Can I free range my keets?

[Nathaliexx]

2 did and I find a tuft of feathers by the coop.

Aww, so sorry to hear that..

 

[Nathaliexx]

My guineas are all roughly 9-10 weeks old (I actually forget.. whoops!) and they all get out to ‘free range’ for a few hours each day while I’m outside doing chores. They all hated me when they were little - even as 3 day olds, they’d scream and do whatever they could to get away. When I moved them out to their temporary coop, they started seeming feral and I doubted I would ever have ‘tame’ guineas. I kept them pretty strictly in their coop for about a week, but I would let 1-3 (I have 7, I had 8 for a while. One passed last night.) out for a few hours. They wouldn’t stray very far from the coop since they’re such social animals, but they got the lay of the land. In the meantime, whenever I would give them their FF (fermented food), I would do a special whistle. They all learned very quickly that that whistle equalled their breakfast/dinner, and they would yell and get so excited to eat.
The first time I let them out, they would not stop following me. At all. They were out for about an hour and then I did the whistle and put their dinner in their coop. They all tried very hard to figure out how to get back into the coop, but to no avail. I had to help herd them into their coop for the first week and a half. Now, though, the second they hear the whistle, they load themselves up into their coop with no problem. Whenever they’re out, they’re usually right behind me or one of my dogs. If they get distracted by something (usually dirt that seems PERFECT for a dirt bath or a bit of yummy looking grass), they’ll yell and run off to eat/get all dirty and they’ll entertain themselves for a while. If they realize that I’ve walked away, they stop what they’re doing and they scream their heads off until they hear me whistle. Then they run off to find me like a bunch of wild banshees. They’re really truly some of the sweetest, most loving creatures.
My favorite little one, Fiona, just passed. She used to ride on my shoulder/back/head while I did chores and tended to the other animals on the farm. She’d yell randomly just to make sure I knew she was there - my ears certainly didn’t appreciate it, but it was precious. Her sister has been distraught but she seems to be coming around.
Best of luck with your keets! Enjoy them!

They sound just like our guineas, hehe!
Sometimes i just can’t get it, people saying they are dumb creatures etc.
I think they’re very smart! Like, you can teach them to come to you or go in their coop..
So nice to read your story and yeah, enjoy those sweet little creatures

 

[JB8907]

Aww, so sorry to hear that..

It's part of it. I'm just mad it's one less layer for us.

 

[Nathaliexx]

It's part of it. I'm just mad it's one less layer for us.

Yeah..i see

 

[baby-blue]

They sound just like our guineas, hehe!
Sometimes i just can’t get it, people saying they are dumb creatures etc.
I think they’re very smart! Like, you can teach them to come to you or go in their coop..
So nice to read your story and yeah, enjoy those sweet little creatures

I do love them, but I don’t think they’re the brightest of creatures. They’re very instinctually intelligent, though! They saw a blanket earlier that had diamonds on it and made sure to warn everybody on the street about the ‘diamondback’.. they may not be the sharpest crayons in the shed, but it’s awfully funny to watch them and they’re just the sweetest!

 

[JB8907]

Here's my keets in the outdoor "self cleaning" brooder I have. They seem happy and it smells fine. The only time I notice and bad smell is when I turn it every couple days and I get down in the corners. Once I add more dirt and get some worms going in there I think I will be able to turn it less since I'll have more bio-activity going on in it. Worms working on the bottom chicks tilling on the top. Both working their way up to the top.