Guinea keets!

[ChickenLadyZ]

Thought I would share some pictures of my guinea keets. I'm so excited about them!!

Yes they are outside, but I live in an area where it's about 90°F in the shade. In my research I had read if you can get them into their coop sooner, then it'll help imprint on them that this is home. I kept then indoors until they turned one week to make sure they would make it. They have a heat plate in the corner they can go under at night to stay warm.

My chickens keep hanging around the coop wondering what they are.
I do have one question. Is there a way to get them to sorta like me? I know they probably won't like me, but to not have them run off when I feed them would be nice. Having them come when I call would be cooler, but that might be too much to ask

 

[R2elk]

Thought I would share some pictures of my guinea keets. I'm so excited about them!!
View attachment 4166354


Yes they are outside, but I live in an area where it's about 90°F in the shade. In my research I had read if you can get them into their coop sooner, then it'll help imprint on them that this is home. I kept then indoors until they turned one week to make sure they would make it. They have a heat plate in the corner they can go under at night to stay warm.

View attachment 4166355My chickens keep hanging around the coop wondering what they are.
I do have one question. Is there a way to get them to sorta like me? I know they probably won't like me, but to not have them run off when I feed them would be nice. Having them come when I call would be cooler, but that might be too much to ask

Make sure you are providing them with appropriately sized grit since you have them on wood shavings.

 

[ChickenLadyZ]

Oh yes! They have a little container in their brooder they have full access to.

 

[Guinea Math]

Is there a way to get them to sorta like me? I know they probably won't like me, but to not have them run off when I feed them would be nice. Having them come when I call would be cooler, but that might be too much to ask

Feed them treats often and use the same word when you do - they will quickly learn you bring treats and will come running when they see you or hear you say the “treat word”. Guineas are HIGHLY food motivated.

I also name my guinea flocks separately and call them by their group name when talking to them all the time. They are very quick to learn!

I have a flock of 13 keets right now about 9 weeks old that are The Bakers Dozen; they know their name “Bakers” and get sooooo excited when I call to them and they come running.

I feed them Black Soldier Flies, White Millet and scrambled eggs as super high pay value treats. They also love the “weed” Wood Sorrel, pick some from your yard and hold it for them or weight the stems down with a rock so they have tension to pull pieces off- they especially love the flower buds.

But they love food period and are happy for anything I give them, they follow me around CONSTANTLY looking for handouts. I oblige and give them bits of food all the time. The more they hang around me and learn to trust me the better it is.
They are growing up with my flock of chickens so get to be out free ranging with them and their chicken momma hens, even though the mommas graduated them, guineas never forget their mommas/family members. Free ranging suits their high energy level, they go crazy if penned up too long. They need to wander, run and fly around, but they don’t stray far from “home base” and food. lol

Guineas don’t like to be held, ever, so the less you try to reach out and grab them the more comfortable and trusting they will be to come close and even learn to eat from your hand.

 

[ChickenLadyZ]

Feed them treats often and use the same word when you do - they will quickly learn you bring treats and will come running when they see you or hear you say the “treat word”. Guineas are HIGHLY food motivated.

I also name my guinea flocks separately and call them by their group name when talking to them all the time. They are very quick to learn!

I have a flock of 13 keets right now about 9 weeks old that are The Bakers Dozen; they know their name “Bakers” and get sooooo excited when I call to them and they come running.

I feed them Black Soldier Flies, White Millet and scrambled eggs as super high pay value treats. They also love the “weed” Wood Sorrel, pick some from your yard and hold it for them or weight the stems down with a rock so they have tension to pull pieces off- they especially love the flower buds.

But they love food period and are happy for anything I give them, they follow me around CONSTANTLY looking for handouts. I oblige and give them bits of food all the time. The more they hang around me and learn to trust me the better it is.
They are growing up with my flock of chickens so get to be out free ranging with them and their chicken momma hens, even though the mommas graduated them, guineas never forget their mommas/family members. Free ranging suits their high energy level, they go crazy if penned up too long. They need to wander, run and fly around, but they don’t stray far from “home base” and food. lol

Guineas don’t like to be held, ever, so the less you try to reach out and grab them the more comfortable and trusting they will be to come close and even learn to eat from your hand.

That's great to know! Thank you for sharing!

I've been feeding them mealworms so far. They seem to like it! I'll look at getting them something else to see if they like it more.

So I tried to get a hen to raise the keets, but I don't think I did something right. I separated the keets from the hens expecting to raise them myself, but anytime a hen is close to their coop the keets look interested in them. You mentioned your keets are with your hens..it makes me wonder should mine be following the hens? They're only 2.5 weeks old. I have a little pen connected to their coop so they can get some fresh grass. I haven't let them out with the big girls because I wasn't sure if they would go back to their coop again and they can fit through the electric fence.

 

[Guinea Math]

That's great to know! Thank you for sharing!

I've been feeding them mealworms so far. They seem to like it! I'll look at getting them something else to see if they like it more.

So I tried to get a hen to raise the keets, but I don't think I did something right. I separated the keets from the hens expecting to raise them myself, but anytime a hen is close to their coop the keets look interested in them. You mentioned your keets are with your hens..it makes me wonder should mine be following the hens? They're only 2.5 weeks old. I have a little pen connected to their coop so they can get some fresh grass. I haven't let them out with the big girls because I wasn't sure if they would go back to their coop again and they can fit through the electric fence.

Did a broody hen hatch the keets? If so, you could’ve left them with her to raise, chicken hens don’t care they are keets and not chicks. Keets will bond from hatch to about 3 days old, and then they will be glued to their momma.

But even without a specific momma in the flock keets love to be around the center of activity and other birds, the bigger the flock the better. They are curious, get into everything, very active, always moving and are pretty bold and fearless. So I have found I can mix them with the adults much sooner than chicks. I’d probably wait till they are 4 weeks old or so before I let them out with the adults so they have a little more size and then make sure to monitor that the adults aren’t too mean. Usually chickens don’t know what to make of the crazy guineas zipping around and under them. Lol

Start slow and let them out close to bedtime, they won’t go far. They might “accidentally” get themselves stuck somewhere while investigating lol so stay nearby for rescues so they don’t panic that they got separated, but as long as they know where ‘home’ is and the food stash they will stay close, slowly going further out as they get more confident.

And if you start now teaching them a treat word while feeding them mealworms, you’ll have a way to call them back to you when they are outside of their pen. But ALWAYS have treats when you use the treat word. And if you use the same container for the treats, they’ll learn what it looks like and come running as soon as they see it, treat word or not. Lol.

If you get them with the chickens while young, they’ll learn to stay close to the coop, and follow what the chickens do. Once they learn the routine and get to know everyone you may find that they choose to follow the chickens to bed rather than go home alone to their own coop. And they will find the highest roosting bar and claim the prime spot as their own.

 

[R2elk]

Did a broody hen hatch the keets? If so, you could’ve left them with her to raise, chicken hens don’t care they are keets and not chicks. Keets will bond from hatch to about 3 days old, and then they will be glued to their momma.

But even without a specific momma in the flock keets love to be around the center of activity and other birds, the bigger the flock the better. They are curious, get into everything, very active, always moving and are pretty bold and fearless. So I have found I can mix them with the adults much sooner than chicks. I’d probably wait till they are 4 weeks old or so before I let them out with the adults so they have a little more size and then make sure to monitor that the adults aren’t too mean. Usually chickens don’t know what to make of the crazy guineas zipping around and under them. Lol

Start slow and let them out close to bedtime, they won’t go far. They might “accidentally” get themselves stuck somewhere while investigating lol so stay nearby for rescues so they don’t panic that they got separated, but as long as they know where ‘home’ is and the food stash they will stay close, slowly going further out as they get more confident.

And if you start now teaching them a treat word while feeding them mealworms, you’ll have a way to call them back to you when they are outside of their pen. But ALWAYS have treats when you use the treat word. And if you use the same container for the treats, they’ll learn what it looks like and come running as soon as they see it, treat word or not. Lol.

If you get them with the chickens while young, they’ll learn to stay close to the coop, and follow what the chickens do. Once they learn the routine and get to know everyone you may find that they choose to follow the chickens to bed rather than go home alone to their own coop. And they will find the highest roosting bar and claim the prime spot as their own.

I have hatched keets with chicken hens but once they are hatched I move them to a brooder. The imprinting that happens from letting the chicken hens raise them is what causes the problems once the guineas are adults.

As adults the chicken imprinted guineas cannot understand that chickens are not guineas.

Guineas have entirely different instincts than any other poultry. Chickens do not understand the races and chases and the attacks from behind with the feather pulling and feather breaking.

Chickens also do not understand how to submit in a manner that guineas understand which keeps the attacks going.

My guineas that were not chicken imprinted left my chickens alone and did not attack them.

 

[ChickenLadyZ]

Did a broody hen hatch the keets? If so, you could’ve left them with her to raise, chicken hens don’t care they are keets and not chicks. Keets will bond from hatch to about 3 days old, and then they will be glued to their momma.

But even without a specific momma in the flock keets love to be around the center of activity and other birds, the bigger the flock the better. They are curious, get into everything, very active, always moving and are pretty bold and fearless. So I have found I can mix them with the adults much sooner than chicks. I’d probably wait till they are 4 weeks old or so before I let them out with the adults so they have a little more size and then make sure to monitor that the adults aren’t too mean. Usually chickens don’t know what to make of the crazy guineas zipping around and under them. Lol

Start slow and let them out close to bedtime, they won’t go far. They might “accidentally” get themselves stuck somewhere while investigating lol so stay nearby for rescues so they don’t panic that they got separated, but as long as they know where ‘home’ is and the food stash they will stay close, slowly going further out as they get more confident.

And if you start now teaching them a treat word while feeding them mealworms, you’ll have a way to call them back to you when they are outside of their pen. But ALWAYS have treats when you use the treat word. And if you use the same container for the treats, they’ll learn what it looks like and come running as soon as they see it, treat word or not. Lol.

If you get them with the chickens while young, they’ll learn to stay close to the coop, and follow what the chickens do. Once they learn the routine and get to know everyone you may find that they choose to follow the chickens to bed rather than go home alone to their own coop. And they will find the highest roosting bar and claim the prime spot as their own.

No, I bought them already hatched. I got them from Tractor Supply(I know...maybe not the best place). I honestly wasn't sure where you bought keets, so it was a start! The guy at Tractor Supply was saying raising keets with chickens helps give them more chicken tendencies. The babies were already 2-3 days old by the time I got them and then I kept them indoors the first 48 hours incase any didn't make it.

Good to know a bigger flock is better! I have 18 hens and 3 ducks right now(all girls), but I want to grow my flock a little more next year. I'll probably add to my guinea collection too.

Thank you so much for sharing! When I got the keets, I was told and had read they're a lot like raising chickens so I wasn't worried. The longer I hang with them the more I realize they are different. Some things are the same, but there are things that make raising them different. It's still super fun!

 

[R2elk]

No, I bought them already hatched. I got them from Tractor Supply(I know...maybe not the best place). I honestly wasn't sure where you bought keets, so it was a start! The guy at Tractor Supply was saying raising keets with chickens helps give them more chicken tendencies. The babies were already 2-3 days old by the time I got them and then I kept them indoors the first 48 hours incase any didn't make it.

Good to know a bigger flock is better! I have 18 hens and 3 ducks right now(all girls), but I want to grow my flock a little more next year. I'll probably add to my guinea collection too.

Thank you so much for sharing! When I got the keets, I was told and had read they're a lot like raising chickens so I wasn't worried. The longer I hang with them the more I realize they are different. Some things are the same, but there are things that make raising them different. It's still super fun!

Never believe the people at TSC.

Many people learn the hard way because there is so much bad information about guineas on the Internet.

Everything can make them seem fine when raised with chicks right up until their instincts kick in. It usually happens at their first breeding season. There are many threads in this forum of people asking why their guineas are suddenly attacking their chickens after being raised with the chickens.

 

[ChickenLadyZ]

Never believe the people at TSC.

Many people learn the hard way because there is so much bad information about guineas on the Internet.

Everything can make them seem fine when raised with chicks right up until their instincts kick in. It usually happens at their first breeding season. There are many threads in this forum of people asking why their guineas are suddenly attacking their chickens after being raised with the chickens.

Oh! Good to know!

I plan to have the guineas roaming my property outside of the chicken pen once they're bigger. I want them eating up any ticks they can find. The brooder they're in is actually a mobile chicken coop I no longer use, so it'll get parked somewhere so they have their coop, food and water. We have hawks in the area, so I want the big chickens to help protect the little ones until they're bigger.