Animals
But, somebody's got to do it!! Yes, those are our guinea fowl on the manure pile. Can you think of a better place to look for a tasty meal? We keep a steady supply of guinea fowl on the farm because of their love for the taste of insects...particularly ticks. Each year as the birds' numbers dwindle (they have a nasty habit of running under the tires of heavy equipment) we start a new flock of hatchlings to take their place. I will be starting a new batch this summer as soon as electricity is run to our upper hen house. It is necessary to keep these chicks very warm in the earliest part of their life. So, I will set up one of our goat warming huts in the empty henhouse to act as the guinea nursery. Once they are fully mature, they will be turned loose on the farm to do what they do best.
- Boarding School
Remember that early morning in May that I took a trip to the Post Office to pick up my 30 baby guineas?Well, those guineas are adolescents now.And are now attending Boarding School. (Here is Gus, Headmaster of the BeeHaven Birdbrain Academy.) Yes, that's...
- Tales From The Dark Side
This post is rated: PG (poor guineas)....(some violence is implied) Sadly, today's tale is not as light hearted as usual. We have had a few days of trying times. It's bad enough that Thursday and Friday morning's snow turned into rain that...
- Baby Steps
I have come to the conclusion that guinea fowl are not the sharpest tools in the shed. It seems to take forever for them to learn new behavior. Our 24 keets are now large enough to safely go out into their yard and not be able to escape through the fencing....
- We Are Teenagers Now
Remember just 4 weeks ago when the guinea chicks arrived.....just hatched and so very tiny? Well, here they are one month later. They have grown like weeds and already have a youthful version of their "buckwheat" call. Two dozen of the original 30 remain....
- And Then There Were Five
It seems that so much of our life on the farm revolves around our feathered friends...and trying to keep them alive. This week I noticed that our guinea troup is dwindling. We now have only five of our lovely, tick-eating "farm alarms" remaining. This...
Animals
It's a Dirty Job
But, somebody's got to do it!! Yes, those are our guinea fowl on the manure pile. Can you think of a better place to look for a tasty meal? We keep a steady supply of guinea fowl on the farm because of their love for the taste of insects...particularly ticks. Each year as the birds' numbers dwindle (they have a nasty habit of running under the tires of heavy equipment) we start a new flock of hatchlings to take their place. I will be starting a new batch this summer as soon as electricity is run to our upper hen house. It is necessary to keep these chicks very warm in the earliest part of their life. So, I will set up one of our goat warming huts in the empty henhouse to act as the guinea nursery. Once they are fully mature, they will be turned loose on the farm to do what they do best. Another benefit of having guineas on the farm is their tendancy to act as an alarm system. Their loud "buckwheat" squawks alert us to the arrival of guests to the farm. Luckily, they quiet down at sundown and roost in a tree. The next morning at sunrise they congregate back on the ground in formation...once again ready for sweeping the woods.
- Boarding School
Remember that early morning in May that I took a trip to the Post Office to pick up my 30 baby guineas?Well, those guineas are adolescents now.And are now attending Boarding School. (Here is Gus, Headmaster of the BeeHaven Birdbrain Academy.) Yes, that's...
- Tales From The Dark Side
This post is rated: PG (poor guineas)....(some violence is implied) Sadly, today's tale is not as light hearted as usual. We have had a few days of trying times. It's bad enough that Thursday and Friday morning's snow turned into rain that...
- Baby Steps
I have come to the conclusion that guinea fowl are not the sharpest tools in the shed. It seems to take forever for them to learn new behavior. Our 24 keets are now large enough to safely go out into their yard and not be able to escape through the fencing....
- We Are Teenagers Now
Remember just 4 weeks ago when the guinea chicks arrived.....just hatched and so very tiny? Well, here they are one month later. They have grown like weeds and already have a youthful version of their "buckwheat" call. Two dozen of the original 30 remain....
- And Then There Were Five
It seems that so much of our life on the farm revolves around our feathered friends...and trying to keep them alive. This week I noticed that our guinea troup is dwindling. We now have only five of our lovely, tick-eating "farm alarms" remaining. This...