Raising Guinea Fowl 101

[Tikkijane]

I have! I love their sounds! What will they do with snakes? Interesting....

 

[Tikkijane]

have you ever heard guineas? if not you may want to google guinea sounds. difference between male and hen too. people say they love or hate them. havent seen much in betweens. they do snakes too!

And they are loud. LOUD, LOUD, LOUD.

 

[MeepBeep]

And they are loud. LOUD, LOUD, LOUD.

And when they are not screaming out loud, they are making some other noises pretty much 24/7, mine seem to never shut up...

 

[Tikkijane]

And when they are not screaming out loud, they are making some other noises pretty much 24/7, mine seem to never shut up...

That's what makes them awesome watchdogs. I know if anything unusual is out there, for sure. ♡♡♡♡♡

 

[mandtroof]

Honestly, I would not confine guineas. They are very active and can fly. They are also seasonal layers, so it's not like they are for egg production. And if they are confined, they can't do their primary job of eating ticks. If I could not let them free range, I wouldn't have them.

Yes, they will free range after their homing period. I let my chickens out around 730 and lock them up before night fall. I will do the same, fingers crossed with the guineas. No, I couldn't keep them confined, I need them to help out around here with the pests! Plus, I just love seeing birdies playing in the yard

 

[mandtroof]

 

[Granny Hatchet]

i have seen that video before, pretty funny

 

[leslea]

Morning, all. Long time since I have checked in. My guineas are 8 weeks old today! They moved out of the brooder into the coop this weekend, along with my 5 eight week old chickens.

I'm going to keep the flock locked up in the coop for a couple of weeks to cement that as their home, but after that, how long do you think I should keep the guineas in? There will be a run completed within these two weeks, but for now they are just in the well-ventilated coop.

Is a month long enough to keep them confined to the coop and run, or should it be two months before I let them free range?

I know they are attached to the chicken flock. They get upset when I've let the chicks out to free range, and their "alarm" goes off until the chickens come back. They also have submitted to the rooster (that was supposed to be a hen) when he has disciplined them/established dominance.

TIA for your thoughts!

 

[Kim Z]

The keets I hatched over the weekend are all gone to their new homes already! I wish I had another day with them. They are so sweet to cuddle up with.
I had trouble with the humidity being too high as it was very hot and wet here and I don't have AC. I had to assist the last 5 keets and help clean them up a bit. Sticky Chicks galore.
Is that a good excuse for splurging on an AC unit or what? I'll try it on the DH.

 

[Kim Z]

Morning, all. Long time since I have checked in. My guineas are 8 weeks old today! They moved out of the brooder into the coop this weekend, along with my 5 eight week old chickens.

I'm going to keep the flock locked up in the coop for a couple of weeks to cement that as their home, but after that, how long do you think I should keep the guineas in? There will be a run completed within these two weeks, but for now they are just in the well-ventilated coop.

Is a month long enough to keep them confined to the coop and run, or should it be two months before I let them free range?

I know they are attached to the chicken flock. They get upset when I've let the chicks out to free range, and their "alarm" goes off until the chickens come back. They also have submitted to the rooster (that was supposed to be a hen) when he has disciplined them/established dominance.

TIA for your thoughts!

Four weeks should be plenty. The first few days, only let them out in the afternoon so they can't stray too far before it's time to come in for the night. Have plenty of white millet on hand for a treat!