New Guinea Fowl! Differences to chickens?

[macmac955]

I’m going to receive 2 Guinea fowl chicks soon. So far I’ve raised 8 Orpingtons and 3 EEs. I’m wondering if there’s anything to change in my brooder setup that’s different than chickens? I want to make sure they have quality care.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

It's been awhile since I've done Guinea Fowl, so if I get anything wrong, that's why. First off, Guinea Fowl chicks are called keets. For changes, these keets basically come out of the egg running. They're also excellent flyers, and may start flying before a chicken would. Have extra caution that they DO NOT escape. Between their running and flying, you'll never catch them if they get out. They are also not as friendly as chickens. True, I got mine to eat out of my hands like once, but that's after a lot of time spent with them. They're easily spooked, so keep that in mind when opening up their door or approaching them. They're also noisy, but with two, they hopefully won't be as bad. When they grow older, they'll need a lot of free range space, and shouldn't be confined to a run.

Fun fact about Guinea Fowl: They are the only barnyard bird that can digest ticks. Lots of people say chickens are good on ticks, but unfortunately, the ticks can pass through their digestive system and still survive. With Guinea Fowl, they cannot. Thus another reason why they are people's top pick for tick control.

 

[macmac955]

It's been awhile since I've done Guinea Fowl, so if I get anything wrong, that's why. First off, Guinea Fowl chicks are called keets. For changes, these keets basically come out of the egg running. They're also excellent flyers, and may start flying before a chicken would. Have extra caution that they DO NOT escape. Between their running and flying, you'll never catch them if they get out. They are also not as friendly as chickens. True, I got mine to eat out of my hands like once, but that's after a lot of time spent with them. They're easily spooked, so keep that in mind when opening up their door or approaching them. They're also noisy, but with two, they hopefully won't be as bad. When they grow older, they'll need a lot of free range space, and shouldn't be confined to a run.

Fun fact about Guinea Fowl: They are the only barnyard bird that can digest ticks. Lots of people say chickens are good on ticks, but unfortunately, the ticks can pass through their digestive system and still survive. With Guinea Fowl, they cannot. Thus another reason why they are people's top pick for tick control.

Thanks for the info!