Keets with hen?

[Phisch]

we are seriously considering guineas to help with the big population. We have a hen who has week old chicks. Will it be possible to slip her some keets to raise or has it been too long since hatching?

 

[perchie.girl]

we are seriously considering guineas to help with the big population. We have a hen who has week old chicks. Will it be possible to slip her some keets to raise or has it been too long since hatching?

Probably .... Guinea keets sound different from Chicks.

Best to raise them separate... Others may join in on this... They do better if kept separate from chickens so they learn Guinea skills.. Especially if you are allowing them to free range.

deb

 

[Unicornlife3316]

we are seriously considering guineas to help with the big population. We have a hen who has week old chicks. Will it be possible to slip her some keets to raise or has it been too long since hatching?

I wouldn’t let the guineas be raised with/by chickens. Everything is fine until first breeding season then the guineas start doing guinea things that stress the chickens out.

Best way is to set up a separate brooder to raise them until they no longer need heat (depends on your location, I’m in Texas and could have my guineas out during the day but they’d need heat during the night) and a separate coop for them to roost/stay in for several weeks before slowing letting them out to free range.

 

[R2elk]

we are seriously considering guineas to help with the big population. We have a hen who has week old chicks. Will it be possible to slip her some keets to raise or has it been too long since hatching?

Do not expect a couple of guineas to do what you read about them. For bug control,. you need a flock of guineas, not a couple. I never recommend that anyone start with fewer than 10 guineas. They are a flock bird and need more of their own kind for their flock dynamics to work.