Age for setting them out to free range?

[SharkmanDan]

Last year, one of the mistakes I think I made, was to keep my guineas cooped every night, and fed them commercial feed, too long. They were probably 50% of full size, or maybe even a little larger, when they were put out, to free range, full time.
This year, realizing that I needed more than I had from last year, I bought 25 keets. Shortly after buying those, about 10 days later, one of my wayward hens showed back up here, with 15 or more, babies in tow. These are free range birds, and they are doing well, on their own.
But, my 25 purchased keets are getting fully feathered, and are wanting to escape the brooder. I tried putting a couple out with the free range mama, and she wanted nothing to do with them. I had to put them back in the brooder.
So, in light of having a few adult guineas, 25-month old keets, and 15 that are about 10 days younger, when do I cut these 25 loose? The 15 or so, are doing well, free ranging, only because they are well cared for by the small adult flock. I'm afraid that if I cut the others loose, they are too young to defend themselves from the adults, when they come in contact. But, I don't want them to be the "welfare birds" that the adults were, last year.
How do I, or, can I, integrate these flocks?

 

[chickbird]

I hope you get alot of responses as I have some of the same questions as this is my first year of raising guineas. I have about 50 and they are all ages, adults, 4weeks, 2 months, 4 months and 6 months. I have been raising each group separately as the adults are in their breeding period , when i tried to mix the different age groups, there has been pecking and aggressive chasing. I have them all in pens side by side to try to get them use to each other and I'm hoping come september or October that I can begin letting them in one pen together and let about half the flock out at a time until I am sure they are returning to their coop. Hope you get many replies. I have only let my adults out (6) that are over a year old, just my thoughts but I would be afraid to let my month olds out.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I'm also standing by for replies. My 12 are 6 weeks old today and will be moving to their coop+run as soon as I finish it this weekend. I was planning on keeping them locked up for 4-6 weeks then start letting a few out at a time each day. I think everyone should be able to go out together by 16 weeks but of course then winter is just around the corner.

 

[CluckerLover]

I am following this also. Mine are almost 12 weeks old. I let them out a few weeks back thinking they would go back into there coop that evening. WRONG! I was out after dark trying to drive them back into their coop. I do have 3 adults that are free range and I feed them right beside the little ones hoping they will bond. I incubated my babies and don't want anything to happen to them.

 

[SharkmanDan]

I had to take my keets out of the brooder, and put them in a tractor coop, because they would fly out every time I went to change their waterer. I have two, that are still out there, in the woods, that I've been unable to catch. I still hear them. But can't find them. I'm hoping that now their buddies are outdoors in the tractor, they might come around, to rejoin the flock.
The mama and daddy, with their keets, has lost about 50% of them, but they are progressing well, with those they still have.
At some point, I'll have to let the purchased babies loose. Without response, I'm just going to try to guess when they are big enough to stand up for themselves.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I don't think there is a set in stone age for letting them out. It depends on if you are wanting to train them to come back to the coop at night. What behaviors do your free range birds exhibit that makes you call them "welfare" birds? It doesn't sound to me like you kept them locked up too long, as I think 3-6 months is the norm from what I've read on here.

 

[SharkmanDan]

I don't think there is a set in stone age for letting them out. It depends on if you are wanting to train them to come back to the coop at night. What behaviors do your free range birds exhibit that makes you call them "welfare" birds? It doesn't sound to me like you kept them locked up too long, as I think 3-6 months is the norm from what I've read on here.

They don't do so, anymore. But, in the past, they had ZERO inclination to hunt bugs and other organic food sources. They would wait in the yard, for me to appear, then would gather around me, squawking loudly, until I fed them some commercial feed. It took a while, of me not feeding them, at all, before they finally started becoming good hunters. Now that they have babies of their own, they seem to be teaching the babies right. They roost near the house at night, but by day, they are out, all over the property, with the babies, foraging. I tried putting a couple of the commercially purchased keets with them, but the mama attacked them, and daddy drove them off. I now have them in a tractor coop where they'll stay, until they are big enough to set loose.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I think there will be a "weaning" stage no matter what age you put them out. Any bird raised in a brooder is going to identify you as the food source, and whatever food you are feeding them (crumble, pellets, scraps, etc) as their normal food. There will be a transition point where they learn to explore and try new things. The bigger concern is making sure they are big enough to not get picked off by predators, since they don't have parents or older fowl to teach them the right ways. Are the free range guineas ever cooped up, such as at night? If so, I would make it a point to have the old and new birds in close quarters with each other for at least a few hours a day so they get used to each other (separated so they can't hurt each other). Just something to consider...

 

[SharkmanDan]

I think there will be a "weaning" stage no matter what age you put them out. Any bird raised in a brooder is going to identify you as the food source, and whatever food you are feeding them (crumble, pellets, scraps, etc) as their normal food. There will be a transition point where they learn to explore and try new things. The bigger concern is making sure they are big enough to not get picked off by predators, since they don't have parents or older fowl to teach them the right ways. Are the free range guineas ever cooped up, such as at night? If so, I would make it a point to have the old and new birds in close quarters with each other for at least a few hours a day so they get used to each other (separated so they can't hurt each other). Just something to consider...

Occasionally, the free range adults, act like they want to coop up, but only will, on very rare occasions. Since they hatched out all of the babies, they refuse to go inside any of the coops, at all. The new purchased keets, stay in the tractor coop, but, looking at it, this morning, I can see that it will not be long, before they outgrow it, too.

 

[jen1]

I agree that's its probably different for each situation. I have 12 adults greater than a year in age and 1 10 week old, 1 9 week old and 5 7week olds. All of the juveniles have been in my bird run in a large chicken tractor cage for at least 3weeks. The older two have been in there a few weeks longer. I let them out for the first time yesterday while I was standing with them. Only for about 15 min then herded them back in. My bird run is a 14x16 building so I do let them out of their cage during the day to roam around and get exercise. I just shut the run door so the adult guineas don't get in. When the sun sets, I put the juveniles back in the cage and open the run door to let the adult guineas back in. I will let them out again today for a short period then put a few out at a time. They stay close to the others so its easy to get them back in. I just have to make sure my adults don't pick on them while they are out.