A pleasant quandry about my keets-to-be

[TarheelBirdy]

So, word has gotten around in my community that I am bringing along Guinea eggs, and I have gotten 4-5 inquiries from people locally who want to buy the keets - all of them - when they hatch. This is not something I had considered yet, these people came out of the woodwork. A little business opportunity, I guess!

I have four adult Guineas....two paired-off couples. I just got the four of them about three months ago, and they worked out perfectly. They paired off immediately and are just eating the bugs like nobody's business. They even chased off a coyote the other day. We would love to have more than four, so when my husband came across a nest full of eggs, we plopped them in the incubator, and here we are, day 25, and all candled to show great big jumpy keets. We also have a whole bunch incubating for several weeks out from there.

So here's the dilemma. Would it be foolish to turn down buyers of day-old keets? Should I raise the keets and keep them, or should we just enjoy the peace and harmony that our four Guineas are enjoying? We have a 40 acre horse farm with ten horses. No guineas on neighboring properties. What is your situation where you live, and what would you do in my shoes?

 

[PeepsCA]

Depending on what colors you hatch, you may want to sell some of what you hatch the most of right away. If you have the facility to house the keets up to 6-8 wks old, I'd definitely raise the them until you can sex them, then keep a few of the extra special ones and get rid of all the the extra males and any not so spectacular Hens (advertise on craigslist, flyers posted on feed store and tractor supply bulletin boards etc). Altho integrating keets into an adult flock can be a difficult and time consuming, it IS doable... and (IMO) you do need more than 4 Guineas with all that acreage and horse manure for them to forage thru, for bugs/flies and larvae!

 

[TarheelBirdy]

PeepsCA, once again, your info has been so helpful. I feel the same way....that we need more guineas, but I am hesitant for the upheaval that is bound to happen to the four that are happy here now.

Otherwise, I plan on keeping any special coloring. I'll decide the rest later.

Keep the good advice coming.....you can't imagine how much it means to me.

 

[Wisher1000]

Here's some food for thought...

I bought 4 keets but lost one early -- 1 male, 3 females at 2 months
One female was taken by a preditor at about 4 months old -- 1 male, 2 females at 4 months
The male was killed on the road, hit by a car -- 2 females at 6 months
Two days later both females started sitting on the nest of 45 eggs they had laid to date -- 2 females, 45 eggs at 7 months
Hatched 35 of the eggs -- THIRTY SEVEN guineas at just over 8 months (and I only wanted 4!)

Here it is nearly a year later and I have 15 left. I think there are 5 or 6 females. Most of them roost in the coop unless they are sitting on a nest. I can't keep them from setting eggs and can't keep the coons from getting them when they are outside of the coop. I am giving away eggs left and right and still have more than I can handle.

My advice is hatch and sell keets until you need to replace the adults you have. If there is someone who you know well, give them some with the understanding that you will get eggs to hatch from them when you need some. Wait and hatch a new batch of 6 or 8 when you want more. No problems with integrating newcomers and you can train them to roost in the coop and nest there as well!

That's what I would do if I were starting over...