Friday, June 15, 2012

Guinea Adventure

We had a humorous adventure yesterday.  Our neighbors are a very nice couple with 3 young children. A few weeks ago, they acquired a chicken and 3 young guinea fowl. We are not certain of the genders of any of their poultry.

Yesterday morning, there was a LOUD racket outside. Some animal, bird, or insect was making an incredible amount of noise.  I was busy with kids so didn't investigate, but Lydia did.  And she found this fine fellow (or lady) perched in a tree near our fence.


This, my friends, is a young guinea fowl.  It was perched in a tree near our fence, as I said, but one yard over from where it should have been. 

SoI called our neighbor.  His first words were unintentionally humorous.  I asked him if he had lost one of his guinea fowl and he said, "Oh, its still alive?"

Huh?

He explained that the previous night, all 3 of his young birds were perched on some tall apparatus in his yard (maybe the swing set?) and he decided to let them stay out the night instead of putting them in their coop.  This morning, they were missing and feathers were on the ground, so he thought they had been eaten.

I said no, that at least one was still alive and in a tree.

Then I turned around and saw another one scurrying around in our yard!

The neighbor wasn't home, but I said if we could catch them we would put them back in the coop.

Well, we didn't, but not for lack of trying. I didn't chase them around, but our big kids did. The one in our yard was successfully chased into its own yard, but then the neighbor's dog went after it and it flew off.  Naomi and Lydia went into the neighbor's yard and almost had it cornered but then Joseph (who was trying to be helpful) came over as well and scared it into the next yard. Things degenerated after that with various children feeling hurt, angry, upset, or some combination thereof. 

Lydia tried to catch the guinea in the tree at some point, but it flew to a higher branch.

This morning I am fairly certain I heard the same weird call so I think at least one is still out and alive.

And that's all we know for now.

P.S.  I am labeling this post under chickens through really, they are guineas.  But they are poultry.

No comments: