Dog Kennel "Guinea Hen Pen"

Dog Kennel Guinea Hen Pen LIVESTOCK DOGS I was having trouble with my guinea hens abandoning or even killing their own chicks So I bought a cheap dog kennel and made a guinea hen pen out of it says Jack Michael Ohlman Ill He covered the 8 by 12-ft kennel with chicken wire and also rigged it all the way around with electric fence to keep raccoons out Michael likes guinea hens for the insects they eat and because they serve as watchdogs on his farm raising a clatter whenever strangers arrive But raising guineas was a problem because the hens are so irresponsible I ve learned over the years that if you can keep the chicks with their mother for a while they ll learn from their mother and are far more likely to survive The problem is that if guinea hens are outdoors at night the mother will often fly off to roost leaving the chicks unprotected on the ground where they can die of exposure or raccoons can raid the nest Also guinea roosters will sometimes kill the chicks My modified dog kennel keeps the guinea hen from leaving the nest and also protects the chicks from predators I bring the mother and chicks into the kennel as soon as they hatch out so other guineas and predators can t find them Confined in this way the chicks get a chance to eat and keep warm Michael bought a slightly damaged dog kennel at a store for $130 and covered it with 1-in chicken wire To give the chicks protection from the weather he used a 55-gal plastic barrel to make a hover He cut the barrel in half lengthwise and cut a small opening in one end then set it on a wooden pallet inside the kennel A 25-watt light bulb with a reflector provides heat A metal feeder and water pan are located just outside the hover The pallet gets the chicks up off the ground and keeps everything clean because manure can fall through between the slats says Michael The chicken wire mesh keeps the chicks from crawling through the kennel Sometimes I ll put a canvas on top of the kennel to provide shade I use tires to keep the canvas from blowing away Michael says guinea hens are particularly adept at eating Japanese beetles from garden plants such as strawberries They eat only the bugs and don t damage the crop And they ll eat just about any insect that moves including grasshoppers and crickets They re great for eating ticks too he notes Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Jack Michael 23101 E 26th Rd Ohlman Ill 62076 ph 217 563-2215

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