Raising Guinea Fowl 101

[MeepBeep]

I just recently got four guineas, they are, maybe, 1 to 1.5 months old. I have them in my spare bathroom bathtub, fenced in. How old should they be before I release them into the wild?
Thanks!
Eric

Unless you live in their native country and they are wild strays, they are not wild animals and thus should not be 'released into the wild'... If you are asking about free range on your property, with winter fast approaching I would say next spring would be best in most areas if you get snow, that is unless you are going to provide them shelter at night... Even then you have to confine them to the shelter for several months before you let them loose or else they likely won't come back... If you have a coop and run setup, then setup a brooder area in there for them...

 

[potagergirl]

I just recently got four guineas, they are, maybe, 1 to 1.5 months old. I have them in my spare bathroom bathtub, fenced in. How old should they be before I release them into the wild?
Thanks!
Eric

Welcome

I am knew at the guinea thing as well. We have 15 that are going on 7 weeks old, the only difference is we got ours 2 days after they hatched.
I believe you are talking about free ranging not setting them out to the wild so I will list a few tips I have learned from all the wonderful people that have posted here. If anyone
sees I have made an error in my information please let me know.

1. don't plan on letting them out for at least 8 weeks. They have to learn where home is before they will return. You should get them out of the tub and into a pin where they can start learning
to identify their home.
2.white millet is a treat you can use to train them with. A treat only not for a meal, they love the stuff and watching them devour it is like seeing a child with candy.
no more then a handful for your 4 guineas. We always give ours the treat at night inside the corn crib..
3. develop a call system like a cow bell, whistle or something loud. Guineas fly and when they free range you want to be able to call them back. Always make your
noise then feed them the white millet treat. This will train them.
4. Guineas are pack animals when you start to let them free range only let 2 out at a time so they stay close to the cage. After a few weeks you should be able to let
them all out but make sure you wait that initial 8 weeks so they all know where home is.
5. Guineas are nothing without their legs and snow will injure them. Ours are about the same age as yours give or take. We will provide them with a nice warm shelter
for the winters because we get snow. We will also cover the run so they can stretch their legs without being injured by frost bite.
6. Guineas will sleep in trees at night and coons will kill them. It is best to lock them inside to keep them safe at night.


Hubby and I see our guineas as pets, at 2 weeks we put them in a tractor inside a corn crib where we keep our chickens. This helped introduce them to the chickens.
We go sit inside the corn crib every evening for at least an hour. We watch all the chickens and guineas from inside the crib (its quite large). Anyway, we have done this
from the beginning so our chickens and guineas have become very tame. Still when we let them free range we keep half the guineas in the tractor while the other half get
to peck around in the grass with the chickens. We will continue to do this for several more weeks. They have all learned to come when I call and they do run into the crib
when they hear me. We used to close the guineas into the tractor at night but we stopped doing that after they had been in the crib 2 weeks. By that time they were 4 weeks
old and big enough to run from the chickens or fly at them to egg them on =).

I think those are the main points. The other advice I would give is to feed them at least a 27% game bird starter feed they really do need the extra protein for good health and
chicken feed just doesn't have it. Also game bird feed is un-medicated, I have been told by many this is better for them. I use apple cider vinegar with mother in their water to
help keep them healthy. It's just a tablespoon or so added to a gallon of fresh water daily.
I suggest going through some of the past posts and reading up a bit on guineas I think you will find how enjoyable these lovely birds really are.
Also, check out youtube videos on keets/guineas they are not real directional but are a bit helpful and I enjoy watching them.

Good luck =)

 

[kenzier093]

I have some guineas for the first time now. They are three different colors that I am wondering what they are. Three are all white, two are brownish gray with white on the chest and I think three are french pearl? Any help would be appreciated!

 

[MeepBeep]

Any help would be appreciated!

Go up a few post, in post #986 I posted a link to a page that gives detailed descriptions of the color mutations...

 

[Tacampbell1973]

I just bought these little guys, someone told me they were under a week old, I have them in a big metal brooder with 25 barred rock, 4 white rir and 1 rare exotic that are nine days old. Any way to tell sex at this age?

Hi Papa,
I am on my second year of owning and loving Guineas..I had the same question...I was told no. I tried the dangle method ( where you GENTLY hold them by their/legs upside down and apparently boys squirm, girls hang limp (right?) but am told that is not but 50 - 75 % right...I was fifty as I had half boys and half girls.. .Another tried and failed way is feather tips... I am not sure if this applies to guineas though. But apparently , and I do mean apparently, if you look At the saddle feathers (on the back) not the cape feathers cuz those are always pointy but the saddle feathers on a hen are rounded and cockerels are pointy....this is my best finding...I wish there were another way as I have 12 keets and want to give my neighbor half, but just this season lost all but one guinea hen to predation...best of luck to you...
by the way here are mine and they are one month.....

sorry so blurry, but I am an amateur with husbands fancy camera.....and god bless their feathers but they wont stay still for a shot....

 

[Hanford]

Hi - I liked your post about the guinea hens and the coyote- I can so picture it!
I am just starting to research having guinea fowl and am curious about having them in San Diego.
Total newby here and live in a house with a smallish backyard but think my neighbors might be willing to share the bug eating, egg laying,beautiful birds. Can you just have two hens?

 

[Papas Chickens]

Hi - I liked your post about the guinea hens and the coyote- I can so picture it!
I am just starting to research having guinea fowl and am curious about having them in San Diego.
Total newby here and live in a house with a smallish backyard but think my neighbors might be willing to share the bug eating, egg laying,beautiful birds. Can you just have two hens?

You can have two but they work better in a flock of 5 or more, they can protect themselves better against predators there is strength in numbers. You might want to find out if you are allowed to have livestock were you live since you are in SD. Remember they are very chatty and will announce when there is a predator or if they see someone or something they feel threatened by.

 

[Papas Chickens]

Hi Papa,
I am on my second year of owning and loving Guineas..I had the same question...I was told no. I tried the dangle method ( where you GENTLY hold them by their/legs upside down and apparently boys squirm, girls hang limp (right?) but am told that is not but 50 - 75 % right...I was fifty as I had half boys and half girls.. .Another tried and failed way is feather tips... I am not sure if this applies to guineas though. But apparently , and I do mean apparently, if you look At the saddle feathers (on the back) not the cape feathers cuz those are always pointy but the saddle feathers on a hen are rounded and cockerels are pointy....this is my best finding...I wish there were another way as I have 12 keets and want to give my neighbor half, but just this season lost all but one guinea hen to predation...best of luck to you...
by the way here are mine and they are one month.....

sorry so blurry, but I am an amateur with husbands fancy camera.....and god bless their feathers but they wont stay still for a shot....

I will just wait until they are older to see who is what lol.

 

[titika]

I have bobwhite and coturnix quail and want to get a Guinea. Will it kill my quail if i get it as a keet and raise it with the quail? Do i need more then one since I've read they are flock birds?

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I have bobwhite and coturnix quail and want to get a Guinea. Will it kill my quail if i get it as a keet and raise it with the quail? Do i need more then one since I've read they are flock birds?

I have brooded them together, I have coturnix and raise them with keets. Honestly, since the quail reach maturity first, they are more a threat to the guinea keets. Quail can be pretty aggressive at maturity, and pecking order is sometimes not pretty. Short term, it will should ok, but in the long run, will depend on your coop area/space. An adult guinea may very well regard a quail chick as a snack too.
Guinea are flock animals like all poultry. I would have at least 2, or 3 for them to be happy.