Guinea Fowl questions

[Zehmazoo]

If you haven't already done so, read Raising Guinea Fowl 101 and pay particular attention to posts made by @PeepsCA

The guineas should not have needed heated through the winter. It can get down to -30°F here during the winter and I do not provide my guineas with any supplemental heat. My guineas have free access to the outdoors all winter and it is common to see them outside on frigid days. Mine do not like windy days but now that they have become accustomed to it they even run around in the snow on sunny days.

Do not give them too many mealworms or other treats as it can be harmful to their health. The rule of thumb is to limit all combined treats to a maximum of 10% of their total feed.

It must be coming up to springtime where you are since you males are exhibiting the signs of breeding season. There will be plenty of running and chasing too.

I never recommend that anyone keep fewer than ten guineas as they are a flock bird and they do best in large groups.

There have been a number of people over the years that have claimed various methods for sexing keets. None of the methods that I have checked have any merit. I was able to vent sex keets at about 4 to 6 weeks old but by six weeks you can start sexing the hens by their "buckwheat" calls anyway.

This was awesome!
Thank you for the reply I will read the suggested and I will be getting 6 more meets to make my flock 10 strong

 

[R2elk]

This?:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...beginners-guide-to-raising-guinea-fowl.74737/

I would not recommend that article because it recommends things that are not helpful. Using chickens to imprint guinea keets removes the guinea's ability to understand that chickens are not guineas. Everything seems to be going very well right up to the first breeding season. The chickens cannot understand guinea behaviors and the chasing and attacks from behind stress the chickens very badly. Guineas that are not imprinted by chickens and preferably not housed with chickens will leave the chickens alone and confine their guinea breeding behaviors to each other rather than by attacking the chickens.

The recommendation to have the guineas roost in the trees is a guaranteed method to lose them to predators.

 

[aart]

I would not recommend that article because it recommends things that are not helpful.

Well, then, which one?

 

[R2elk]

Well, then, which one?

I point people to the Raising Guinea Fowl 101 thread and recommend that they pay particular attention to posts made by @PeepsCA because she is the guinea fowl expert. Unfortunately she has not been on BYC in many years.