Wandering Guinea

Great plans, (locking them up at night) Have you talked to the Guineas about how they feel about this?

Guineas do what they want when they want. Mine travel over my entire 13 acres and cross the road, 2 have been killed doing this. I think they go about a 1/4 mile in all directions. Some days they go into the coop. some days they sleep on top the coop.


I would think the noise of separating them would drive you nuts within an hour and you will let them do there thing. I have a 50x25 covered run, I kept them in there for breeding season, they did not like it but it worked. However, my guineas are watchdogs and predator control in addition to tick eating machines, they need to be free to do their job, IMHO,

I've read that you should keep your guineas penned for six weeks so they come to think of the pen as home. Feed them in the pen in the evenings, so they learn to come to dinner and you can just close the door behind them. Now that it's summer, my guineas forage all day and just get a quarter cup each of feed when they are penned in the evening.

My Guineas come home every night, it is what they do during the day that drives me nuts.

If my guineas were locked up 24/7 I would not have them. They have a job to do, eat ticks, potato bugs, box elder bugs and beetles. If they were locked up what would be the point to having them. They do their job well, they just refuse to stay home during the day. They wander the wrong direction. Yesterday I went to town and they were a 1/4 mile down the road towards town.

They are like pheasants that hang around a farmyard, they never want me close but love to eat my free food.

I keep my guineas in the coop until they are 8 to 10 weeks old and then let them wander during the day. They will venture out, farther and farther from the coop, as they gain confidence, but will return at night. I lure them in right before sundown with white millet. If I get most of them in, the rest will not go to the trees and I can get them in right after sundown. If I wait too long, they will roost in the trees and some will not make it through the night. Too many predators here. I started with 25 two years ago and have 3 left from the original bunch. I added 25 more last year and have 14 of those left. I hatched 5 this year. Just trying to keep a reasonable amount for bug control.
" A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what a ship is for"
So let them out when they are big enough and they will do their job!

Your numbers are about the same as mine, I started last year with 10 keets 5 made it to adulthood because of my ineptness. I bought 10 more, 5 died or ran away. I got ten more. So 30 birds and I have 5 adults left. I have about 30 keets to release to the wild in a month or two. I hope to have 5-6 for eggs next spring.


My big decision will be eating the 5 or letting them corrupt the young.

Gosh, I wish you people lived closer to me. I have so many guineas I don't know what to do with them all!! My flock has consistently grown each year, without any assistance from me. I started out with a dozen......and each year, the females have hatched out babies by themselves. I think the key to getting them to come home every night it to keep them confined in their coop for the first 8 or 9 weeks you get them. By doing this, they will learn this is the place to come home to every nite. I've never had a problem with getting them inside every nite - they automatically do it on their own. As far as them wandering onto roads - yup - they are notorious for walking onto them. Even thought my driveway is over 900 feet off the road, they still like to go up there to see what's happening. Unfortunately, I have lost two that way - and it probably won't be the last time, either. There's really nothing you can do to stop them - if I see them heading up that way, I'll call them back for treats. Sometimes it works, but other times, it doesn't. Like I said - they have a mind of their own.

The good thing is - 6 years ago, I had the worst tick problem ever. I have not even seen a single tick this summer yet!! Horray for guineas for being little tick-eating machines!!! lol

hotcookie where do you live?

Southwestern Pennsylvania - south of Pittsburgh.

if I lived closer I would take two a male and female. I had a pair a few years ago until a fox or coyote got them