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!"
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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!!
Teacup Lane (Sandy)
Kelly
Ruth