Even Keets are flighty, at least there kinda cute for now, Anyone tame a guinea?

[Joe.G]

I have some Royal Purple Keets I hatched out here, they are cute at the moment but are coloring in fast, I took them out today and put them on the lawn and they are such a nervous bird compared to chicks the same age. Has anyone ever tamed a Guinea?

 

[Sandshaven]

Yes... I have 28 tame guineas at the moment. And I am training 5 keets at the moment.

What exactly are you wanting your guineas to be able to do?

 

[Joe.G]

Nothing really there just always so much more flighty and nervous then my Chickens, This batch is better then the last these will at least get within 5 or 10 ft of you.

 

[Sandshaven]

Hmmm... That's a shame. Mine will come running to me.

 

[figment]

I would like to know how to get my guineas to settle down. I have a male and female with a new batch of babies that I just took from them today. The mother was vicious as I tried to catch her babies. After much running and chasing and being pecked and flown at I finally got the 7 babies from her. Now I really don't know what to do with them, I have brought them in the house and put them in a closet since that is the only place I have without air conditioning. The last batch of babies she had 2 months ago all died two days after being hatched because I didn't know I was supposed to take them from her and she didn't protect them from the elements. So how do I take care of these babies and how do I get them to be social like my chicken. My chicken comes to her name and will eat out of my hand, she will also sit on my lap and let me pet her or sit on my shoulder as I walk around the yard.

 

[Trishs chicks]

Hi! Guineas are a wild bird, unlike chickens that have been domesticated. Guineas will always be hard to handle and will be difficult to catch as you have experienced. One suggestion is get some white millet seed and start feeding your guinea some of it (as a treat) and a couple times a day, try to get him or her to take from your hand-may or may not happen. Usually if you start doing this with guinea babies, say 3-4 months old or before they are released to free-range you will have more success. I have about (20) 4 week old keets and they just love spinach which I feed some from my hand. They do grab the pieces from my hand then run away with it. Takes some work and consistent attempts on your part but if you are successful, you will be happier with some slightly tamer guinea friends. Good luck!

 

[Sandshaven]

I am working on my 3rd year of training guineas as therapy birds. I have been finding once I had the first flock all the others have followed with not as much effort on my part. I am really excited about the keets I am working with this season. They were all hatched by the hens and have been the easiest to tame so far. For all the time I have spent this year they are months advanced. I truthfully feel that the keets can sense the fear from the older birds. With my birds none are fearful of me... I am just the strange flock member that is featherless...

Here is a video of me raiding their nest... They are not happy


But they are not any worse to me than the other guineas in the flock when they invade the nest.

 

[Joe.G]

You move yours to a Pen to sit on eggs? DO You collect the eggs then put the birds in there?

I love Pied Guineas wish I could find some around here or at least eggs to put in my Incubator.

 

[Sandshaven]

You move yours to a Pen to sit on eggs? DO You collect the eggs then put the birds in there?

I love Pied Guineas wish I could find some around here or at least eggs to put in my Incubator.

No mine are trained to lay in that corner in the coop. I check their nest everyday for keets that have hatched. I also have taken all their eggs and put the closest to hatch in my incubators. Giving them back the others to sit on after my incubator is full. My birds are pretty used to me being in the middle of them..

We get a lot of pearl pied keets here. We are able to send eggs to other states.. But shipping is expensive.

 

[Joe.G]

Can you send some Picks of what they look like older? I Like Darker colored Pieds.