First farming experience

[tandyl]

Hello, my name is Tandy and I'm from Kansas. We have had guinea for 2 weeks now. This is my first experience with anything farm related so I wanted to have experts on hand for any questions that arise. We ordered a straight run of 30 keets from mcmurrays. We received 31 but 1 was half the size of the others and didn't make it through the first day. 2 others died within the first couple of days of unknown cause. As they got closer to 10 days, 3 were found dead. I'm thinking they may have piled each other. So we took them out of the brooder tub and let them run in the coop. The first day, they rarely ate or drank and huddled together a lot. We brought the brooder tub back in and set it on its side, placed the heat lamp, food, water, and hay in it. After that they did great. Our coop has not been used since my husband was in kindergarten (20+ years ago) so we had to do a few repairs on it. Apparently we missed a spot where they could push the tin away from the post. 4 got out the other day. I found 2 bodies in the neighbors field and one running faster than I could catch. So we're down to 21 now. This morning when I went out, I heard one chi chi-ing in the field (neighbors a few weeks late on haying). Our old dog started to get excited but I sent him up front and called "here guinea guinea" a few times and it came to me! I'm not sure what colors we have but I think there are 5 varieties. Anyway, thanks for letting me learn from y'all.

 

[Whittni]

Sorry for your bad experience. Hopefully BYC can change that, welcome!

 

[tandyl]

Thank you. I knew we'd lose a few, As we learn but I wasn't expecting so many. I was excited when the one came to me this morning when called. One other normally does and once when I was away for the day and fed them later, they all ran as I called them to eat.

 

[apprentice]

Tandy yours are more people friendly than mine. My first guineas are about 2 weeks old, I still keep them in the barn because the coop needs a few more things to make them play well with the hens. Anyways I went out to feed and check water today and one was loose. After 15 minutes of me laughing at my own uncoordination and/or guinea quickness I got it back in the box. When I was cutting chicken wire to cover them another plopped down outside the box right next to me. Another 15 minutes of me wishing I knew how the he** to catch those quick little jumpers. Anyways good luck from a fellow kansan, I'm sure things will work just fine when they get settled

 

[tandyl]

I'm hoping mine stay decent around people. My 5 boys frequently pet them and attempt to feed them. The first one that got loose, I chased for at least 15 minutes before it disappeared into the neighbors overgrown field. I'm pretty certain I heard it yesterday morning in the corn field.

 

[aikid0]

Good luck to you.
I have always gotten adult birds and they are usually afraid of us. They love to get out in the day and run and go in at night to roost. We love our birds

 

[TheStewarts]

I start a call for our birds from early on. Whenever I feed them or give water or just visit I make my call. "Here chick chick chick" for the hens, "guinea guinea guineas!" For the guineas... the turkeys follow that too because they were raised with the guineas. They know that sound means food so if they are hiding in the corn next door or too deep in the woods for my comfort I let out the call and them come flying and chi-chi-ing. I kept ours enclosed for 2, maybe 3 weeks before we let them free range. They are really fun birds! I might like them the most!

 

[tandyl]

I've been calling them since I got them at 2 days. They're not trained yet but we're working on it.

 

[aikid0]

I found leaving my guineas in the pen for a few weeks and feeding them there they know once I let them out to come home home when I calll. Good luck

 

[plunk72]

I only turn half out at a time to make sure they come back when they are little.