guinea treats

[Finn's Mom]

I spent $8 on a big bag of millet for my (6 week old) keets yesterday and was very excited to give them a treat. (My thinking: get them in the habit of thinking home is so much more tasty/exciting than the outside world so they want to come home at night)
I put it in their pen and they stared at one of the stalks for awhile and then roosted (and subsequently pooped) on it. Am I supposed to take it off the stick or will they figure it out?

 

[robin416]

They are a little young yet. If they had adults to show them they will start on it at a much younger age. Give them time, in a few months they will be thoroughly addicted.

Instead of spending so much on the stalks look in the bird see aisle. Very often most places that sell bird seed have bags that list millet as the main seed in the bag. It'll last longer and be a heck of lot cheaper.

 

[artsyrobin]

try some chicken scratch, or black sunflower seed, mine come in periodically during the day for it, and are this side of petable- i can get within touch range, but they won't let me touch!LOL! oh, and mine love cooked spaghetti, they went nuts over it

 

[linbee]

My local pet store or feed store didn't have any white millet. I ordered it on the internet, and the keets loved it. I try and give it to them sparingly, but my keets like grass better than anything I have tossed into their cage. Cracked corn was a hit, but grass is their favorite. They are very funny to watch eating grass, too. One of them gets one end and runs while another tries to catch it - they are funny little birds.

 

[damselfish]

Basic birdseed in 25-lb bags from the feed store is about $7 per bag here. White and red millet plus black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS).

Yours will grow into loving the millet, and once they are grown they will discover that the BOSS is an even better delicacy.

I am going to try to grow some millet and see if they will learn to tear it off the stalks. I think they will, they strip grass seed heads all the time. I agree with the prior poster, yours are probably just a bit young yet.

 

[robin416]

Quote:
I've thought of doing the same thing. But have decided to leave things as they are. Nothing will pull stragglers in to the coop quicker than the sounds of delight coming from those eating millet out of their treat dishes. If they can free range it out in the field why would they bother?

 

[Finn's Mom]

Ok, thanks everyone. The bagged bird seed sounds a whole lot more affordable and manageable! Can I give the millet on a stick to my chickens in the meantime?

 

[flgardengirl]

I have the regular millet sprays that I feed to my parrots. They are a golden brown color. Can I give the keets some of those?

 

[robin416]

Yes, to both posters. Chickens love millet as much as Guineas do.

 

[damselfish]

...the sounds of delight coming from those eating millet...

Truer words were never spoken.​