breeding guinea fowl that are not free range

[newtoguineafowl]

Hi all! Just want to thank everyone because this forum has been hugely helpful giving me the knowledge and courage to get guinea fowl.

Question: Has anyone had luck breeding guinea fowl that are not free range?

To keep this as short as I can, I want to free range guinea fowl on my farm because we have a tick problem. I tried to get keets but couldn’t find any in my area, so I bought 4 female and 2 male guinea fowl of 7 months from a distributor four months ago. I’ve tried the training method I read on here (2 months caged, then a different one out during the day for a week, then two etc) but, long story short, I think they will fly away when I let all six out. So I would like the ones I have to produce keets because I think (nay, pray) I might have better luck keeping guineas on my farm who were born and raised there. They live alone in a 13 by 6 1/2 foot, 6 1/2 foot high covered run, with a rainproof roof on one side that has roosting bars and nesting boxes, and the other side has a space for dirt baths (we live in an area that never goes below 40 F, very rarely below 45 F)

Any experiences with breeding of caged guinea fowl would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again!

 

[R2elk]

Hi all! Just want to thank everyone because this forum has been hugely helpful giving me the knowledge and courage to get guinea fowl.

Question: Has anyone had luck breeding guinea fowl that are not free range?

To keep this as short as I can, I want to free range guinea fowl on my farm because we have a tick problem. I tried to get keets but couldn’t find any in my area, so I bought 4 female and 2 male guinea fowl of 7 months from a distributor four months ago. I’ve tried the training method I read on here (2 months caged, then a different one out during the day for a week, then two etc) but, long story short, I think they will fly away when I let all six out. So I would like the ones I have to produce keets because I think (nay, pray) I might have better luck keeping guineas on my farm who were born and raised there. They live alone in a 13 by 6 1/2 foot, 6 1/2 foot high covered run, with a rainproof roof on one side that has roosting bars and nesting boxes, and the other side has a space for dirt baths (we live in an area that never goes below 40 F, very rarely below 45 F)

Any experiences with breeding of caged guinea fowl would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again!

I recommend expanding your run to at least 20' x 50' or bigger. I also recommend getting your male to female ratio closer to 1:1.

 

[newtoguineafowl]

I recommend expanding your run to at least 20' x 50' or bigger. I also recommend getting your male to female ratio closer to 1:1.

Thank you so much for your response! I was worried my shelter might be too small. I built it when I thought I could get keets and that they would be free ranging once adults.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I imagine you can since hatcheries likely don't let their guineas free range

 

[R2elk]

I imagine you can since hatcheries likely don't let their guineas free range

The Guinea Farm pinions all their breeding stock eliminating the need for covered pens.

 

[newtoguineafowl]

I imagine you can since hatcheries likely don't let their guineas free range

Oh, great point! Thank you gives me hope for some keets

 

[MyCozyCritters]

I am raising 10 guineas in a pen...partially covered with roost poles and it's about 50x16 in two sections with a small space in the middle that they can go from one section to another. (25x10 one section, and 25x6 the other). I've raised these from keets born last spring and so far I've fed them scratch feed, wild game feed and sometimes cracked corn and laying crumbles, but always with seeds in it. I am wondering if it's alright to keep them in this enclosure all the time.
I would love to let them free range, but the previous guineas that these came from their eggs, were slowly decimated by predators, not sure what kind, until I just have the one girl who started a nest out in the field next to our house...her and her husband, and then he disappeared and she straggled back home with one little keet.
I put those two in the enclosure with the partially grown keets and they've been there ever since and are doing great!
They do 'talk' a lot during the day, and fly around in the enclosure, which is about 7 feet tall...and I feel so bad because I know they would love to be outside!
My question is, what kind of feed should I feed them if I don't let them outside...and if I can brave enough to let them outside, just how should I go about that? I have thought about letting one or two of them outside for a day, but I am so scared that something will happen to them I just haven't!
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[R2elk]

I am raising 10 guineas in a pen...partially covered with roost poles and it's about 50x16 in two sections with a small space in the middle that they can go from one section to another. (25x10 one section, and 25x6 the other). I've raised these from keets born last spring and so far I've fed them scratch feed, wild game feed and sometimes cracked corn and laying crumbles, but always with seeds in it. I am wondering if it's alright to keep them in this enclosure all the time.
I would love to let them free range, but the previous guineas that these came from their eggs, were slowly decimated by predators, not sure what kind, until I just have the one girl who started a nest out in the field next to our house...her and her husband, and then he disappeared and she straggled back home with one little keet.
I put those two in the enclosure with the partially grown keets and they've been there ever since and are doing great!
They do 'talk' a lot during the day, and fly around in the enclosure, which is about 7 feet tall...and I feel so bad because I know they would love to be outside!
My question is, what kind of feed should I feed them if I don't let them outside...and if I can brave enough to let them outside, just how should I go about that? I have thought about letting one or two of them outside for a day, but I am so scared that something will happen to them I just haven't!
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Give them a good all flock feed with oyster shell free choice. Cut out the scratch and cracked corn. Limit all treats to no more than 10% of their total diet.

 

[MyCozyCritters]

Thank you! Found the all flock close to here, and oyster shell will be on their diet too! I appreciate the help!

 

[Blodwyn0419]

Hello,

I started with gunea fowl keets and raised them along with my chicks. Turned out I had 3 male and 3 female. One male left, the other I rehomed. My guineas have just finished their first mating season. No issues at all with them living with the chickens. They remain I their pen and sleep in the chook house at night.
They have the ability to leave the pen, but if they do (usually missing the fence as they fly off my carport roof) they yell until I open the gate and let them back in. The females lay their eggs with the chooks in their nest boxes.

I have a big 60/70m area for them to roam. The hen house is about 1.8m high so they can roost up off the ground. It is sheltered, warm but has good airflow and completely snake proof.

I feed them at night with the chooks to encourage them in to the hen house and then lock up leaving them to chow down on their snack of rice, vegetables, boiled crushed up egg and meal worms.

The key for me has been one male in a small female flock, no rooster and raise them at the same time and same cage as the chicken's from day olds. Have them in the house and chat to them as much as you can. When old enough have them in the enclosed coop for about 6 weeks and create your feed routine. Try to never change the routine.

Hope that helps?