Saturday, June 16, 2012

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GUINEA GUARDS!



Your first line of defense against unwanted predators.

I was skeptical at first. What can a bird possibly do against a predator like this...


We had a family of foxes move into our neighborhood. Mom, Dad and 3 kids. Mom and Dad went out hunting while kids stayed at home playing in the yard. We watched as they romped and played no more than 100 feet away , completely unintimidated by my 5 dogs and me. Mom, or Dad had already made one of my 6 hens their meal for the day and I was forced to pen up my sheep etc unless I could be there watching them. My first glimpse that the family had moved in was the sight of one of them right on the heels (do guineas have heels?) of one of my guineas. Guineas aren't supposed to be able to fly and mine have a hard time making it over a 4 foot fence occasionally. But this one not only made it over the 4 foot fence but continued on for about 150 yards to land on my front porch. I'm sure this may be a feat unequaled in the Guinea's Book of Worlds Records. Since that incident all birds guineas and otherwise have voluntarily stayed behind their fence boundary. The other morning at 6:30 AM I heard the guineas set off their alarm system so I looked out my bedroom window to see them lined up in a row staring down into my field. There was some very overgrown plantlife which  blocked my view of the field on that side. The guineas stayed right on that fenceline continuing their urgent alarm while the chickens were in a huddle behind them and the sheep and goats behind them. All were looking down the field. After a while I saw a fox come out from behind the weeds and leave the field, foiled by the really great security system I had installed last year when I purchased 10 guinea keets. I have only 4 left but these 4 must be the best survivors of the bunch. All I can say is I am not going to complain about the noise these birds make anymore.

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