Thursday, April 8, 2010

The guinea who wouldn't leave...

Mr. Guinea is still here. He roosts in the smoke tree every night but gets back in the pen before we're up at daybreak to open the portable coop doors. He spends his day mixing with the chickens though the roosters tend to give him a wide berth.

Yesterday the neighbor from over the hill came by late in the afternoon to let us know one of our guinea fowl was over at his farmhouse. Wait, we don't have guineas.

After explaining the situation and discussing where the wanderer could possibly have come from initially, I went back to hanging clothes in the backyard. DS agreed that the guinea had come to us on the move and that was their nature so we were saddened but reconciled to losing Mr. Guinea.

When I finished with the laundry I came in grabbed a pan of extra buttermilk and a few oats I'd prepared for the chickens and headed out front with it. DS went along to turn off the charger. Surprise! Coming around from the back of the pen was Mr. Guinea (or Newt as DS's taken to calling him). He'd come "home" in time for tea.

DS swung the netting gate open and I led the way into the pen with Newt right behind. He immediately went for the buttermilk just like the hens while the roosters hung back though I did see Brownie with a white mustache after a few minutes.When should we stop considering Newt Guinea a guest and assume he's a resident?

4 comments:

sue said...

Sounds like he's right at home! Haaaa! (he's no dummy--knows he found a good place)

randombitsofnonsense said...

I think Newt has decided to stake his claim! I'm intrigued by the oats and buttermilk--do you cook the oats? Might have to try it for my chickies :)

Carolyn at Walnut Spinney said...

My chickens love oatmeal, cooked (usually leftover) or just soaked in milk or something similar, say yogurt or buttermilk. I think they consider it their version of those no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies...

Bet yours would like it, too!

Anonymous said...

Cool turken.