Guinea Questions

[yoker]

How much space do guineas need?
Can they free range?
Are they good layers?
Do they hatch there own keets?
Thanks

 

[kcardella]

Guineas need quite a bit of space and an area to fly if penned all the time.

I free-range mine all day from the time they are about 3 months old, but pen them up with the chickens at night. If free-ranged, they really don't need much space, just a place to roost.

They lay quite a few eggs during the summer through August/September, but are VERY adept at hiding their nests. If you do find their nest, and they catch you or you take all of the eggs, they will start laying somewhere else, and the search begins again. Some people have encouraged them to lay in the coop, but I have not been able to convince them. The eggs are good eating though!

I have never had them successfully hatch their own keets. I hatched some under a broody hen once, and once in an incubator. They are very susceptible to predators while sitting on an unprotected nest (this is the only time I have lost them), and many keets do not survive long-term if left with mom.

 

[yoker]

Thanks
So I could have some and let them free range all day and have a building with roosts in it for at night? would I give them 1 foot of roosting space each?

 

[Aj1911]

Quote:
yea a foot each if fine.

 

[kcardella]

Yes, that would be fine. They just need a secure spot to roost at night.

 

[bUg_Farm]

Agreed with all of the above.

After training my keets ...they are set to free-range with the older guineas. They know where home is but they range, come home, and roost in the pine tree (within the fenced in area). They have no interest in coming back to their original coop. Sometimes, in really bad weather, they hang out with the goats or chickens.

Good luck!

 

[barefootchef]

I know this goes against what others say and I am by far no expert, but my neighbor has a pair that run freely. The hen has laid and hatched successfully twice now. We run around catching the keets after they are hatched and they are kept in a brooder. This last batch that she hatched were a whopping 29 with a few eggs that didn't hatch. 19 have been caught. When we tried to catch the last of them...it wasn't pretty!!! Momma Guineas can be a real hell on wheels, especially when she has had some of her babies robbed.

 

[yoker]

How many males to females?
Can you eat Guineas?
What are lavenders like? any pics?

 

[kcardella]

Quote:
She must have hid her nest VERY well to have hatched out all those chicks! Kudos to her, but it's good that you are moving them to a brooder. I have to say that I have a very funny mental picture of you all chasing keets around

They are wicked fast!!!