Need some Info about Guinea/Keets

[cracking up]

Hi Perchie.girl - I agree with you completely. I got my guineas before I found BYC and I love them. A lot of the problems on here just don't apply to me. Mine free range during the day and stay in their own group, at night they go to their own perch in the chicken coop. My neighbors might not 'love' them but they have never complained and when I asked they said they aren't bothered by them.

I saw that web site before I got mine and it was one of the things that convinced me I needed them. I love the sense of humor and I think that really helps to remember when I'm climbing a six foot fence to chase a wayward guinea back home - it's not always easy but it can be a lot of fun and keeps me young.

It would be nice to have a book to remind me what the keets need - with chicks, ducks and geese hatching out I need to be reminded from year to year.

Once in a while a guinea and rooster will cross and not get along but they have always worked it out with no one getting injured. If they get rough I isolate the roo for a while.

 

[robin416]

Quote:
So are you saying they should or shouldnt be? I keep mine with the chickens and they are less agressive then all of my roos

I don't recommend it for many reasons. Guineas are stronger and faster than chickens, in a blink they can cause injury whether they meant to or not. During breeding season and in the Fall the Guinea males become very argumentative and challenging. When Guineas decide they don't like a chicken they attack as a flock, not bird on bird like chickens will do. Doesn't matter whether the target is a hen or a rooster.

Guineas flocks consisting of just a few birds have more challenges trying to house them with chickens or even to free range. Guinea males have a genetic switch that gets turned on and if there are not enough Guinea males to spar with they will choose the chickens as a good target. That always turns out bad for the chicken. And guinea sparring is very different from that of two roosters going at it which makes it even worse for the rooster.

I keep a flock of 20 plus Guineas, they have their own coop. I can free range my chickens without any threat from the males because there are enough sparring partners to keep them happy.

 

[wren]

Okay here I go again. I kept Guineas and chickens together peacefully for years. Here is how. You say it is not possible, because you experienced something different keep reading.

I had lots of space.
They were never forced to roost together. They did choose to when the weather was bad. I lived in Iowa. In fact they shared the space peacefully. Sometimes side by side. The chickens did get the prime roosting areas and would take a half-hearted peck at the guinea and the guinea would move. The guineas always gave way.
They didn't have to fight over waterers or feeders. Plenty were provided.

I raised the guineas from keets as a separate flock of 30. Not just a few keets thrown in with chicks or chickens.
It is important to have a group of at least 6. They do not do well in smaller numbers and do not behave naturally.
They could see the chickens as they grew but did not interact with them until they were able to fly 6 ft into the air.

The guinea flock would chase each other and sometimes fling the loser guinea. I loved watching them run and run. They never showed any interest in fighting any of my chickens. They never damaged each other.

Please do not raise keets and chicks together.
I thought that all the people who have had trouble were crazy, or wrong or whatever so I broke some of my rules listed above. I raised 3 keets in with chicks. They tried to segregate themselves but they were just babies and they did interact a lot. As they began to mature even though they were in a huge area (12 feet wide 20 feet long 15 feet tall) for 3 keets and 8 chicks. The chicks would occasionally boss the keets around but not harm them. Slowly the tables began to turn. They began to bully the chickens they grew up with. I released them into the main flock with the 30 guineas and the other chickens. The new three young adult guineas (raised with chicks) did not integrate with the older guineas. The fighting continued to escalate. They picked on all of the chickens horribly. My main flock had never experienced a guinea that wanted to hurt them. In a fight the guinea will win.

So I ruined three perfectly good guineas. They had even opportunity and no interest in joining the other guineas and although they had the entire farm to roam, the three young adults continued to terrorize my free range flock of chickens. I had to get rid of them. My older chickens did not know why this crazy guinea (always one of the younger 3) would not leave them alone. They fought harder and longer, not just a normal squabble.

They are really good at eating weed seeds. They still need a high protein feed even though they range well. Mine were good alarms to anything and everything. I was outside an heard them going off and twelve of them had circled a coyote and were yelling their heads off. The coyote left because of the racket!

I hope this helps,

Wren

 

[cracking up]

I agree and one of the most important things you mention is plenty of food and water in separate areas - if they don't want to they never have to share space to eat or drink.

 

[DonnaBelle]

I got 9 Guinea fowl at the feed store about 10 days ago. They look amazingly like QUAIL. I have them in a pen in the barn. I think they are about 3 weeks old as they are feathered out and are about the size of 8 week old Bob White quail. They are being raised in the goat barn so I can get them to come in at dusk so I can close them up with the goats. DH is going to put a roost about 6 ft. off the floor, I have a small roost in the pen with them now. The barn is in a grove of pecan trees so they will be able to fly up in the trees at some point.

This is my first rodeo with guineas. Wish me luck.

DonnaBelle

 

[animalsroc4evr]

I thought I would just update this tread rather than make another one.

So instead of buying my guinea from a hatchery (that's about 1hr 30 mins away) I decided to ask my neighbors if they hatch any of their guineas. To my delight they said no problem (they are such nice people!). They put 12 guinea eggs in the incubator for me and so far today 5 hatched. The guy said he'll bring those 5 down to me in just a little while and will bring the rest to me when they hatch. I'm so excited I have my brooder all ready

. do you think 12 guinea is enough for a group? He did say they may or may not stay which I understand, he did say that they might even visit back and forth. We'll see how it goes, if they don't stay I'm alright with it, if they do it will be awesome as we have tons of ticks around that get on us and the dogs.

I will be sure to post pictures as soon as my little ones arrive. Say a prayer they all hatch out soon so I'll have all my babies. I don't think I've been this excited in a while! funny that I didn't know they hatched until the neighbor came down a little while ago and told me of the 5, BUT I've been working on my brooder since I woke up this morning. Guess my excitement got the best of me, I've been counting down the days since they were set lol.

Pictures soon!

 

[wren]

Twelve in a group is totally enough. When you move them out of the brooder, put them in the coop they will be expected to roost in and lock them in for 6 weeks. They will keep that coop as home probably. If there is high roosting nearby, they will choose that rather than where they grew up. Good luck!

Barns are great for guineas! They can roost in the rafters. When it's driving freezing rain they need to be locked in so they wont get frozen. If they are trained that the barn is their coop, so much the better.

 

[cracking up]

I hope you enjoy them. I'm not at all surprised your neighbor gave them to you. Guinea people are special!

 

[animalsroc4evr]

thanks I already enjoy watching them. He brought them over when my dad and him got done hunting. I asked him how much I owed him and he said nothing. How much are guinea keets typically? I would like to pay him when he brings the others whenever they hatch (I HOPE they hatch!)...

here's the post I started last night as they were extremely scared and thus extremely loud.... but the quieted down with a few improvements to the brooder (stuffed animal, MIRROR, and turning the musci up) https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=499825

 

[TarheelBirdy]

Keets sell, depending on the area, anywhere from $3 to $8. I am looking forward to keeping apprised of your keets....I am like you, I just got guineas two months ago and have eggs in the incubator. Raising keets is in my near future, too!