They're flying!!!

[tandyl]

Michael headed out to do errands but came right back in to tell me, "one of the keets sounds really loud". He usually doesn't have much to do with them. He just agreed to get them because, well he gives me what I want. so I go out there to check on them, make sure none are loose. I found 6 had gone up the ramp into one of the nesting baskets and the others on top the the nesting set up, about 3 feet off the ground. 1 little lonely keet was in a nesting basket on the end away from all the others and yelling up a storm. And so at 3 weeks old, we have flyers. Not great flyers and horrible stoppers but this shall be interesting.

 

[tandyl]

 

[JLeigh]

Love those nesting boxes! What a great idea! People are stunned when their guineas start to fly so young. They usually don't figure it out until they leave a top off an indoor brooder and have to go on a keet safari. And I remember last year when I finally put my 15 keets out in the pen at about 7 weeks old and they practiced flying up onto a perch. I pulled up a chair, grabbed a beer and watched The Guinea Show. It does take them some time to get the hang of it, and provided hours of cheap entertainment for me. LOL.

 

[tandyl]

They've been trying so I knew it wouldn't take much longer. The nesting basket were $3-4 a piece at Walmart and seemed like the perfect thing. I wanted something I could take out and hose down as needed. Michael says he'll load in the back of the pickup and power wash them at the car wash.

 

[JLeigh]

I'm going to put one of those in my guinea coop for their "inspiration".

 

[tandyl]

Is it ok for them to sleep up there at night time? They are only 3 weeks old but there is a heat lamp close to their food and water if they need it.

 

[chooks4life]

In my experience, once they're no longer needing a mother for heat (feathered enough) and are trying to perch, it's the right time for them to snuggle up to eachother on a perch at night.

Having said that, I don't live in a snowy country, so that's an issue for those who do...

Week-old chicken babies also fly, but not too many folks feed them the right diet to have them fully winged at a week old, so most would think that's impossible. Some adult chooks fly too, one of my latest generations of cockerels can fly over a hundred feet straight up and horizontally for over a kilometer. Not bad.

I like flying livestock, I don't think it needs to be continually bred out of chooks. Just my opinion on it... We manage with guinea fowl, peacocks, turkeys, pigeons, ducks, geese, so why not the chickens too?

 

[buttercup95]

I just got my first batch of guineas about 3 weeks ago and I split them with a friend but anyways I was surprised to find mine jumping out of the box the day they arrived and after a week I had to put a lid on my brooder which is two feet tall by the way! I was so surprised. Now mine sleep outside without any sort of heating lamp. I'm experiencing California heat though. It doesn't drop below 60 at night.

 

[plunk72]

That is a awesome nest box idea.

 

[critters]

yeah, I too like your 'nest box' idea...may put a few in my guinea coop and see what they think ??

I'm all for making things easier for me...my bird numbers are getting high and takes a lot of time
to keep up with keeping everyone clean...

I'm with JLeigh, I find them to provide hours of entertainment....watch the ducks, chickens and peafowl as well..