Coop in the backyard?

[Mr.Bacon]

Will 2 guinea fowls be okay in a closed coop as in no place for them to fly off temporarily? I'm moving to my house in a month and a half and I have just gotten a couple of guinea fowls. I was thinking of making a coop and putting a roof on it for now just as a temporarily thing until I move into my house and they will have space to roost on trees and have more backyard space.

 

[speckledhen]

Hello, Mr. Bacon. That's my husband's name, LOL. Wherever you put them, they must be kept in a coop or covered pen so they can't fly out and leave, for about 4 weeks or so. They tend to wander off trying to find their way back home in a new place till they are settled. I hope this helps. Wasn't sure if you were going to leave them unattended at the new place or what, from your post, though.


Welcome to BYC!

 

[Mr.Bacon]

Thanks for your reply. I won't leave them unattended as I will be home for a couple months waiting for school to start again. I had another question too, will they ever get accustomed to me as I will be getting them as adults? I will leave them in a coop until I move and then go on more advice from you guys here as to when i can let them roam at their new place.

 

[speckledhen]

Guineas are not usually really tame unless you have raised them from keets and handled them lots. They are truly nothing like chickens.

It will take them being cooped up for a bit. When you let them out to roam, you may want to let only one or two out at a time. They won't leave the others for long and then let the other two out the next day. Then they'll learn to hang around as a group, though guineas tend to roam a bit more than chickens do.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Did you raise you guineas from keets? or get them when they were already 4 months old.
I raised my guineas from babies. I tryed super hard to tame them as much as possible, but it didn't seem to work. Until they got older, then they started getting friendier. Now when I let them out in the morning they follow me around until I give in an feed them something. If I sit down in the yard they will come running over to me and jump into my lap. But by golly if you try to pet one they take off again! They will eat out of my hand as well. If you guineas are kind of stand offish then try offering them treats out of your hand and talk to them gently when you are with them.

 

[speckledhen]

Mine were very tame, had them from keets, but it did take lots of handling on a daily basis. Oh, this is my Mr. Bacon with them.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

My guineas will jump into my lap for treats, but they wouldn't ever let me pet them like that!

 

[Mr.Bacon]

I didn't mean that they will be attached to me like that

but if they would always come back and not fly away

cause I have close neighbors at the house im moving to, like i have one neighbor thats connected to my backyard but the next isn't for a quarter mile. so I only have a neighbor on one side.

 

[speckledhen]

I had mine for only about 17 weeks. They free ranged, but never really wandered very far. I live in the woods and they seem to like more open pasture type land. They'd do to the livestock fencing and down the driveway, but rarely flew over the 4 ft fence.

 

[bigdawg]

they go crazy for white millet seed. keep them penned up for at least a month, them let one out at a time in the afternoon and keep watch on it. then let them both out after a few days i the afternoon. they like tall grass and weeds to shade in when its hot.mine are two to three months old and are free range now , but it was tough teaching them to all go back in the coop at first, now all go in without no problem. you have to work with them at lot more than chickens.