Brooding Guinea Keets

[johnsonhillfarm]

I have 6 guineas that will be a year old next month, 2 boys and 4 girls that have been confined to coop and large run. They are pretty happy. I lost 3 of them and so wanted to get the flock larger so they will have a better chance at survival roaming together. I have 14 babies coming next week. Last year I kept the brooder indoors and that was really hard. I was wanting to put their brooder in the coop since the coop stays 90-100 degrees right now in the Texas heat. I have a small fan that blows up high to keep circulation going, but I don't think it creates a draft that would harm them.

My question is, would this work to have them out there as soon as I receive them? Should I have the ecoglow going anyway? Since they will outgrow the totel brooder in about 3 weeks, would it be safe to let them join the adults at that time?

My hens are laying 4-5 eggs a day inside the coop and so I wonder if they would somehow think these were their babies?

 

[Yardmom]

Unless they are sitting already they will not think the babies are theirs. I will let someone more experienced with guineas comment for the details about raising them in the coop.

 

[R2elk]

I have 6 guineas that will be a year old next month, 2 boys and 4 girls that have been confined to coop and large run. They are pretty happy. I lost 3 of them and so wanted to get the flock larger so they will have a better chance at survival roaming together. I have 14 babies coming next week. Last year I kept the brooder indoors and that was really hard. I was wanting to put their brooder in the coop since the coop stays 90-100 degrees right now in the Texas heat. I have a small fan that blows up high to keep circulation going, but I don't think it creates a draft that would harm them.

My question is, would this work to have them out there as soon as I receive them? Should I have the ecoglow going anyway? Since they will outgrow the totel brooder in about 3 weeks, would it be safe to let them join the adults at that time?

My hens are laying 4-5 eggs a day inside the coop and so I wonder if they would somehow think these were their babies?

It's the nighttime temperatures that can be a concern. I always brood my keets in the coop and not in the house but I am set up to provide them with the brooder temperatures that they need.

At 3 weeks old even brooding them where the adults can see them, they will not be old enough to defend themselves. It might and I stress might be safer to try adding a low ranking female to the keets once they are older than to try adding the keets to the main group.

Whatever you try, watch them very carefully for signs of aggression at the time and be prepared to act quickly in their defense.

Before you do attempt to merge the two groups, make sure there are hiding places and secape routes for the little ones. Also make sure there is a feeder and watering station that they can use without being attacked.