Raising Guinea Fowl 101

[MedlerFarm16]

hmmm

Maybe gases as R2Elk said, I think heat.  I raise mine in a 4ft by 8ft pen with hardware cloth on the sides. I do set the temp at 95 for the first few days, but they spent a lot of time at the far end of the pen also. That is 7 ft from the heat source. Also that is in April and May when nights are cold. 95 seems high for this time of year. But I do not know your climate.

I am thinking the tote was just not big enough to let them get away from the heat. Also a tote has no ventilation on the sides so heat is trap, bad gases are trapped.   I am just not a fan of totes.

Their inside my house!!! An lid isn't on it, so nothing is trapped!!!!

 

[Victoria-nola]

Need advice about moving keets from their intermediate coop to their permanent coop (from which they will eventually free-range).

There are 25 keets and they are now 7 weeks old. A few days ago I needed to catch one to show them the new waterer because they weren't drinking water when I upgraded to a larger waterer. For my trouble I got a bloody gouge in my arm and it was very difficult to catch and hold one. So now I am very concerned about how to move them from their current space to the new wonderful space that they will love.

I had imagined we would bring in cat carriers or something and put a few in each one, then carry them in those to the new space. I'm just worried about how hard that will be, but maybe it's just what has to happen. I also notice that at night they don't seem to be in the kind of trance that the chickens are, so I'm not sure doing it at night would help any. But please, I would like to know anything you can tell me.

The current space is 7'x12' with 6' ceiling height.

Thanks for any thoughts.

--V

 

[BlueShadow]

It is definitely difficult to catch guineas of any size. If we just need to catch one, usually my husband catches while I help corner the bird (it typically involves diving on them in a corner, after a long chase). Then I do whatever needs to be done to it.

We also have had decent success catching them when it is DARK. If you are quick, sneak close to them, then shine a flashlight in their eyes. This has 2 benefits- helps you find the bird and temporarily blinds them. Then catch them quickly, before their eyes adjust to the light. When we had a mix of chickens and guineas to move, this worked as well as anything, although guineas still were more difficult to catch than chickens. I would guess you might get 2 or 3 this way, put them in carriers, then leave the pen for a few minutes for the rest to settle and get used to the dark again. Rinse and repeat.

 

[duluthralphie]

I just call my guineas by name and they come running and jump right into what ever new pen I have for them.

I spent hours training them though......

Anything with guineas is difficult, I use a large landing net to catch mine. A chicken catcher can break their fragile little legs. When reaching into the landing net to retrieve the guinea expect to be bitten and scratched. When you let them loose they will then scream at you and claim they won the battle.

 

[BlueShadow]

Oh, here is another idea - if they roost on the floor in the corner, try making their pen A LOT smaller so it is easier to catch them. I would use very large pieces of cardboard (we get empty boxes from the local bike shop). Put something around them on the sides and another piece over the top so they can't fly out. Now you have a much smaller area to catch them in.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I had to catch a couple of mine the other day and I used a raccoon size live trap.

 

[guineapeeps]

Need advice about moving keets from their intermediate coop to their permanent coop (from which they will eventually free-range).

There are 25 keets and they are now 7 weeks old. A few days ago I needed to catch one to show them the new waterer because they weren't drinking water when I upgraded to a larger waterer. For my trouble I got a bloody gouge in my arm and it was very difficult to catch and hold one.  So now I am very concerned about how to move them from their current space to the new wonderful space that they will love.

I had imagined we would bring in cat carriers or something and put a few in each one, then carry them in those to the new space.  I'm just worried about how hard that will be, but maybe it's just what has to happen.  I also notice that at night they don't seem to be in the kind of trance that the chickens are, so I'm not sure doing it at night would help any. But please, I would like to know anything you can tell me.

The current space is 7'x12' with 6' ceiling height.

Thanks for any thoughts.

--V

I agree with the person that said to catch them after dark, but it has to be pretty dark in your coop. (Guineas are practically useless in the dark).I would get a flashlight, a bath towel or small blanket and a ladder if they roost up high (I actually prefer it if they are roosting a little higher as it is easier to grab their legs). First, I spot them with the flashlight, set the ladder or step stool directly below them, then quickly grab their legs, using the flashlight for assistance, if needed. Make sure you are careful not to twist or injure their legs. Once I have a good hold on the guinea, I wrap it inthe towel or blanket. If you cover their head as well, it seems to make them more calm. I have never gotten scratched or pecked using this method. I hope it works for you!

 

[perchie.girl]

net.... catch em in flight and bag em up to move em. I can do it from my chair. I have a small cage for transfering the little reprobates... about three feet by 18" x 18" I can put about twenty tween agers in there.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

be careful handling Guineas by their legs....

 

[duluthralphie]

be careful handling Guineas by their legs....

Deb is right, it is a good way to come up with a lame guinea. I just moved about 30 teenagers tonight. I used the landing net. Everyone is happy. Of course, they screamed like a stuck pig when I grabbed them from the net.