Guinea talk.

[R2elk]

#1 what do they taste like? if i do get them, the males are going to be supper. what age do i butcher them and is it true they taste like pheasant?

#2 can they be raised with chickens? in my book it says you can only not during breeding season. i plan on only raising females (more for fun and some eggs) would this affect them during there breeding season?

#3 how cold is too cold for them? i live in Canada more exactly the prairie provinces, so are summers are +30C and winter are -40C i have a heated chickens coop (where they would live) in the winter it would stay above freezing all year.

#4 and how many eggs does the hen lay a year? i read that some say less then 100 others say up to 250 eggs a year, what would the rough number (or guess) if i collected the eggs every day?

#1 In my opinion, properly processed and prepared guinea fowl are really delicious. My experience is that they taste like chicken but with a whole lot more flavor. My father told me to never chop the head off of a guinea but to shoot them in the head with a .22. He claimed that if you chopped the head off that the meat would turn black & blue and not be fit to eat.

I have regular guineas rather than the jumbos and find their dressed weight to be approximately 2.5 lbs.

Your plan to eat the males will not lead to a productive flock but will cause it to be a very noisy flock as the hens will buck-wheat non stop calling for a mate. The preferred ratio of males to hens in a flock is 1:1. I have heard of people keeping 1 male for up to 5 hens but my experience is that 1:1 with an extra hen or two works very well.

#2 My experience is that it is much better to house the guineas separately from the chickens and do not imprint the guineas on the chickens. I house and raise my guineas separately and now have no problems when I allow the guineas, chickens and turkeys to free range in the same area. It is also best to keep a large number of guineas as they are a flock bird and do best in large groups. It also helps to limit their attacks on other poultry when they have sufficient numbers to allow them to pick on each other. They understand their ways while no other poultry that I know have the same type of mannerisms and become confused and frustrated when picked on by guineas. I always recommend keeping a minimum of 10 guineas in a flock.

As stated before, keeping only hens will cause a very loud (frustrated) flock. Raising guineas solely for egg production is not very effective. Their egg size is about half of a chicken eggs size but with a higher yolk to white percentage. When they get started, they will lay every day until they go broody or it is the end of the laying season. In your location they would probably start laying around May and stop around October.

#3 I live in Wyoming and it is not uncommon to have temperatures down to -30°F in the winter (-34.4°C). I do not use a heated coop and have not had any problems with the guineas through the winter or summer.

#4 I would estimate that the number of eggs each guinea hen produces to be less than 150 per year. While they can and do lay every day during the laying season, going broody really cut into their production.

Guineas like to hide their nests outside and can make finding their egg very difficult. It can be really difficult when they are young birds and drop their eggs where ever they happen to be when the urge hits them. Have fun finding all the eggs.

#5 If you want to raise the guineas for meat, get the Jumbo guineas. There are lots of good reasons to have guineas but if you want egg production, get chickens.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

#1 In my opinion, properly processed and prepared guinea fowl are really delicious. My experience is that they taste like chicken but with a whole lot more flavor. My father told me to never chop the head off of a guinea but to shoot them in the head with a .22. He claimed that if you chopped the head off that the meat would turn black & blue and not be fit to eat.

I have regular guineas rather than the jumbos and find their dressed weight to be approximately 2.5 lbs.

Your plan to eat the males will not lead to a productive flock but will cause it to be a very noisy flock as the hens will buck-wheat non stop calling for a mate. The preferred ratio of males to hens in a flock is 1:1. I have heard of people keeping 1 male for up to 5 hens but my experience is that 1:1 with an extra hen or two works very well.

#2 My experience is that it is much better to house the guineas separately from the chickens and do not imprint the guineas on the chickens. I house and raise my guineas separately and now have no problems when I allow the guineas, chickens and turkeys to free range in the same area. It is also best to keep a large number of guineas as they are a flock bird and do best in large groups. It also helps to limit their attacks on other poultry when they have sufficient numbers to allow them to pick on each other. They understand their ways while no other poultry that I know have the same type of mannerisms and become confused and frustrated when picked on by guineas. I always recommend keeping a minimum of 10 guineas in a flock.

As stated before, keeping only hens will cause a very loud (frustrated) flock. Raising guineas solely for egg production is not very effective. Their egg size is about half of a chicken eggs size but with a higher yolk to white percentage. When they get started, they will lay every day until they go broody or it is the end of the laying season. In your location they would probably start laying around May and stop around October.

#3 I live in Wyoming and it is not uncommon to have temperatures down to -30°F in the winter (-34.4°C). I do not use a heated coop and have not had any problems with the guineas through the winter or summer.

#4 I would estimate that the number of eggs each guinea hen produces to be less than 150 per year. While they can and do lay every day during the laying season, going broody really cut into their production.

Guineas like to hide their nests outside and can make finding their egg very difficult. It can be really difficult when they are young birds and drop their eggs where ever they happen to be when the urge hits them. Have fun finding all the eggs.

#5 If you want to raise the guineas for meat, get the Jumbo guineas. There are lots of good reasons to have guineas but if you want egg production, get chickens.

thank you, maybe i will just have to raise a few for meat then. (jumbos) if they taste good. right now am raising ducks and chickens for eggs. which am happy with at the moment (am always for trying something new). but thank you

 

[mike harrington]

I am actually just looking at getting some Guineas our tick population is out of control. What do yall recommend doing before actually getting them, such as preparing a coop, even though i've read they dont really need one. Any advice you be helpful

 

[R2elk]

I am actually just looking at getting some Guineas our tick population is out of control. What do yall recommend doing before actually getting them, such as preparing a coop, even though i've read they dont really need one. Any advice you be helpful

Depends on your local situation as to whether or not a coop is needed. What age guineas you are getting also matters. If you are getting keets you need to prepare a brooder and heat source followed by a grow out pen.

I put my adult guineas in a coop every night. I lost my whole first flock of guineas to Big Horned Owls. If I did not keep my guineas in a secure coop at night, it would not take very long for the predators to clean them out.

If you are planning to get adult guineas then you need a secure pen to house them in for about 6 weeks to make sure they know that this is now their home.

Good luck.

 

[mike harrington]

Depends on your local situation as to whether or not a coop is needed. What age guineas you are getting also matters. If you are getting keets you need to prepare a brooder and heat source followed by a grow out pen.

I put my adult guineas in a coop every night. I lost my whole first flock of guineas to Big Horned Owls. If I did not keep my guineas in a secure coop at night, it would not take very long for the predators to clean them out.

If you are planning to get adult guineas then you need a secure pen to house them in for about 6 weeks to make sure they know that this is now their home.

Good luck.

I still have a large tote with heater I kept my baby chicks and ducks in 2 months ago. How long does it take until the keets are ready to be out on their own during the day?
Doubt I need to use the heater because we are about to head into the summer.

 

[R2elk]

I still have a large tote with heater I kept my baby chicks and ducks in 2 months ago. How long does it take until the keets are ready to be out on their own during the day?
Doubt I need to use the heater because we are about to head into the summer.

You may not need to use the heater for long but keets need to be very warm to start. I start mine at 95°F measured at the bedding level and reduce the temperature by 5°F each week.

Just because your daytime temperatures are high does not mean the keets will be able to survive the night time temperatures without heat.

If I remember correctly it takes the keets about 4 weeks to be fully feathered. If your day temps are warm enough, the keets can be out with supervision as long as it is dry at a very early age. I would not let them out unsupervised until they have demonstrated that they can be left out on their own.

Good luck.

 

[mike harrington]

You may not need to use the heater for long but keets need to be very warm to start. I start mine at 95°F measured at the bedding level and reduce the temperature by 5°F each week.

Just because your daytime temperatures are high does not mean the keets will be able to survive the night time temperatures without heat.

If I remember correctly it takes the keets about 4 weeks to be fully feathered. If your day temps are warm enough, the keets can be out with supervision as long as it is dry at a very early age. I would not let them out unsupervised until they have demonstrated that they can be left out on their own.

Good luck.

Thanks I may just go with the keets approach then.
Do they like to be up off of the ground when they go down for the night?

 

[R2elk]

Thanks I may just go with the keets approach then.
Do they like to be up off of the ground when they go down for the night?

The adults like to roost as high as they can get. Mine roost in the rafters of my coop.

 

[GldnValleyHens]

Help! I just read that feeding poultry starter to keets can poison them, and you're only supposed to feed them turkey/gamebird starter! Is this true? Do I need to switch? My keets have been on it for about a week or more!

 

[R2elk]

Help! I just read that feeding poultry starter to keets can poison them, and you're only supposed to feed them turkey/gamebird starter! Is this true? Do I need to switch? My keets have been on it for about a week or more!

Feeding chick starter should not kill keets but it can stunt their growth for their entire life. Chick starter has too low a percentage of protein and is missing sufficient quantities of other essentials such as niacin and methionine. Keets have an extremely high metabolic rate and need the higher protein for the proper development of their internal organs and their high rate of growth. If you can switch to a turkey/gamebird starter, it will be much better for your keets.

If you can't switch, feeding chopped up hard boiled eggs can help them but it won't increase the protein because hard boiled eggs are only around 12% protein. If they will eat them meal worms (50% protein) can be added in small quantities but do not overdo it since too much protein is actually worse than too little protein. Of course when feeding anything other than starter, they need to be provided with an appropriately sized grit so they can digest what they are eating.