Guineas.........

[Peaces]

I am trying to find ANYBODY that will say nice things about Guineas. I hatched 4 and am going to pick 6 adult Guineas in the morning. Everything I read about them is negative. The ones I hatched are teenagers and I let 2 of them out and they vanished with no sign of them anywhere. I want them for bugs and for the noise. I enjoy farm sounds. I also read that clipping their wings is a moot point as they get out of the fence anyway. I have a 4 ft. fence. I read that the fence can be 2 miles high and they will still get out. I guess they are what they are and am wondering what to do. I have wanted Guineas forEVER!

 

[Mmanist]

I love Guinea. They are cool, beautiful birds. But I dont like the "buckbuckbuckbuckbuckbuckwheatbuckwheat" at all hours of the night. but I really do love them!

 

[Mmanist]

I am trying to find ANYBODY that will say nice things about Guineas. I hatched 4 and am going to pick 6 adult Guineas in the morning. Everything I read about them is negative. The ones I hatched are teenagers and I let 2 of them out and they vanished with no sign of them anywhere. I want them for bugs and for the noise. I enjoy farm sounds. I also read that clipping their wings is a moot point as they get out of the fence anyway. I have a 4 ft. fence. I read that the fence can be 2 miles high and they will still get out. I guess they are what they are and am wondering what to do. I have wanted Guineas forEVER!

We kept our in a big metal dog kennel with a roof. And free ranged during the day.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Guineas are very challenging and quirky. They are FAR less domesticated than chickens, and harder to put on a routine. I lost 5/9 of my original guineas to predators because they would refuse to coop up at night. That all being said, they are truly hilarious. They are also often content to stay within a 4 ft fence, seemingly forgetting that they can fly until they get scared.

I attempt to free range my guineas in the day and coop them at night. I kept my guineas in their coop for about a month. Let them out they scattered. After another couple weeks in the coop, I let them out into a temporary fenced area around their coop. They had this for six weeks. A few days ago I moved the fencing and they have been faithfully returning each night. depending on your property, neighbors, and patience, guineas can be a really rewarding animal. Just don't expect them to act like a chicken, and expect a few losses for the learning curve. Here are some pics of my guineas and their coop, to stoke your guinea fever!!
Pallet coop almost complete

Keets

5 weeks old checking out the new digs

5 months old, prowling for bugs

I really love my guineas, but they take lots of thought and patience. Ask any specific questions you have and we'll help you decide to get them or not.

 

[sourland]

Guinea fowl taste really good.

 

[R2elk]

I am trying to find ANYBODY that will say nice things about Guineas. I hatched 4 and am going to pick 6 adult Guineas in the morning. Everything I read about them is negative. The ones I hatched are teenagers and I let 2 of them out and they vanished with no sign of them anywhere. I want them for bugs and for the noise. I enjoy farm sounds. I also read that clipping their wings is a moot point as they get out of the fence anyway. I have a 4 ft. fence. I read that the fence can be 2 miles high and they will still get out. I guess they are what they are and am wondering what to do. I have wanted Guineas forEVER!

Read the thread Raising Guinea Fowl 101 and pay particular attention to posts made by @PeepsCA .

You can also read the current threads by @BennieAnTheJets , @Mixed flock enthusiast , @Sydney65 and @My2butterflies in the Guinea Fowl forum.

If you bring in adult guineas, be aware that they must be penned for at least 6 weeks to get them to understand that your place is now home to them.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I am trying to find ANYBODY that will say nice things about Guineas. I hatched 4 and am going to pick 6 adult Guineas in the morning. Everything I read about them is negative. The ones I hatched are teenagers and I let 2 of them out and they vanished with no sign of them anywhere. I want them for bugs and for the noise. I enjoy farm sounds. I also read that clipping their wings is a moot point as they get out of the fence anyway. I have a 4 ft. fence. I read that the fence can be 2 miles high and they will still get out. I guess they are what they are and am wondering what to do. I have wanted Guineas forEVER!

Hi Peace’s, Guineas do have a well deserved reputation for being a bit... difficult, but you’ll find lots of people on this forum who love them! There are people in my area of Oklahoma that brood a bunch every year, releases them, and then replace the following year when they are all eaten by predators. Most people on this forum take a much more intensive approach and work to coop train them and keep them as safe as possible from predators. It’s a balance since, like you, most of us wanted them for insect and tick control. They can’t do their jobs locked in a pen, so they will inevitably come up against predation. I hope that your keets hear their flock and come back to you!

 

[R2elk]

Guinea fowl taste really good.

Indeed they do. They are delicious.

 

[yakitori]

If you let only 2 out and they vanish, I'm guessing some kind of predator got to them. They generally want to stay together, or at least where they can see each other. I would keep them in until they're large enough to fend better for themselves...

I love my guineas, they weren't all that hard to train (return to coop, return to run etc). They haven't reached the loud stage yet, but I don't think I'll mind the noise.

 

[BennieAnTheJets]

Hurray for Guineas!!! They are all I have and love!

Sorry you lost two. I would say keep'em locked up a lot longer than you would think... I know it is not ideal but that is my experience.

Make sure they have all they need and don't beat each other up but I find the longer they are confined, the more they love their home.

When I first got Guineas I did not know I needed a run. They were in the coop for several months while I was feverishly buidling their run since I loved them and did not want to lose a one.

I brought greenery inside and meal worms and made hiding places and nesting sites - all inside the coop and watched them every day for bullying and such while I was building out there.

It paid off in a weird way - at first they did not want to go out at all (not even into the connected run) and certainly no-one up and left. The coop is their home and their safe place. They are very much bonded to it. I can't even clean it without some of the watch duty guys alarming the flock to come back from the fields and see what is happening to their coop. Can be bothersome to have protesting Guineas between your feet as you try to shovel out wood chips, he he.

I never wanted them locked up that long, but in retrospect I am grateful that it happened that way. It was a good six months before they went out, and the first outings were under tight and constant supervision.

Now I can let them out and leave to go shopping and they will wait for me at dusk to get their treats and go back into the coop for the night. When someone does not come home, my heart sinks because chances are high that a predator got that one. A couple of times, I was so happy, I found the missing flock member on the other side of our 4' fence running back and forth, desperately trying to get back home. They seldom go over the fence now, but when they do, they may get stuck on the other side and not realize that they can fly over to get back. The only other time someone does not come home is when a hen has gone broody on an outside nest.

This year I caught Poppy making a nest in the woods where I can't reach her and she is not going out for 2 weeks now since she will be eaten if she starts sitting on that nest. She is unhappy but alive - and Herbie is confused but at least he will have her back soon, which would not be the case if she got eaten out there. He is hanging around the run, wondering why she won't come out to the fields with him. He is running around all sides, peeking over the barrier to see her. When they all go back in, he has her back for the night and they roost together.

Guienas often bond one-on-one for life - I hope you don't get some broken hearted birds missing their mates. That is why I don't buy or sell adults. Of course, there may be circumstances to make it necessary but adults pose more challenges and have greater potential for heart-ache, the birds' and yours.