Considering getting Guinea keets--full of questions

[QChickieMama]

We have a zillion ticks and some copperheads, so I read an article that said guineas will help with both! Yay. Is this true?

What's a decent price for pearls? I found a guy who's hatching some soon. Selling them for $4 each. His keets that are 6-7 wks he's selling for $8. Does that seem high?

If I get older chicks, will they mark on my property just fine?

It's quite hot here. How long will they need supplemental heat? I mean, at what age can they live w/o a heat lamp?

I have bird-dogs, 2 English springer spaniels. They're trained to flush dove, quail, pheasant & retrieve. Is there any hope of teaching them to leave the guineas alone? If we DO train them to leave the guineas alone, could that affect their hunting skills later?

 

[chickenmadness7]

The prices for the guineas are good, especially for the older ones.

If you get the older chicks, you still need to confine them until 12 weeks of age so that they are fully developed before letting them out to free range. Same goes for the younger ones.

My guineas only used a heat lamp for the first week. Weeks 2 and 3 I used an oil filled radiator in the room. After that, no supplemental heat while in the house. I didn't move them outdoors until 5 weeks of age.

Your best bet at keeping your guineas safe from your hunting dogs is an electric fence. Zero chance of training your dog's IMO.

 

[QChickieMama]

Thanks. Super helpful info. I may have to reconsider getting them. Our dogs run free and always will. Bummer.

 

[laughingdog]

why are hunting dogs left to roam free? as can ruin training for "soft mouth", lets them kill everything they come across as apparently believed un trainable (which btw they can be to leave certain things, and familiar animals, and pets alone), and expose too copper heads biting out somewere.

 

[Sfraker]

My two labs are trained to hunt and retrieve ducks and pheasant. They are 5 and 4 years old. We started training them to retrieve at 6 months.

This spring we got ducklings and had them in the house until old enough to take the weather. I had no problem teaching my dogs to leave the ducklings alone.
I was even able to send one of my dogs after a loose duck I couldn't catch. She retrieved the duck and brought her back to me. No damage to the duck and the dog has continued to leave the ducks alone. No command from me, means no retrieval.

 

[Trefoil]

I believe that you could "train" the bird dogs to leave guineas alone. And having the bird dogs free range should give your free guineas a fighting chance against predators, which is usually the stopper to free ranging guineas. If you don't keep contained until at least 12 weeks old they will wander off .

 

[laughingdog]

@sfraker,
good dogs n good training. shows others dogs not just one trick show ponies.

 

[mommaguinea]

I have a bird dog (GSP) that would love to consume my guineas and chickens. In fact, she did when she got near an unsupervised tub of babies a few years ago. Although the chickend can not be reached, she would just circle and circle the coop and small run. I finally got her a shock collar, one with a warning tone. First I called her off, then she got a warning and if that did not work- a low level shock. After repetition, she stays away from the birds, even the keets that are in my garage- I say "no" and she stops her interest. It can work, but takes time and patience.
Good luck.

 

[GuineaFowling]

It is always possible to train hunting dogs to stay away from your flock. My father brought home a hunting greyhound when I was a kid. She was a rabbit hunter but when she seen my chickens she went after them. My father grabbed her from her collar and gave her a good slap and told her no. Now don't say thats cruel because most people use shock collars. Anyway she slept in the patio with one of the hens and never went after it. That greyhound learned after one slap. My father had a way with animals though. he trained my cat to 'shake paws' within an hour and the cat would only do it for him. All dogs are different so patience is essential. My father is no longer with us so we cant call him over to train the dogs to stop harassing the chickens anymore instead we spend weeks training them ourselves. He could have done it withing a day. Good luck.