I have a few specific questions not covered in the 101 or elsewhere please

[Compadre]

Hi, I raise chickens in the city right now so cannot keep extremely loud birds due to close neighbors but do have one rooster with a no crow collar and it's fine and good. I have been around guineas before but never hatched, brooded nor raised them. I have experience with coturnix quail as well.

1. At what age do the keets/guineas become super noisy?

2. Anyone ever tried no crow collars to reduce noise on adult guineas? It's very humane and does not hurt my rooster; just limits his crow to a city friendly sound level.

3. Can you trim their wings just as you would on chickens and ducks to prevent them flying into trees and out of my yard?

4. Do they ever become personable like some chickens tend to do? As in, do they come up to you for hand outs, let you pick them up...etc? The guineas I was around before were scared of anyone that came near.

5. Guinea poop: Is it similar to chickens in size, consistency and frequency? I had ducks once upon a time and they were messy pooping machines! The chickens, not so bad and it normally hardens up fairly quickly and can be swept or blown off the back porch. The ducks and pigeons I once had, not so much.

Thanks for your time and yea, odd and specific questions, but I'm here to learn!

 

[R2elk]

Hi, I raise chickens in the city right now so cannot keep extremely loud birds due to close neighbors but do have one rooster with a no crow collar and it's fine and good. I have been around guineas before but never hatched, brooded nor raised them. I have experience with coturnix quail as well.

1. At what age do the keets/guineas become super noisy?

2. Anyone ever tried no crow collars to reduce noise on adult guineas? It's very humane and does not hurt my rooster; just limits his crow to a city friendly sound level.

3. Can you trim their wings just as you would on chickens and ducks to prevent them flying into trees and out of my yard?

4. Do they ever become personable like some chickens tend to do? As in, do they come up to you for hand outs, let you pick them up...etc? The guineas I was around before were scared of anyone that came near.

5. Guinea poop: Is it similar to chickens in size, consistency and frequency? I had ducks once upon a time and they were messy pooping machines! The chickens, not so bad and it normally hardens up fairly quickly and can be swept or blown off the back porch. The ducks and pigeons I once had, not so much.

Thanks for your time and yea, odd and specific questions, but I'm here to learn!

Just my opinion but I recommend that you forget about getting guineas. Guineas do best with lots of room to roam and both the males and females can easily create enough noise to not be city friendly.

 

[Compadre]

Thanks for the reply and opinion Bob, point taken and it sounds like long term ownership of guineas would not work out. How about short term ownership if I wanted them for the dinner table? Somewhere around, oh I don't know, 8 to 12 weeks?

 

[R2elk]

Thanks for the reply and opinion Bob, point taken and it sounds like long term ownership of guineas would not work out. How about short term ownership if I wanted them for the dinner table? Somewhere around, oh I don't know, 8 to 12 weeks?

Guineas are delicious but it still takes around 6 months just to get a 2 1/2 lb. dressed carcass unless going with the French/Jumbo guineas. Even young guineas can make a lot of noise.

 

[Compadre]

I must have been thinking of coturnix quail when I mentioned the 8-12 week part, sorry. Yeah, that sounds like a lot of noise and angry neighbors to have them 6 months. Luckily I can have them when we finally build in the country but that's a couple of years away. Thanks for your feed back though; I suppose if I want to taste some guinea bad enough then I can always find them already grown from a local farm.

 

[R2elk]

I must have been thinking of coturnix quail when I mentioned the 8-12 week part, sorry. Yeah, that sounds like a lot of noise and angry neighbors to have them 6 months. Luckily I can have them when we finally build in the country but that's a couple of years away. Thanks for your feed back though; I suppose if I want to taste some guinea bad enough then I can always find them already grown from a local farm.

That is a much more reasonable idea. My experience is that there are usually more males hatched than females so buying adult males is normally less expensive than buying adult females. For eating purposes cheaper is better in my opinion.

Good luck.

 

[PinkyLee]

Compadre - Can you answer a question about the Coturnix Quail? I am interested in them for the eggs and was thinking of keeping a few in my large chicken coop but.... the man at the feed store said that I could not put any Coturnix Quail with the chickens, he said that their poop is like poison if the other birds or animals eat it. Is that true?

On the Guniea note - don't torture yourself to be a guniea owner! I have 13 ... they are all noisy! They like to roost up in the trees so clipping the wings would not be kind. Mine are at my cabin, I will be there next weekend and I'll make a video... they are a few months old.