GUINEA FOWL THREAD

[guineapeeps]

I am new to pouty and will be ordering some golden and silver laced wyandottes soon but I am considering possibly getting a few guinea fowl as well does anyone have any suggestions as far as which variety of guinea fowl would be best?

 

[guineapeeps]

I am new to pouty and will be ordering some golden and silver laced wyandottes soon but I am considering possibly getting a few guinea fowl as well does anyone have any suggestions as far as which variety of guinea fowl would be best?

What part of the country do you live in? Or, if you don't live in the US, what country do you live in? Just your basic domesticated guinea fowl do pretty well in most climates. They are great for bugs/ticks/pest control, and are great for gardens as they don't eat your plants or vegetables. I have had my guineas for about 3 years and love them, but they are prolific egg layers in spring, summer, and fall and I'm generally overrun with babies(keets) this time of year. If you live anywhere near me, I'd be happy to share!

 

[Poultry Master1]

I live in Tennessee. I did some research on guinea fowl (difficult to find a lot of information) and they seem to be pretty hardy birds and I I know me just a few chickens wouldn't

 

[Poultry Master1]

Sorry accidently hit reply. Anyway I knew just chickens wouldn't be enough once I found out there were all these other cool types of poultry so I think I will get a few sky blue guineas along with my chickens.

 

[margaret8]

I am new to pouty and will be ordering some golden and silver laced wyandottes soon but I am considering possibly getting a few guinea fowl as well does anyone have any suggestions as far as which variety of guinea fowl would be best?

Any? I raise guineas!

 

[Poultry Master1]

What kind do you raise?

 

[guineapeeps]

I live in Tennessee. I did some research on guinea fowl (difficult to find a lot of information) and they seem to be pretty hardy birds and I I know me just a few chickens wouldn't

I lived in Chattanooga for 3 years. I Loved Tennessee and miss it but had to move for my husband's job. Your right.....Guineas are pretty hardy birds. They have a quirky kind of personality....much more wild than chickens, but can be somewhat tame if you spend a lot of time with them. I have a variety of colors....pearl gray, lavenders, buff dundotte, and pied. Despite their vulture-like appearance, I love their feathers....so pretty! Mine free range on our 5 acres all day and go into the coop at night. One thing to keep in mind is the time it takes for them to get to "know their home", if you plan on keeping them in a coop, even just at night. They need at least several weeks (4-6 week average) to be locked up in their new home to ensure they will return to it, otherwise they may look for other places to roost at night (i.e. Trees, other people's property, etc).
There is a lot of good info and a lot of people more knowledgeable than I am to glean info from on this site. Good luck!

 

[Poultry Master1]

We have plenty of space for them to free range during the day my only concern is that if I get chicks now they will be a little young when winter comes around will they be able to survive it as it can get below freezing sometimes in winter.

 

[guineapeeps]

We have plenty of space for them to free range during the day my only concern is that if I get chicks now they will be a little young when winter comes around will they be able to survive it as it can get below freezing sometimes in winter.

Once the baby guineas (keets) are about 6 weeks old, they can be out from under any heat source and do fine with normal outside temps. By the time winter rolls around, they should tolerate your winter weather just fine. I live in Iowa and the temps here get well below freezing quite a bit during the winter months. My keets that were hatched duing the summer and fall free range during the day and are in a coop at night and do well. (I do make sure they have a high protein gamebird food, especially during winter when there are no bugs available.....it helps them to maintain their weight and body temperature.)

 

[Poultry Master1]

I have bad news the hatchery I am going to use requires you to order at least 15 guineas which is just way to much for me so I will not be able to order them I will have to get ducks instead but oh well. I'm sorry for wasting your time.