Got 25 keets, now what?

[Katy]

Mine are free-range and roost in the trees at night. In the winter they roost in the cedar trees and in the elms in the summer. They only come up to eat when there is snow on the ground. They eat all the ticks and also the grasshoppers. I can't imagine keeping them penned altho I know some people do.

 

[iajewel]

I have 30 acres, so allowing them to run is not an issue, however.. how do you keep them in "range" and not completely taking off? I feed in the morning and night so all my birds, ( chickens) come in, however would this work for guinea? I really want them to stay with in 5 acres of the house.. Is this unreasonable?

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
They calm down a little when they get older. But Yep thats Guineas. Not quite domesticated in the way Chickens are. They can fly by the time they are two weeks old. But they are pretty much defenseless till they are about twelve weeks old. I found with mine that putting in a mirror makes them calm down considerably. Even now my eleven ten week olds who are almost the size of full grown guineas crowd back into their brooder cage so they can touch bases with their Mirror.... LOL. I havent had the heart to take the thing out of the coop.

Dont expect the same interactions from them though the occasional one or two will become friendlier and handleable. I have 11 ten week olds and 30 more keets in a brooder at my moms house. (long story....) the thirty at moms are at about four weeks now and pretty darn good fliers. I cant put them in the coop at the house yet because the coop isnt ready for this next batch yet.

I plan on Cooping them and keeping them in a run till at least February or longer. Too many predators in my area. Plus I want to split the flock so that I can alternate them free ranging. Thus keeping losses lower and encouraging them to come home when its bed time. I also am toying with the idea of breeding for eggs and Keets. but that is waaayyy down the road.

I found with my last little flock they handled the cold pretty well. Even though I am in the desert we get snow in the winter. As long as they can get in and dry and warm themselves. My coop has two solid walls two cage walls and a roof. IN the winter I put up tarps along the open walls to keep the wind down but outside of being reasonably dry inside its just as cold inside the coop as it is outside.

 

[BubbaMcKayHee]

I'm pretty new with raising Guineas too, but I am enjoying it so much. Mine were also pretty crazy at first. I tried to hold each one every day but they just didn't seem to like it very much. I had read that Guineas love white millet. Mine at first didn't care for it, but now at about 6 weeks they love it. I give it to them as a treat in the evenings and they will hop up on my lap to eat out of my hands. They also love, love, love the mealworm treats for chickens. You can hand feed them those very easily. Just keep working with them and try some treats. I'm sure they will start to get more used to you.
Hope my advice helps!
P.S. The mirror suggestion is a good one too!

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:

I am totally addicted to BYC. You should see my eleven big keets all jammed in their little 2 x 4 cage and peering into their photograph sized mirror.... and the whole cage sitting in a 12 x 6 Dog kennel coop.

I forgot about the meal worms..... good idea.

 

[iajewel]

Sounds like IM going to have to buy a mirror. Great suggestions Thank you

 

[Katy]

Quote:
I live on a large farm so them taking off isn't an issue since they've all been hatched and raised here. Yes, the 5 acres is unreasonable......The furthest I've seen mine from the house is almost 1/2 mile away....They generally stay within 1/4 of a mile or so tho.

 

[iajewel]

WOW, a 1/2 mile.. I live on the edge of a tiny town, 36 people, however if they go west, they will hit town, if they go east, or north, they are ok, South, and they are at the other neighbors, not close, but with in a 1/2 mile. I sure hope they like staying in the pasture and not visiting the town. I better warn the neighbors LOL...

 

[SassyKat6181]

I raised my keets in their coop until they were 14 weeks old. At that point, I started letting them explore the barn for a few hours at night. Next, I would pull their food midday and let them out about an hour before dark. I had to round them up to get them in, but yelling "dinner" helped. Each night for about a week, I extended the time. It has been 2 weeks since I started this routine. Now, I let them out about 9 am and they coop themselves around 5. Well before it gets dark. We have 7 acres here and they have explored a lot of it. Sometimes they get close to the road (one whole side of our property). I ordered "Guineas Crossing" signs but they haven't come yet. Haven't had them venture far enough to not see or hear them.

 

[sred98]

OH! One big thing you should do...when you give the guineas a special treat, associate it with a specific call. Mine is a really high-pitched "Guineas! Guineas! Guineas!" or "Goonie bird! Goonie bird! Goonie bird!" Mine, no matter where they are, will come running whenever they hear that. You'll need a special call for them once they start wandering.

Shelly