broody chicken and guinea eggs?

[key west chick]

So Ive caught the guinea bug, but dont tell hubby.

If I got a few local guinea eggs this spring, and put them under a broody hen, would she hatch them and raise them like her chicks? Then I could keep a guinea hen or 2 and let them live with my chickens... How long would it be before I could sex the little guys?

 

[PeepsCA]

Using Broodies to hatch Guineas is very common, I've never done it, (yet) but a lot that do say that the keets are much calmer when raised by a Chicken Hen. (They grow up thinking they are chickens!).

You can usually sex keets at around 5-6 wks old, when the little Hens discover their voices and start making the 2-syllable buck-wheat call (only the Hens make this call). Some hold out on you tho, and they won't start buck-wheating until they are around 8 wks old

It helps if you separate a few at a time into a cage, out of site but within earshot of the others, and then stand back where they can't really see you... the little Hens usually buck-wheat to the others right away.