Whats killing my guineas?

[CurLee]

Broke down and bought some guinea keets a few months back. Turned em out after 7 or 8 weeks into a 6ft kennel. Clipped both wings but that didn't keep em.

Anyway, I turned out seven and I just heard number 3 get kilt. By the time I ran in the house for a flashlight and firearm all was quiet. They sneak off into the woods to roost but I don't know where. All have disappeared at night. I assume they are roosting in trees which makes me think either an owl or a bobcat is to blame. We have reds in the area but have not seen nor trapped a grey fox.
Not real familiar with guinea fowl or their roosting habits but I imagine they're up in the tree a ways?

 

[Dbender]

Probably a coon. You only need to clip one side. They can't fly lopsided, they can fly on 2 short wings.

 

[longrangedog]

You'll eventually lose all if you don't build a coop for them to roost in. You'll still lose some because they build their nest on the ground in a place where they're hidden from view and will get eaten when on the nest.

 

[Nicodemus]

Great horned owls are picking them off, more than likely.

 

[CurLee]

Well turns out they got one and winged another. One wing is hangin by a thread. So two more down, three to go....

I dont know why I didn't consider coons. They're thick too, couldn't keep em out of my canine sets last year. Gonna have to order some DPs.

They have a coop they were raised in but they won't return to it. They do me no good if I penned them up.

Nic, I had something getting my chickens at at a different house, one a night for three days straight. I set a live trap, suspecting a coon or possum, and dang if I didn't catch an owl. Thing was as big as the cage and claws over an inch long. Let him go and he never came back.

 

[bentleyboys02]

VERY WELL BE YOUR NEIGHBORS HOUSE CAT ...

 

[Hillbilly stalker]

Are they eating them or just killing ?

 

[1eyefishing]

Quit havin @Nicodemus over fer sippin in the evenins.

 

[Nicodemus]

Quit havin @Nicodemus over fer sippin in the evenins.

The truth is, I will kill every guinea that I can. And I will smile as they die.

 

[Toliver]

The answer to your question is Everything! Everything kills guineas. Sometimes I think the guineas seek out predators and commit suicide. We can't keep them either. They just feed the predators; sacrificing themselves to save the chickens and ducks.

 

[Dbender]

VERY WELL BE YOUR NEIGHBORS HOUSE CAT ...

Highly unlikely.

 

[treemanjohn]

Guineas are child's play for great horned owls

 

[ghadarits]

I was trapping pigeons early one morning right as they were coming off roost and had a GHO take one out of the 50 or so that were around the trap. It was a year before I could get pigeons to come back to that spot. They are awesome hunter/killers.

 

[blood on the ground]

The truth is, I will kill every guinea that I can. And I will smile as they die.

I despise guineas, the sound they make is like someone scratching a chalkboard to me!

 

[OleCountryBoy]

Can’t stand em either, my wife almost talked me into getting a few to help control ticks..I’d rather deal with a few ticks around the house.

 

[Danuwoa]

What’s with the guinea hate? Was about to get some. My granny used to have them and there wasn’t a snake anywhere around.

 

[AceOfTheBase]

Many years ago my dad had a dozen, started loosing them, caught a neigborhood dog do'n it - the dog disappered ! Stopped loosing them.

 

[Dusty Roads]

Possums too!

 

[shakey gizzard]

Quit clippin their wings ! they make better guard dogs than they do tick eaters. They are not native!

 

[Son]

Owls love em