I finally got guineas! Any pointers?

[tomingreeneco]

Handle them often when they are young and talk to them a LOT. Once mine became "teenagers" they turned a little aloof but once they matured they are very friendly to me. They eat out of my hand and follow me around the yard. They will come when my wife calls them and are a joy to have around. Good luck and be patient.

 

[perchie.girl]

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I think meaning your hair will go grey....

I personally thing the more the better. I had less predator problems for my chckens when I had guineas on the property as well.

 

[andrew6d9]

okay i have trying to handle them a lot and i am going away in a week for a week so should i tell my parents to handle them a lot and talk to them?

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Good luck with your Keets! I love my guineas! Since we got guinea some 4 or 5 years ago, I do not get ticks on me in our yard(and I am a tick magnet). We use to have a horrible snake problem--Copperhead and Rattle Snakes and with the guineas loose they stay away from the house. Our pen is about 200 feet from the house and the noise really does not bother us. They are really only loud around dark and in the morning when they want out--or if they fine something strange or if they just see something odd, or...... I love them anyway! It is nice to have at least 6 birds, and 8 is even better. If you end up with only one male or one female you will see why. Three males to 5 female is a great number. Ours also get along very well with our chickens and were not raised with them. I have actually heard people have more trouble raising them together.

Anyway, I could go on for ever as I really love our birds. We have over 40 adults of many colors guineas here! Good luck and enjoy!

 

[Colettedre]

Keets are are darling - Guinea Fowl are a challenge - but so much fun is mixed in - get yourself some white millet to use as treats when they get a bit older and then at least you will have a bribe to bring them home when they wander - and wander they will (train them with some call, I use "treat - treat - treat" they will run from across the street across the field - if I can't hear or see them - it is an immediate response, they start yelling then they start running towards my voice).
I have 5 French Guinea's - started with 10 keets 3 years ago and lost half along the way for various reasons. Yes, they are loud, and funny and wonderful bug eaters - I used to have a horrendous problem with Japanese Beetles - not anymore - hardly any to be found now. They chase each other, yell a constant warning if ANYTHING changes in the yard....like... It is summer now and I am wearing shorts, not long pants - AHHHHHHH - too funny.
I am a French Guinea Fowl lover - if you want to learn their way of thinking (I think) you will be too.
Enjoy the adventure!

 

[perchie.girl]

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Hey

by the way.....

Hey I was wondering do those French guineas give you fertile eggs....? I heard they don't.

 

[Colettedre]

I have not let my birds go broody, but according to the owner of the hatchery that I got them from, yes they lay fertile eggs. He told me that they do not lay fertile eggs when they are in production farm conditions (too many birds too close together, then they inseminate the birds mechanically).

I was thinking of hatching an egg or two under one of my production reds next year since I think the chicken will take care of the keet and I won't have to go through the long training process. I have a small coop and it is not set up to be able to keep keets separate from the adult birds and in the coop for the 8 weeks or so that they need to learn that it is home and to come back there at night ( and I hear that Guinea Fowl are terrible mothers - they won't keep their keets together) .

 

[taprock]

We started with 7 guineas that were the same age as our chicks. We had two guineas that were bullies we rehomed. We then had problems with them picking on the chickens. It turns out we only had one male which is a bad thing - he was the one picking. Instead of fighting with other male guineas he fought with the chickens. He died this spring so we only have females. They get along fine with our chickens now. So from our experience I would say all females or at least 3 males so they pick on each other instead of the chickens. That said I love my guineas!! I did also build a separate coop for them for this coming winter or when I get males so there will be no picking.

 

[perchie.girl]

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Hatching under a broody hen is really common, because of that "Ditzy Mother Syndrome". LOL.....

 

[andrew6d9]

do you think my BO's will accept the guineas well? i have 3 guineas now because one died

and the BO's total is about 8.