Another Sad Tale

It is a good thing that the happy tales way outnumber the sad tales....or this farm life would be unbearable. As a result of too many unhappy guinea tales, I have come to a critical decision.....no more guineas. This past weekend was just too sad. The truth is this: guineas are untrainable. I don't care that the only "expert" on the subject claims that they can be trained with white millet. I beg to differ. After weeks of giving my guineas a white millet treat at bedtime, this past Saturday night the flock never came home to roost. We had really thought that we had been successful, because up until Saturday, most of them returned to their house nightly.

For some reason, though, they decided to stay out Saturday night; and Sunday morning we were met with this scene.....8 times over........
Sadly, Hubbs found two of the birds paralyzed and barely alive. Euthanizing them was the only thing he could do....a really difficult task, for which I am truly grateful. A cloud of sadness followed us the rest of the day. Only one of my original light colored guineas remains and only a handful of the pearl guineas that I have been raising since July.
Last night, only 5 guineas were present in the house at bedtime.

I have come to the conclusion that there are just too many predators for these not-so-intelligent, comical birds to be able to free range on our farm. Unfortunately, keeping them locked up all of the time hardly seems right, either. I guess only the strong survive...at least for a little while.

So, sadly, no more guineas for Bee Haven Acres....the heartache is too great.

PS....thanks for listening to my sad tale....I am so sorry that I could not write a happy one today. But, as I have always said...."There's always tomorrow!"






Comments

Anke said…
I am so sorry about your guineas. It must have been a very sad weekend at your house. Guess you learn from the sad as well as the positive and then you have to move on. Hope your next post is a happy one for you.
Oh that is just so sad. I'm so sorry for your loss. I truly know first hand what it's like to lose birds!
Ginny said…
So sorry to hear about your guineas. And please don't fret over giving us sad tales, that's what we are all here for, to support each and everyone of us on our sad days.
Farm Girl said…
I am so sorry about your loss of your guineas. They do grab your heart. I know when I lost mine, it was so hard, but then every time I loose any kind of animal, I am a wreck. I always think it is to hard some how but the blessing far out weigh the hard times. After coming to live in the country, you learn so much about the predators. I hope your Monday is filled with other blessings. :)
countrynmore said…
I am so sorry that this happened. I know that you were so fond of those guineas. Bev., it is painful to see any animal suffer, so it is good that your dh put the two guineas down. It is painful to come across a situation like this when, especially it has to do with something that you care about. My heart goes out to you.
I am so sorry. Wishing you a brighter day today!
Anonymous said…
So very sorry about your guineas. We use to have them a few years back but they roosted in the barn on their own each night. Not that we trained them (I wouldn't think you could!) they just went in there each evening.
On the other hand, predators don't just strike at night...I lost a goat to a lion last year on a summer afternoon. It's just something I learn to handle on an individual basis. I said no more goats...well, time helped heal that and I still raise goats and I do keep them locked up each evening, but I always keep a slightly nervous eye on them. When they start snorting, I scan the hill and creek for the predator... and like last week, I found him. When I go to town, I do worry abit that they are on their own, but not much I can do about it...they aren't fond of living in the barn 24/7!!
Sandy said…
Oh my, I'm so sorry to hear of the sad fate of most of your guineas. I have followed your stories and hoped for the best for them. We - especially the non-farms types - are so sheltered from the realities of animal life and death that take place on a daily basis in the "real" world. Hopefully tomorrow will bring a better day to Bee Haven Acres.

Teacup Lane (Sandy)
Kelly said…
Oh Bev, I'm so sorry to hear about your guineas. We have lost a couple here. We must have read the same book about being able to train guineas. So far ours do come in at night. So far.... Who knows when they will change their small minds and decide to stay in the trees. Sometimes they have difficulty just figuring out they can fly over the chicken fence to get in at night. Emma, our lab pup, brought one to the house in her mouth the other day. It was unharmed, just wet from Lab slobber. They aren't the smartest bird in the bunch. People talk about turkeys being dumb. Ours are very intelligent compared to the guineas. It still is painful when you loose something that you raised from such a small baby. Sorry to hear about that.
Kelly
Unknown said…
Oh, so sorry to hear this, what a bummer. It can be hard living on a farm with all the predators.
Autumn said…
UGH! Sometimes the "circle of life" is no fun at all!!!!
Danni said…
Visiting you for the first time after seeing your comment on Mainly Ewes Farm. I'm SO sorry about your guinea loss. I don't have guineas, but I have always enjoyed watching and being entertained by them when I see them at other people's farms. I don't even want to imagine how devastating it was to find them all like that. Again, sorry.
Ruth said…
So sorry to hear for your loss.

Ruth