Need advice regarding Guinea keets, please.

[DonnaBelle]

Hi all,

I'm new to Guineas. Two weeks ago we got nine keets and I'm not sure how old they were. They were feathered, and about 3 inches high.
They are now very feathered and about the size of Bob White quail. They are really perky, eating well.

I have them in the goat barn in a nice coop about 8' by 2' by 2'. I got them some white millet which is in addition to their chick starter. I toss the millet on the barn floor and they gobble it up.

My goal is to have them roost at night in the goat barn on some roosts on the inside wall of the barn. The goats bed down in there at night too.

I have to keep all our animals in closed barns/coops at night, otherwise I couldn't sleep.

The barn has huge pecan trees all around it. I know they will find the trees eventually, but if I keep putting the millet on the ground where their coop is now
I am hoping I can get them to come in when I call them at dusk.

Any imput on these guys would really be appreciated.

DonnaBelle

 

[robin416]

2 X 2? That's a mis type, I hope.

Anyway, on to the millet. Don't make the mistake I did in the early going and put it outside of the building. They'll stay out there all night making sure they get every last seed before they'll move on. I have specific places that I put the millet each evening in their coop. The flock leaders chase off any of the lower birds which ensures that its harder to get the low birds in. If they know millet is in other places for them then they are more willing to come in.

 

[casuarius]

In my experiences, they always go back to roost where they were raised up roosting. I never turn mine out until they are near adult size, and they have always gone back into their pen at night, and I shut the door.

 

[Okie Amazon]

When we got our first guineas last year, we kept them in a pen until they were fully feathered and then turned them loose. They roost in a big elm near our back door. Whenever we had snow/ice predicted, I'd have to go round them up and lure them into a building to shut them up. (We didn't have any outside fowl except them then.) We now have 10 more guinea keets and THIS time, they will roost inside from the beginning. Hopefully I can get the outside roost-ers to join them inside at night instead of in their elm tree!

 

[DonnaBelle]

My guineas have feathers all over them. I don't know for sure how old they are, but they are about 6" to 8" tall. Counting their head/neck.

I just don't want them to run off. I'll keep em penned for another week or so.

Thanks for everyone who answered my post.

DonnaBelle

 

[pascopol]

My Guineas liked to roost on the trees sometimes during the day, but late afternoon when I feed all my beasts when they saw me they landed down right away, it was quite a view and feeling

when a bunch of birds suddenly land around you in a heartbeat!

Then they followed me to my huge covered dog kennel for their supper, and I locked them there for night.

My Guineas were more "disciplined" and and easier to control than most of my chicks!

LOL

 

[DonnaBelle]

I'm letting the guinea chicks (about 7-8 in. tall) out into the enclosed barn area during the day. I'm wanting them to imprint on the barn so when I turn them loose into the great outdoors they come back in at night.

We are putting them back in their coop inside the barn in the evening when we feed the goats and lock them up all up in the barn.

I am hoping they will come in at dusk when we feed. I'll be turning them loose in about another week.

DonnaBelle

 

[allanimals21]

All of mine were raised indoors until they were 6-9 months old they were let out to free range. They will for nothing go indoors at all. They won't even go in the outside wire enclosure that I have other free range birds in at night. They have decided that they are better off on top of the enclosure. Rain/Sleet/Snow they sit through it all. I've even put up perches in the lean-to that I keep my hay in. They hang out in there during the day but will not go in there any other time. Even when it rains/sleets/snows. But these are also the same morons that think they can stand in the middle of the road and rush oncoming traffic

 

[DonnaBelle]

I am sure hoping I have some REALLY SMART GUINEAS!! It's pretty easy to just herd them back into their little covered pen area in the barn in the evenings. We are shutting the barn doors during the day when they are loose on the inside. Of course, that ticks off the goats, even though they have water outside for them and about 5 acres to run around in.

I can't believe how fast they are growing.

Thanks to all for your help/advice.

DonnaBelle

 

[Wisher1000]

Keep doing what you're doing. If you bring them back in every night, they will be used to it. When you start to let them out to range, the first few weeks, let them out in the late afternoon or evening. That way they only stay out a little while before time to roost. Give them NO MILLET during the day so that it is irresistable in the evening! Make your roosts as high as you can. Mine like the rafters in the outside covered run.

My higher ranking males will stand in the doorway and try to keep the lower ranking males out of the coop. Eventually, though, they will get on the roost and the lower males will come in then.