Sunday, September 25, 2011

Home, Home on The Range - Guineas Part 10


Free Ranging Guineas
It's been a week since the keets started free ranging and fulfilling their role as intended, gobbling up bugs and weed seeds.

Gobbling up Bugs and Weed Seeds
The rasp seems to have a set pattern.  Leave the coop, circle around it, swallow up some grit pebbles from the unpaved part of the driveway, vaccuum the lawn (defined as areas we mow vs. areas we don't), head back to the coop to roost/rest midday, drink some water, then start the process all over before settling back in the coop near sundown.

Roosting at Midday
Until Friday (9/23), we restricted the chickens from joining their cousins, remembering the birds lost to predators a few years back.

Hey. Just Because We Can't Fly As Well is No Reason to Discriminate
We relented, anthropomorphising the forlorn pacing of the chickens as they watched the guineas making their happy chirpy noises as they moved in unison in front of them.  So the chickens are on free range with the Guineas, joining the rasp at times, or just doing their own thing.





The guineas definitely act as a single unit, rarely splitting into separate foragers.

Birds of a Feather ....
The chickens, on the other hand, seem to act more individually, rather than as part of the greater flock.

Maybe It's a Guy Thing
There's a metaphor in there somewhere ...

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