How to get a guinea to love you

[HarmonyFox]

***disclaimer: this is about some special needs keets I just hatched. Knowing that if your only recommendation is to cull I would prefer if you ignored this.***
So my guinea layed her first ever batch of eggs at 5 months old and started sitting on them. I tried to move her out of my field to a dog crate so she could be safe but she said no and stopped sitting on the eggs. I saw that they had already started developing so I put them in the incubator. I didn't even think about the fact they could be too small because they looked a decent size compared to my chickens eggs (chicken is 6 months old.) Come time to hatch 1 hatches along with my two chicks. That's the only one who's turned right in the egg but I didn't realise that until a few days later. 5 eggs died and I slowly helped the last 3 alive. While I was helping the last 3 hatch the first guinea got weak and died. So one egg eventually died and I've got two little guineas now. The eggs was too small so their beaks are curved and their feet were messed up. I've got their feet taped up but I realise if they get crossbeaks I'll have to wash their face and take care of them more closely I assume. So I need to try and make these two little babies love me. I'm really trying and really want them to live. They can't walk yet but that might be because on the big shoes. Any advice at all would be wonderful. Be it about special needs birds or how to magically make guineas love me. I know it can be done. A lady in my FB group has a house guinea that sleeps with her at night......I'm so jealous.....I really love guineas for some reason. But I definitely need all the advice I can get so please fire away.
Below are some pics of the lavender one. The Pearl one is resting in a tissue filled cup so I haven't bothered it for pictures.

 

[Dmontgomery]

I wish I could offer you some advice, but I have no experience with this situation. I did say say a quick prayer that it all works out for you though.

 

[ngennetta]

Birds are very food motivated. The best way to get them to love you, other than showing them compassion, is food! Mealworms or other treats, and they will associate you with yummies.

 

[BennieAnTheJets]

My first answer on how to make Guineas love you would be: you don't.

Seeing all that people do in the world, to each other, to animals, and to the environment - some with great malice and some with the best intentions, I'd say the Guineas are right on!

I tried. Removed their food and hand-fed them six times a day when they were babies - even though, I only got about 3 that eat from my hands now, and only tentatively, out of 32 birds. They have a strong tendency to revert to being wild. I say good for them!

anyway, if you have your heart set on it, I'd say, yes, with food - millet and meal worms it may work to get them more used to you

the only other person I saw who had much success with taming Guineas had one important method: she never picked them up - when cleaning she let them walk from one box to another - etc. She never picked them up! They came to her. And she let them. And they became more and more bold and the new ones learned from the older ones, etc.

that would also explain why ours will have nothing to do with me: I have caught them often for wormers and other meds and they are traumatized by that - they hate it - but I did not feel I had choice when they had mites, etc.

I also think it is personality - again, with a tendency to be wild - but every once in a while you will have an individual who does not worry so much about you - we had Pinchy - she would come running and jump up to my hips to get treats - she pecked my hands so hard for millet that I called her "Pinchy" since she pinched my skin under the millet when she was in a hurry to get it - she was not afraid but very sure of herself with me and with others - when others charged her, she did not scoot but let them bump into her, as if to say "What do you think you are doing?" - she was a real character and I used her to get other keets to trust me when I let them see her eat from my hands - you may be able to use your chickens to teach the Guineas

about the defects of the babies - that is hard - I just had one put down at the vet's - it could not use either of its legs and was flailing around on its belly - also, we have Forrest, Forrest Gump a Coral Blue who came to use with one twisted foot - I put a brace on it and when he ran with that he got his name, you know - run, Forrest, run!

Forrest is 5 years old now - I think his leg hurts or bothers him sometimes as it is twisted from the hock - but he has many good times free ranging, having treats, being a Guinea and he is an old friend now, in a way, having seen him every day for the last 5 years

I have to clip his nails on the twisted foot from time to time and he hates it, but he is a super bird and I am glad to know him

his good leg has become bigger to compensate, I think

if they have one good leg and can eat with the beak, I think they can be alright

some people kill/cull them to prevent more babies like them (gene pool) but I have not had a problem with Forrest in the flock - 99% of our keets are healthy and the 1% is probably a normal occurrence

actually, come to think of it, my avatar is a picture of Forrest! Ha!

 

[BennieAnTheJets]

by the way - the beak does not look so bad to me - it does close, right?

the legs: does it have one good one it can stand on?

looks like the hock/elbow is ok on the right leg in your picture

some defects can still grow out in the first few days, too

 

[Callender Girl]

I think it's wonderful that you are taking care of the special babies. Culling wouldn't be an option for me either -- unless the quality of their lives was severely compromised. I live with a cat that was born without eyes, which is no handicap for him.

Until he died, I lived with an adopted dog that was deaf. That was more of a problem for me. When Cash slipped his leash one night, I had to run through the neighborhood trying to find a dog I couldn't call. He eventually learned hand signals, and we had several great years together.

Best wishes for your babies. And, even if they never learn to love you, you can still love and enjoy them.

 

[BennieAnTheJets]

Best wishes for your babies. And, even if they never learn to love you, you can still love and enjoy them.

Totally agree with that. Guineas tend not to love you, but that doesn't take anything away from them. They are awesome!

 

[DoeAndGander]

Just curious how this is going?

Like Bennie I tried to get mine to love me and they pretty much wanted nothing to do with me. After a bit I realized that was OK because I wanted them to free range during the day and fend for themselves and I did not want them to be domesticated. I tend to get really attached to any living furry or feathered soul so I’ve been trying l hard not to get too attached to them. They’re an interesting little mafia gang!