Guinea keets acting restless.

[ChickenLadyZ]

Hey guys!
I've been noticing the past day or two that the guineas are looking through the hardware cloth on my coop and pushing against it like they want out. I've taken them out a couple times to let them eat grass and explore their little pen I made them. Is that a good thing? I've tried opening the door to their coop to let them come out as they please, but they won't go. I have to pick them up (which they hate) and put them in the grass. Once they're there they're so happy!! They pick through the grass and watch my hens. They try to push through the fence to go mingle with the girls, but they can't get through.

I sit in the pen with them to watch them. I have barn cats roaming, so I don't want them unsupervised until I know they can either fend for themselves or are big enough to not be a temptation for the cats. The cats have never tried messing with my big chickens.

I guess my question is, is it traumatic if I take them out of the coop? They seem alright if I'm working with their food or water, and they seem unbothered when I'm sitting in the pen. I don't expect them to come to me when I call, but I would like them to be comfortable around me so I can check on them. Am I over thinking this?

 

[3515chickens]

Looks like we are in the same boat. By your picture, our keets are about the same age. I took mine out into the yard, and they "charged" the fence in the way you described.

 

[R2elk]

Hey guys!
I've been noticing the past day or two that the guineas are looking through the hardware cloth on my coop and pushing against it like they want out. I've taken them out a couple times to let them eat grass and explore their little pen I made them. Is that a good thing? I've tried opening the door to their coop to let them come out as they please, but they won't go. I have to pick them up (which they hate) and put them in the grass. Once they're there they're so happy!! They pick through the grass and watch my hens. They try to push through the fence to go mingle with the girls, but they can't get through.
View attachment 4168298

I sit in the pen with them to watch them. I have barn cats roaming, so I don't want them unsupervised until I know they can either fend for themselves or are big enough to not be a temptation for the cats. The cats have never tried messing with my big chickens.

I guess my question is, is it traumatic if I take them out of the coop? They seem alright if I'm working with their food or water, and they seem unbothered when I'm sitting in the pen. I don't expect them to come to me when I call, but I would like them to be comfortable around me so I can check on them. Am I over thinking this?

They are really young and inexperienced. Rather than pick them up, get a long stick and start teaching them to be herded.

If you have the time to sit and watch, open the door and let them come out on their own. It will take awhile but they will come out on their own and return on their own. Each time they will come out farther.

You can train them to come to you using treats.

 

[Sydney65]

Different perspective: I always pick up the keets, I cuddle the keets, and I snuggle up on the sofa with them inside of whatever I create as poop catching nest out of (quilted crockpot covers are great, a towel will do.)
Yep, they'll always hate the initial fingers reaching for them. But they get used to it, so while a full grown jumbo male may be thinking something along the lines of,"ah, crap, here we go again," I'm able to do what I need to do w/o injurying the bird or getting flogged.

That said, I take keets outside with me and sit on a blanket. At first, they stay w/me on the blanket, then start to wander & explore. But when they get scared, they run back to the security of the blanket. Last year, I started walking around our property w/a line of keets trotting along behind me, and we'd take our walk every day.
Why do I do this? Because it's fun! But this is a pretty laid back flock, so I like to think they learned something.

We put up a 12x20 moveable day pen for the hens last week for
mating season. I want to give them time to safely "free range" w/o wandering off to nest.
Since this is new, they haven't learned to reliably walk from the run to the pen (from the pen to the run they do w/o issue). So, I carry the hens one by one from the run to the pen. With 12 hens, imagine what that would be like if they weren't used to me handling them. They're so used to it that 2 of them saw me coming this a.m. & flew to me.

 

[ChickenLadyZ]

They are really young and inexperienced. Rather than pick them up, get a long stick and start teaching them to be herded.

If you have the time to sit and watch, open the door and let them come out on their own. It will take awhile but they will come out on their own and return on their own. Each time they will come out farther.

You can train them to come to you using treats.

They're 2 weeks old today.

I'll give it a try! Thank you!

 

[ChickenLadyZ]

Different perspective: I always pick up the keets, I cuddle the keets, and I snuggle up on the sofa with them inside of whatever I create as poop catching nest out of (quilted crockpot covers are great, a towel will do.)
Yep, they'll always hate the initial fingers reaching for them. But they get used to it, so while a full grown jumbo male may be thinking something along the lines of,"ah, crap, here we go again," I'm able to do what I need to do w/o injurying the bird or getting flogged.

That said, I take keets outside with me and sit on a blanket. At first, they stay w/me on the blanket, then start to wander & explore. But when they get scared, they run back to the security of the blanket. Last year, I started walking around our property w/a line of keets trotting along behind me, and we'd take our walk every day.
Why do I do this? Because it's fun! But this is a pretty laid back flock, so I like to think they learned something.

We put up a 12x20 moveable day pen for the hens last week for
mating season. I want to give them time to safely "free range" w/o wandering off to nest.
Since this is new, they haven't learned to reliably walk from the run to the pen (from the pen to the run they do w/o issue). So, I carry the hens one by one from the run to the pen. With 12 hens, imagine what that would be like if they weren't used to me handling them. They're so used to it that 2 of them saw me coming this a.m. & flew to me.

Oh wow! I didn't know they could get so comfortable around people! I had read if you handle them a lot as keets they will get used to you, but everywhere I looked it was the same. They can be used to your presence, but not like chickens can be.
Mine are only 2 weeks old. Is it too late to try and sit with them?

 

[Sydney65]

Oh wow! I didn't know they could get so comfortable around people! I had read if you handle them a lot as keets they will get used to you, but everywhere I looked it was the same. They can be used to your presence, but not like chickens can be.
Mine are only 2 weeks old. Is it too late to try and sit with them?

*in my experience,* no. I once had a shipment coming, but ended up having hand surgery a few days before, so for a few weeks, I had little contact w/them.
They'll never be as docile as chickens, but they can learn from you. Mine know when "Mom" starts singing BackStreet Boys ("Everybody move your body") it's time to go from the run to the coop, and when she gives the 3 whistle keet alert call, they've gone to far & need to turn around. If I shake the treat can, free time is over and it's time to go in.
Understand, I'm retired & spend a lot of time with them. I've never been in therapy, & they're spoiled rotten, so I don't know if they're really cheaper, but I enjoy them immensely.