First Guineas!!!

[PeepsCA]

That's going to be a gorgeous flock, Congrats! They are growing fast, seems like you just got them a few days back!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Gorgeous keets!
I love different colors but have mine penned as to which color they should be with to keep some pure but I hope to make a pen of assorted next year. I would add to get a lot of pieds or pintos in with lavs, blues, chocolates since it is already so pretty on the pearls.

 

[wolfpak]

Thanks WKAmy & PeepsCA!
All very fascinating with these little whizzers... As of today, they can fly! Have some 2x4in fencing over the top of the lg stock tank they're in. The tank is at least 2 ft tall sides, & when I took the top off to feed/water/clean today, the little whizzes just flew up to the top & hopped onto the windo edge to look outside.... they were EVERYWHERE, Lol. Have them in an enclosed 4 season porch on the north side of the house, with heatlamp suspended over one end of their tank. Its a 14x14 ft room, or so. At least they couldn't take off running for the hinterlands! Think they might have tried, given the opportunity.

The little cuties were mostly in a flock, peering out at me from under the shelf, while a number of the others happily perched on the low metal shelf in the pics above, contentedly watching the fray & alternatively gazing out the window. Caught 'em, cleaned their toes off again, & put them back in the COVERED tank! Need to find a nice mirror for them to admire their cute little selves in...

Per the info from Strombergs, they hatched out at about 10am 7/17... they certainly seemed far more developed & competent than chicks, initially. I'm really happy about what I received -- its particularly interesting to see them start to feather. Currently using some stockpiled puppy pads in the tank. Would be nice to put them on something less messy, as even in 1 day's time, its stinky & nasty. Just can't stand letting any of the critters be in filthy conditions! Even the cattle have a straw bedded barn FAR cleaner than most, from what I've seen, and acres of nice grassy pasture. Have newspaper layers under the puppy pads. Seems to help in cleaning it out, it rolls up well with the newspaper under, & I don't HAVE to take keets out while changing the 4 puppy pads.

Looks like both of you have some really nice outside runs! Do you have a double door system to keep them in? As fast as they move, seems they'd bolt for the door & head for the hills - yikes!

 

[Nike]

I love looking at your pictures!! Those keets are just as adorable as chicks! Someday i want to get some too.

And PeespCA you have so much info!! Lol and your my Page is really awesome too, plenty of baby keets to look at!!! =P

 

[wolfpak]

Thanks Nike! Yes PeepsCA has been a great help & source of excellent info!

Currently we have the Guinea Keets, who will be 3 wks on Tue, in a larger stock tank lined with newspaper that's covered with puppy pads. The quart jar waterer works well, seems to hold enough for the 15, but I change it about 4x a day, & wash it out each time. It seems to get slimey otherwise. I've also closed the tray feeder - they seem to eat fine out of it either way:



Today I cleaned out an older dog crate that I'd covered in plastic hardware cloth, Set it on top of the large dog crate next to the Guinea Tank... lined with an old plastic tablecloth, topped with newspaper. This allows them to look outside, which they seem to truly enjoy. Was amusing to watch the keets when they spied a nuthatch just outside the window. They were all instantly focused on this other bird!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Looks like both of you have some really nice outside runs! Do you have a double door system to keep them in? As fast as they move, seems they'd bolt for the door & head for the hills - yikes!

If my keets get out of a brooder inside the brooder room then they are good until I can catch the wild heathens. They are much more slippery than chicks or turkeys! I use a child's butterfly net that i got at the dollar store. Super handy!

If they get out of the wire bottom brooder once out to the grow up pen then I just give them an hour or two to chill out and they will come back to where they hear their sisters and brothers peeping. MOF, a lot of folks just turn a few out at a time when they get a bit older so they will always come back to the flock. However, mine seem to do fine on coming back to the coop by themselves as I have ducklings, chicks and some grown birds in the grow up pen and if the keets fly out they run the fence til I notice and go find a handy dandy keet catching net.

 

[muddychicken2]

Good luck

 

[PeepsCA]

I don't have a double door system on any of my coops or grow out pens either, most of my adults are pretty respectful of the doors/gates and keep their distance when I go in or out (and they know the routine, it's only time to come out when I call them out), but occasionally I do get some young escapees from the brooder room/grow out pens. Most don't go very far tho because since Guineas hate change (and it's usually just one loose keet by itself) they will stop and gawk at (and have a panic attack about) anything and everything new so they are usually pretty easy to quickly grab/catch when they are distracted (but I've had lotsa practice, lol)... and as a last resort I have a butterfly net from the dollar store too that I use for catching keets, lol.