into the greenhouse! That they spend nights in the greenhouse is the only thing that allows me to sleep - it's a hard-won habit, as guineas usually want to roost outside, and inside is what keeps them safe from owls and foxes.
I was asked if the birds actually use their tents when it rains
Yes. Yes, we do. That's how I endure the ugliness of the plastic A-frames - seeing the birds all run to it when the rain starts pelting down. Haven't seen them all day, as they've been out somewhere being adorable, but Sir Galahad and the keets of the round table know where to find shelter. Awww, they're starting to snuggle in for warming!
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