New arrivals

This past Monday we picked six of the twenty new tenants to the Prairie Home,  Guinea Fowl!  Yes, that is the correct way to be addressing this group of birds as a whole.  Some of you might be correcting me right now, by saying; "No, it's Guinea hen not Guinea fowl"!  Not that Guinea hen is totally wrong, its not.  However, hen only addresses the female of this species, whereas Guinea Fowl addresses the male and female of the species.  OK, enough of the natural history lesson.

Why Guineas?  Well, I have always wanted to try raising Guineas. Some just to have, some for meat, and some to help with bug control and gardening.

The attached image are the first six chicks to arrive at Prairie Home.  They are not sure of my presences and the thing that is flashing a bright lite at them.  So, for the moment, anytime I visit them, they all huddle in the corner under the light. 












Their home (brooder) is not a traditional one or even a temporary disposable cardboard box... No, rather its a uses of a large domestic rat cage.  It has two large enclosed compartments, allowing for plenty of room for the chicks.  The chicks will need to stay in the cage until fully feathered and then they can start transiting outside in a new enclosure.  Guineas can be great wanderers, and some will never return.  So, they need to be trained to, imprint if you will, on where their home is located.  To do that, is a slow process of different pens before release to free range.  It's cold up here in the winter, so those that will over winter need to know where shelter and food is located.