Just a couple more weeks of waiting and the pasture will be filled with new lambs. Everyone on the farm is patiently waiting.
Even the guineas seem to know that something special is about to happen. They spend a lot of time basking in the sun, ‘quietly chatting’ with the ewes.
One of the lavender guineas had been MIA for a day and a half. Yesterday was very cold and very windy, and New Year’s day dawned sunny and a frigid 10-degrees. We hadn’t really looked for the young guinea hoping that she was hunkered down somewhere safe. About half way through feeding this morning, we started hearing a ‘buck–wheat’ but could not figure out where it was coming from. Finally, we looked UP…
There she was pacing back and forth, back and forth across the very top of the barn roof…
“Buck-wheat! Buck-wheat! Buck-wheat!”
We decided to open the little door on the coop, hoping that the other young guineas would answer her and she would somehow fly down.
Well she finally did.
She flew all the way down to the trees at the bottom of the hill. There she is smack dab in the middle of that picture, that light grey blob in the top of the tree. We didn’t go down there fearing that she might fly farther down the hill and into the woods on the other side of the fence. Our patience was finally rewarded when she flew back up the hill and we got her safely inside the coop.
This is the second incident this week involving a roof. Earlier our schizo, non-barn, dog-friend cat decided that her best view into the house was from the gazebo roof.
When we went to feed this evening, we were surprised to find two little guinea eggs in the coop!
They are very small as you can see when they are placed in a regular egg carton. (To incubate or not to incubate that is the question.)
The guineas have developed into lovely birds with these beautiful facial features which are kind of fluorescent in the twilight.
There is now no hesitation when the coop is opened in the morning. They hop right out and rush into the barn to their feed pan.
At the slightest sound at least one of them pops their head up to see if it is necessary to sound the alarm.
Once they are assured that everything is right with the world, off they go to explore.
The guinea keets have been moved to dee-luxe accommodations thanks to Jonathan (with the help of Megan). They are really enjoying the roosts and the extra room to spread their wings. We have some question as to whether they enjoy their roosts too much (or maybe the corner is too dark?).
It is fascinating to watch their growth. Their feathers are becoming beautifully black and white speckled. Even their feet and legs are changing to the black and white speckles. 
Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder!
The keets moved into the barn this evening. Thanks to Terry for the great new brooding box complete with perch! Barn cat and the lambs are fascinated with the ‘peeping’ and keep peering into the box trying to figure out what these strange, new inhabitants of the barn could be.
