Raising Guinea Fowl 101

[starlingdaly]

one of my guineas got out of the grow out pen this morning when I fed them. I reached in for the waterer and there was an explosion of guineas in all directions, and one got out of the top. Sheesh was it ever hard to catch too! It finally climbed into one of the drawers on my sewing table, and I was able to nab it. NOT tame. I've got to get them out, they're six weeks old now, but we've hit a hangup with their outdoor living arrangements that has to be solved before they can get out there, and of course all the building has been held up by the torrential rain. 

Sitting here just laughing I can picture the chase!
Last year's guineas were hatched kinda late in the year.  So being paranoid, when we had a cold snap, I would bring them in at night.  One morning I woke to calling guineas. 3 had escaped from the cage (the others hadn't so they were yelling) and 2 were perched on my kitchen sink, wanting out the window I assume.  I guess they had been out for a while, because it wasn't a pretty sight.  I slowly one by one put them outside and then went back in to figure out exactly where to start the clean up!!  The cage was more secure the next night. 

LOVE IT.
I don't have any stories besides the waterfall of chicks streaming out of the cage when I open the door to refill their food bowl or give them a treat. They shuffle back in when the realize the food is being enjoyed by everyone else but my goodness, if there is no food involved, it is almost a two person job to keep them in (or every one you put back will produce two additional outside the cage trompsing around the kitchen floor like they own the place)

My new peacock and turkey aren't used to the night routine yet (where I turn off their personal ottlight above the brooder which is everyone's cue to start settling in and 15-30 minutes later I turn off the house lights and everyone is already laying down for the night so no freaking out about the dark). So while everyone gets into bed around and under the ecoglow, the peachick and turkey suddenly freak out about the lighting (remember, it's not dark yet, just THEIR light) and the fact that everyone's going to sleep without them and chirp LOUDLY for about 20 minutes NONSTOP. They finally figured it out (with the occasional protest about not wanting to sleep yet) so I can turn off the rest of the house lights and put MYSELF to bed.
Newbie chicks ;D

 

[BlueMouse]

it was like a pinball machine! It kept getting back places where I couldn't reach, so i'd shove it out with the broom, then there'd be more flying around careeming off of things.... Finally it crawled into a drawer on my sewing table that happened to be open, and I caught it. It wasn't too happy about being caught either, there was a lot of struggling and screaching even once I had it firmly grabbed. And of course the 14 left in the grow out pen were carrying on the entire time. The whole thing was pretty hilarious. It would have been funnier at the time if I wasn't wondering what my two year old was destroying while I was occupied with the guinea!

 

[NCgirl21]

Hey Everyone,

I am located around Charlotte, NC and had 18 Guinea keets hatch on 6/16. We can't guarantee the color (mama guinea is Lavender) but they have a tiger striped head which could indicate Pearl Gray, Lavender, Slate, or Brown. http://www.guineafowl.com/fritsfarm/guineas/colors/




Please PM me if you, or anyone you know, is interested.

Thanks so much!

 

[lizzybaxter]

I have a pair of guineas that free range all day, and go in the coop with the chickens at night. Mama has started a nest outside next to the feed barn under a tree, and today I counted 16 eggs. She's on it awhile everyday and I think she's starting to set, but then she gets up and walks away, and there's another egg! Does it sound like she'll actually set on them? Is this just what they do? I know that chickens will lay around 20 or so and then set on them, but someone on here posted about finding a nest with 60 or 70 eggs, and then seeing two guineas sharing the duty.

I only have the pair, so if she's gonna lay all those eggs, she's on her own!!

 

[NCgirl21]

I have a pair of guineas that free range all day, and go in the coop with the chickens at night. Mama has started a nest outside next to the feed barn under a tree, and today I counted 16 eggs. She's on it awhile everyday and I think she's starting to set, but then she gets up and walks away, and there's another egg! Does it sound like she'll actually set on them? Is this just what they do? I know that chickens will lay around 20 or so and then set on them, but someone on here posted about finding a nest with 60 or 70 eggs, and then seeing two guineas sharing the duty.

I only have the pair, so if she's gonna lay all those eggs, she's on her own!!

From what I have always read on forums, mama guineas are terrible mothers. They will lay them and just be done. I'm not sure if many will even sit on them the necessary time to get to the hatching part and maybe that's why so many people incubate them? That being said, I just had a mama guinea lay 24 eggs three weeks ago and two days ago she hatched 18 keets, and I will say she is the best mother I've ever seen and could have hoped for. When all the babies weren't hatched yet, she made sure the ones she had already were tucked into her and she was always checking on them. (Also, our four males surrounded her on guard making sure she and the babies were safe. The 4 boys got along absolutely fine with the keets and the mama guinea actually would call for them if they weren't next to her!) She finished the hatching the next day and walked through the yard with 18 little ones following behind like little ducks. We showed them their run and she brought them all in there and stayed there with them and showed them to peck for food and she also showed them how to drink out of their own baby waterer. (We did also dip each one's beak just to be sure, but we saw her showing them later on). She didn't lose one keet. And then when it started raining she opened her wings and they all ran too her and under her wings and body and she plopped right down and you couldn't even see one! I know this isn't common guinea mother behavior but maybe because people don't give the mama guinea a chance to actually try to be mothers? I'm not sure. Good luck!

 

[itsjustme]

Hey Everyone, I am located around Charlotte, NC and had 18 Guinea keets hatch on 6/16. We can't guarantee the color (mama guinea is Lavender) but they have a tiger striped head which could indicate Pearl Gray, Lavender, Slate, or Brown. http://www.guineafowl.com/fritsfarm/guineas/colors/
Please PM me if you, or anyone you know, is interested.

Thanks so much! first of all I must say I was lied to. Lol not by anyone here. When I bought my guineas I wanted 2 lavender. 1 died about a week or so after they were old enough to free range. Like I said idk why. Just found him laying in the yard. Me remaining lavender looks more like a sky blue pied. But I love them no matter what color they all. The second think I need to say is I'm so jealous! Lol my guinea is still sitting but no babies yet but on a happier note my last missing guinea has been found. Yay think she was sitting. Had the field mowed and she was spooked by the tractor and come back.

 

[starlingdaly]

From what I have always read on forums, mama guineas are terrible mothers. They will lay them and just be done. I'm not sure if many will even sit on them the necessary time to get to the hatching part and maybe that's why so many people incubate them? That being said, I just had a mama guinea lay 24 eggs three weeks ago and two days ago she hatched 18 keets, and I will say she is the best mother I've ever seen and could have hoped for. When all the babies weren't hatched yet, she made sure the ones she had already were tucked into her and she was always checking on them. (Also, our four males surrounded her on guard making sure she and the babies were safe. The 4 boys got along absolutely fine with the keets and the mama guinea actually would call for them if they weren't next to her!) She finished the hatching the next day and walked through the yard with 18 little ones following behind like little ducks. We showed them their run and she brought them all in there and stayed there with them and showed them to peck for food and she also showed them how to drink out of their own baby waterer. (We did also dip each one's beak just to be sure, but we saw her showing them later on). She didn't lose one keet. And then when it started raining she opened her wings and they all ran too her and under her wings and body and she plopped right down and you couldn't even see one! I know this isn't common guinea mother behavior but maybe because people don't give the mama guinea a chance to actually try to be mothers? I'm not sure. Good luck! 

I think people say guineas are bad mothers because they will go out in the morning dew with the kids and sometimes the little ones die of cold/wet exposure.
We have to remember this wasn't a problem where they are evolutionarily from. Africa doesn't have a huge dew and moisture problem. And if guineas were such bad mothers all the time, they would be quite extinct long before us humans had a chance to intervene.

 

[PeepsCA]

Quote: That's not the only reason, just one of them. Some Hens quit a nest for no reason, leaving live eggs that get cold and die, some Hens will kill an entire clutch right as it hatches and sometimes even the rest of the flock will kill the keets, sometimes the Moma Hen will roost up in the trees and leave the keets on the ground to get chilled and die, and if a keet gets left behind often the Momma Hen doesn't always go back for it etc etc etc... I'm sure all this happens in Africa in the wild too. The fact that they are prolific at reproducing and the laying season is so long is what has kept them from becoming extinct more than their mothering/brooding skills have.

 

[PeepsCA]

Hey Everyone,

I am located around Charlotte, NC and had 18 Guinea keets hatch on 6/16. We can't guarantee the color (mama guinea is Lavender) but they have a tiger striped head which could indicate Pearl Gray, Lavender, Slate, or Brown.

NCgirl21, just so you know...
Your Momma Hen is Pearl Grey, not a Lavender. And I only see Pearl Grey keets in these pics.

Lavender keets would have the same type of markings as the Pearl Greys have, but they are silver/grey and tan.

Slates are mostly a solid dark brown all over and do not have any stripes/markings on their heads or backs.

 

[starlingdaly]

[COLOR=4B0082]That's not the only reason, just one of them. Some Hens quit a nest for no reason, leaving live eggs that get cold and die, some Hens will kill an entire clutch right as it hatches and sometimes even the rest of the flock will kill the keets, sometimes the Moma Hen will roost up in the trees and leave the keets on the ground to get chilled and die, and if a keet gets left behind often the Momma Hen doesn't always go back for it etc etc etc... I'm sure all this happens in Africa in the wild too. The fact that they are prolific at reproducing and the laying season is so long is what has kept them from becoming extinct more than their mothering/brooding skills have.[/COLOR]

Very interesting!
I think a lot of these problems are also common in the production breeds of chicken.
I think I would trust a guinea broody about as much as a turkey broody: NOT MUCH lol