One Acre

[Debi619]

Hi,

Monday (7/8/2013), 15 keets are being shipped to my house. I live on 1 1/4 acres. Two and 3/4 sides face the woods. I have neighbors at the far corner in the back and a rural street in front of my house. The land across the street is woods and a house a few acres up a hill.

I have read up on how to raise, how to train the gunea hens to return back in the evening, how to, how to, how to..... I think that I am ready. I read that these hens wander. Is there a 'normal radius' that I can expect?

Debi

PS - 15 might be a bit too many - but I'll deal with this as I learn.

 

[PeepsCA]

They will roam as far as they can (sometimes up to 1/4 mile away if allowed to), so you will just need to keep an eye on them when you start free ranging them, correcting them by herding or chasing them back home every time they start heading for the road/woods or wander too far in another direction. They really aren't home bodies like chickens are. Most of the time they will learn by repetition if they are corrected consistently, but if I were you I'd expect to lose quite a few to the road. The Guineas will be attracted to the road, to get to the woods, so I'd build your coop for them as far back from the road as possible. And if your neighbors have poultry they may frequently go there to visit, so maybe alert your neighbors and ask them to chase them back home, or squirt them with a hose every time they go over there. Those motion activated sprinklers help keep Guineas away from or out of certain areas really well, so you may want to invest in a few of those, and give your neighbor one too, lol. Also putting up mirrors for them, making them dust bathing areas on your land and feeding them treats in the coop/your yard frequently thru the day can help with getting them to stick closer to home too.

Best of luck!