breeding guinea fowl that are not free range

[newtoguineafowl]

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?

Thank you so much for sharing! It's been super helpful for me to read about other people's setup and routine.

 

[EllieMae521]

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!

With guinea fowl you must keep them caged or confined for a very long tome, so they know where home is. I started with 26 guinea, 2.5 years ago. Since they won't stay in the pen with the chickens at night, that's when I lose them. Preditors will.pick them off.
Anyhow, I kept my guineas in a chicken tractor for almost a year. I moved the tractor around my property daily or every other day. They got to have fresh bugs and grass. They are also GREAT POTHOLE DIGGERS, ie: ankle busters. But... it was totally worth the time and effort I put in to my guineas. They may forage in the field across the street or next door for a couple hours a day, but then they always come home. And they always roostatnighton the property.

If you let your guinea free range too soon, like less than 6 months at your place, no matter the age, then it's very likely they will leave the area and find another place to live- permanently. It is well worth the payoff to keep them.confined for 6 or more months. The longer you keep them confined on your property, the better chance you have of them knowing that is home.

Doesn't totally answer your question, but I hope knowing this key piece will help.
E.D.

 

[NotFowlinAround]

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?

When your guineas get out of the fenced in yard they can't figure out how to fly back over? That is what mine do and I'm afraid if I'm not home to open the gate all day, a predator will snatch them. Nothing I can do I suppose?

 

[NotFowlinAround]

With guinea fowl you must keep them caged or confined for a very long tome, so they know where home is. I started with 26 guinea, 2.5 years ago. Since they won't stay in the pen with the chickens at night, that's when I lose them. Preditors will.pick them off.
Anyhow, I kept my guineas in a chicken tractor for almost a year. I moved the tractor around my property daily or every other day. They got to have fresh bugs and grass. They are also GREAT POTHOLE DIGGERS, ie: ankle busters. But... it was totally worth the time and effort I put in to my guineas. They may forage in the field across the street or next door for a couple hours a day, but then they always come home. And they always roostatnighton the property.

If you let your guinea free range too soon, like less than 6 months at your place, no matter the age, then it's very likely they will leave the area and find another place to live- permanently. It is well worth the payoff to keep them.confined for 6 or more months. The longer you keep them confined on your property, the better chance you have of them knowing that is home.

Doesn't totally answer your question, but I hope knowing this key piece will help.
E.D.

Hi, when you say keep them confined, do you mean in a coop?

Thanks

 

[R2elk]

Hi, when you say keep them confined, do you mean in a coop?

Thanks

A coop and a covered run.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

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!

Okay, first. Are your guinea hens laying? If their not laying, then there is no chance to breed them.

I would let them lay for a few months before hatching their eggs. Just be warned, we are almost at the end of the laying season. I've incubated around now though.

If your hens are laying, great. I would take a few eggs, and crack them. Look for a small white dot indicating that they are fertile.

Once you have your desired number if eggs, store them point down in an egg carton, and turn them a few times a day. Once your incubator is started, and has run for a day, put your eggs in.
I have the Nurture Right 360. I love it. Keep the temperature at 100F, and humidity at 45-50. During the last three days of incubation, its lock down. Make sure that you rise the Humidity to 60-65. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Do not let your hen raise your keets. Most hens aren't very good mothers.

Mine free range. I do have some that are being penned up until I have a larger area so that I can integrate them with their parents.
I've not hatched eggs from the penned ones yet though.

If I got anything wrong, even the slightest, please correct me.

I really hope this helps, and best of luck.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

With guinea fowl you must keep them caged or confined for a very long tome, so they know where home is. I started with 26 guinea, 2.5 years ago. Since they won't stay in the pen with the chickens at night, that's when I lose them. Preditors will.pick them off.
Anyhow, I kept my guineas in a chicken tractor for almost a year. I moved the tractor around my property daily or every other day. They got to have fresh bugs and grass. They are also GREAT POTHOLE DIGGERS, ie: ankle busters. But... it was totally worth the time and effort I put in to my guineas. They may forage in the field across the street or next door for a couple hours a day, but then they always come home. And they always roostatnighton the property.

If you let your guinea free range too soon, like less than 6 months at your place, no matter the age, then it's very likely they will leave the area and find another place to live- permanently. It is well worth the payoff to keep them.confined for 6 or more months. The longer you keep them confined on your property, the better chance you have of them knowing that is home.

Doesn't totally answer your question, but I hope knowing this key piece will help.
E.D.

Not being rude, but a year is much too long.
I let mine out at maybe 4 months, and they did fine. Guineas are meant to free range, they shouldn't be cooped up for a year.
Just my opinion.

 

[R2elk]

Okay, first. Are your guinea hens laying? If their not laying, then there is no chance to breed them.

Breeding starts well before laying starts.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Breeding starts well before laying starts.

I know. You can't hatch eggs if you don't have eggs though.

 

[MyCozyCritters]

Thanks for all the help y'all gave! Sadly to say, I am now thinking I did the wrong thing keeping my guineas in the enclosure. In the back, something scratched under the fence and slaughtered all my 7 guineas...just ate parts of them...and only left one little girl that was so sad the next couple days. I cried right along with her as she looked for her mates! I kept her in the pen with my chickens but she didn't like that and when she got a chance she went into a tree. The day after that she was just gone. I was heartbroken.
Now I still have the one little baby and it's doing great. I bought 4 baby chicks to keep 'her' company and I am keeping those in a cage inside the chickens' secure pen.
I might try again next spring.....so devastated at the loss of my featherbabies!