Best way to get guineas?

[FriendlyFlyer]

Ok, so I've been conflicted for a long time now. Should I order guineas online or buy them from a local breeder or swap meet? what do you folks do? Have you ordered online (Ideal Poultry) or do you find them localy? Looking for opinions, experiences, and thoughts. Also, what might you recomend a first-time guinea owner to do, order or find localy? Thank you! Thank you!

 

[beefmaster]

if you want guinies id buy them locally from a breeder.an id buy them as babies an raise them on your place.grown guienies will leave an want to go back to the home they came from.

 

[FriendlyFlyer]

Thank you! exactly the type of feedback I was hoping to hear. Honest, straight forward, and quick! Thank you!

 

[beefmaster]

your welcome,i dont think ive forgot everything i know yet lolol.

 

[tomingreeneco]

I started out local. Was supposed to get 10 from a local lady. The hatch was poor and only was able to get 4 from her. I needed more so ordered 12 from a hatchery. One died in shipment so stated out with 15 total. Lost a few to a fox and coyote. Hatched 22 from eggs I got that 1st year. Now I had too many! Sold 15 do a local man and kept the rest. Took care of a few fox and coyote so have not lost any more. If I need more I will just hatch out some more eggs.

 

[PeepsCA]

If you can find them, then I'd buy keets as suggested above, because as you raise them up they have time to adjust to you and your routine, and learn that you are the food and treat god (or food and treat goddess). If you can buy from more than one local breeder (all the same age, or close to the same age) so that you start out with a mix of 2 unrelated bloodlines then you won't have to worry about needing to bring in any new blood for quite a while. Some breeders (like me) offer keets/adults from unrelated flocks, so check around, you might get lucky and find something local.

Check the craigslist listings in your area, and also there are a couple Guinea Fowl Breeders Lists online, so you may be able to locate keets/adults close to your area that way too. Also another place to check are bulletin boards at your local feed and farm stores, even Tractor Supply Company. You can also post ads saying "Keets Wanted".

You don't have to buy keets tho, you can successfully re-program adult Guineas to accept your coop/run as their new home (I've sold many adult flocks...and I've always given the new owners some pointers about acclimating them to their new home and how long to keep them penned up and the birds do absolutely fine and do not run or fly away. Sure, if you let new birds out right away or too soon in an area they are not familiar with (or they get spooked by something) you can bet the farm that they are going to disappear!

So if you buy adult Guineas you will need to keep them contained to their new coop/run for about 6 weeks so they learn where home, food and safety is, and they can also learn the sites and sounds of your land while being safely confined to a covered pen. You will also need to work on teaching them to go into the coop each night (to get a treat and roost) and lock them in so they are safe, making it their nightly routine. Guineas like routine, so if you help establish one for them, they won't establish their own, like roosting in the trees). And if you buy adults from 2 different places you will have to deal with integrating them, which takes a little extra work (housing them side by side separated by wire for several weeks before letting them all together).

Buying adult birds does take some work, but so does raising keets, and then you also have to train the keets to go in at night.
But whether you choose keets or adults, good luck, and welcome to the world of Guineas Hope you find something locally!

 

[FriendlyFlyer]

Thank you all, you are so helpful, especially you PeepsCA. I will try to check at the local feed store fopr adds or sign and also look at the swap meet. I always see hundreds of adult guineas so there are bound to be keets as well! Thank you again.