Raising Guinea Fowl 101

[Victoria-nola]

Ok good, we will move the brooder into the new space and make no changes in it until they are acclimated. Yes, after freaking them out so bad when I changed their water jar for one with labels and they wouldn't drink water during a hot afternoon I'm VERY aware of not wanting to do anything too sudden. Thanks for info on pine shavings, I was going to switch to them from hay (cannot obtain actual straw in our area, which drives me mad!), but I won't until they are more grown (this begs the question of what will happen to the semi-wild keets that are born/raised in the new Big Coop using pine shavings in the Deep Litter Method, but I have to assume the moms will help them). Ok, we'll go ahead and put in some high roosts in this temporary space, it shouldn't be more than a couple of weeks but it's big enough that if it goes longer they'll be ok.

The clear tarps aren't really clear, more like translucent-- they are actually super heavy, UV protected, etc, but very glad to hear you think they'd like it:
http://ptmtarps.com/clear-heavy-duty-tarps/ I also am planning to add some shade cloth for the Big Coop and plan to get green color, to emulate their preference for roosting in trees. I have heard folks talk about how guineas don't like their coop, and I'm trying to address some of those problems via design. Thanks for the feedback about shade. We hope that in the long run it will be less important because they'll be free-ranging during the day, and it will have a lot of ventilation. The best place for us to site the Big Coop has morning shade but afternoon sun, unfortunately the opposite of ideal, but I've just had an idea about how to improve on the site choice, so I'll let you know more about that later.

Predators-- the hoop coop is armored completely in 1/2-inch hardware cloth, so even if a predator tore the tarp they couldn't get inside. This particular version is not built heavy enough to withstand a bear attack, but we don't have bears as a general rule in our area. We built it a little lightly because it is meant to be temporary-- thus the hardware-cloth apron instead of buried perimeter. Since we came to understand that shelter would indeed be required for our guineas to have a self-sustaining population, we take it very seriously. We want them as partners on our farm for insect control. And of course, the enjoyment of animals as companions. We have 5 cats, 2 medium-size house dogs (black pug and gray schnoodle), 2 pet potbelly pigs, our chickens, and now guineas. We are looking to add an outdoor dog or two, and are thinking about dairy goats.

More on predators: The plans here on BYC called "permanent hoop coop," which we are adapting for our use, have an electrified wire around the outside perimeter of the coop, near the ground, to prevent predators from nosing around the coop and scaring the birds-- this seems to have merit. But, I've noticed that our chickens like to scratch and forage around the perimeter of their coop, so I'm worried that an electric perimeter might zap the guineas themselves and freak them out about the coop. What do you think?

Thank you for all your help!!!!

 

[Victoria-nola]

One of my keets knows her name:

Ok, hatched shipped eggs and have 25 keets doing very well. My first-to-hatch keet was super early and wound up with spraddle-leg because the inside of incubator became slippery (will not leave chicks in incubator anymore) despite precautions. I treated said keet with vet-wrap, all went well and within 1 day no more problem. The cool thing was, I could recognize this keet because of the vet wrap. And I knew it was the first hatched because significantly larger than any of the others. So I started calling her "Number 1".

Matter of fact, Number 1 is the de facto leader of the group. So now when I add something or change the water or feed, I gently call her name in a sing-song voice, repeating as necessary until she makes her way to the front of the pack and then, really I swear, will step down and lead them to the new thing. It's so funny because she'll look at me in a particular way and I'm trying to figure out what it means.

I've seen this every day for 2 weeks so I have to believe it is real. "#1" knows her name and responds, and I am able to use that information to help the group.

Needless to say #1 will retain a legband. I absolutely love being able to know who s/he is. And, she's no longer the biggest, at all.

 

[guineapeeps]

One of my keets knows her name:

Ok, hatched shipped eggs and have 25 keets doing very well. My first-to-hatch keet was super early and wound up with spraddle-leg because the inside of incubator became slippery (will not leave chicks in incubator anymore) despite precautions. I treated said keet with vet-wrap, all went well and within 1 day no more problem. The cool thing was, I could recognize this keet because of the vet wrap. And I knew it was the first hatched because significantly larger than any of the others.  So I started calling her "Number 1". 

Matter of fact, Number 1 is the de facto leader of the group.  So now when I  add something or change the water or feed, I gently call her name in a sing-song voice, repeating as necessary until she makes her way to the front of the pack and then, really I swear, will step down and lead them to the new thing. It's so funny because she'll look at me in a particular way and I'm trying to figure out what it means.

I've seen this every day for 2 weeks so I have to believe it is real. "#1" knows her name and responds, and I am able to use that information to help the group.

Needless to say #1 will retain a legband.  I absolutely love being able to know who s/he is.  And, she's no longer the biggest, at all.

Awwww. How cute! I definitely agree that they can learn their name. I have a crippled hen, Pip, who absolutely knows here name. She doesn't get around as well as the others, so she spends more time in the coop during the day than the others, although she will go out to free range with the others some. Whenever I go outside, I will peek in on her. If she is not in the coop, I will call her and she will answer back. I know it's her because she has a different "buck wheat" and sounds a little like a goose. After she answers back, she makes her way back to the coop within a few minutes. She's rally more like a pet now!

 

[Victoria-nola]

Awwww. How cute! I definitely agree that they can learn their name. I have a crippled hen, Pip, who absolutely knows here name. She doesn't get around as well as the others, so she spends more time in the coop during the day than the others, although she will go out to free range with the others some. Whenever I go outside, I will peek in on her. If she is not in the coop, I will call her and she will answer back. I know it's her because she has a different "buck wheat" and sounds a little like a goose. After she answers back, she makes her way back to the coop within a few minutes. She's rally more like a pet now!

Oh how sweet! So the group doesn't pick on her for being crippled?

--V

 

[guineapeeps]

Oh how sweet!  So the group doesn't pick on her for being crippled?

--V

I only have 1 hen that is not very nice to her. Pip has not layed any eggs this year, but last year, she hatched some keets. I also hatched some in the incubator about the same time and put those under her as well and she accepted those without any problems. The problem came with the other hen who repeatedly tried to steal Pip's keets (This same hen has keet-napped babies from other young hens. She is my oldest hen and lays and hatches more eggs than any bird I've ever seen, so you wouldn't think she'd need to hijack more!). On the flip side, one of the male Guineas that Pip was raised with would sit in the coop with her and chase the other Guineas off if they picked on her. Sadly, he was picked off by a predator last year, so she is on her own now, although most of the others seem to treat her ok.

 

[guineapeeps]

Ok good, we will move the brooder into the new space and make no changes in it until they are acclimated. Yes, after freaking them out so bad when I changed their water jar for one with labels and they wouldn't drink water during a hot afternoon I'm VERY aware of not wanting to do anything too sudden.  Thanks for info on pine shavings, I was going to switch to them from hay (cannot obtain actual straw in our area, which drives me mad!), but I won't until they are more grown (this begs the question of what will happen to the semi-wild keets that are born/raised in the new Big Coop using pine shavings in the Deep Litter Method, but I have to assume the moms will help them).  Ok, we'll go ahead and put in some high roosts in this temporary space, it shouldn't be more than a couple of weeks but it's big enough that if it goes longer they'll be ok.  

The clear tarps aren't really clear, more like translucent-- they are actually super heavy, UV protected, etc, but very glad to hear you think they'd like it:
http://ptmtarps.com/clear-heavy-duty-tarps/   I also am planning to add some shade cloth for the Big Coop and plan to get green color, to emulate their preference for roosting in trees.  I have heard folks talk about how guineas don't like their coop, and I'm trying to address some of those problems via design. Thanks for the feedback about shade.  We hope that in the long run it will be less important because they'll be free-ranging during the day, and it will have a lot of ventilation.  The best place for us to site the Big Coop has morning shade but afternoon sun, unfortunately the opposite of ideal, but I've just had an idea about how to improve on the site choice, so I'll let you know more about that later.

Predators-- the hoop coop is armored completely in 1/2-inch hardware cloth, so even if a predator tore the tarp they couldn't get inside.  This particular version is not built heavy enough to withstand a bear attack, but we don't have bears as a general rule in our area. We built it a little lightly because it is meant to be temporary-- thus the hardware-cloth apron instead of buried perimeter.  Since we came to understand that shelter would indeed be required for our guineas to have a self-sustaining population, we take it very seriously. We want them as partners on our farm for insect control.  And of course, the enjoyment of animals as companions. We have 5 cats, 2 medium-size house dogs (black pug and gray schnoodle), 2 pet potbelly pigs, our chickens, and now guineas. We are looking to add an outdoor dog or two, and are thinking about dairy goats.

More on predators: The plans here on BYC called "permanent hoop coop," which we are adapting for our use, have an electrified wire around the outside perimeter of the coop, near the ground, to prevent predators from nosing around the coop and scaring the birds-- this seems to have merit. But, I've noticed that our chickens like to scratch and forage around the perimeter of their coop, so I'm worried that an electric perimeter might zap the guineas themselves and freak them out about the coop. What do you think?

Thank you for all your help!!!!

Regarding the pine shavings, if the pieces of shavings are bigger in size, I don't think it would be a big deal. Also, if the keets are a few weeks old, it's probably not a big deal either. My problem came when my keets were first hatched and just starting to eat. I had finer, small sized shavings that I put in the brooder temporarily and immediately noticed the keets eating it. I removed it right away so it didn't cause any problems. Just something to keep and eye on.....

 

[SunHwaKwon]

The clear cover may act like a greenhouse during the day.

 

[Victoria-nola]

Quote:
Oh wow I teared up reading that. Very interesting, thank you.

 

[Victoria-nola]

Regarding the pine shavings, if the pieces of shavings are bigger in size, I don't think it would be a big deal. Also, if the keets are a few weeks old, it's probably not a big deal either. My problem came when my keets were first hatched and just starting to eat. I had finer, small sized shavings that I put in the brooder temporarily and immediately noticed the keets eating it. I removed it right away so it didn't cause any problems. Just something to keep and eye on.....

Ok cool. I use the large flakes, not the smaller stuff. I can definitely see that the mealy stuff would present a real hazard to chicks or keets. Thank you!

 

[Victoria-nola]

The clear cover may act like a greenhouse during the day.

Thank you, have thought about that. That's where the shade-cloth comes in. There is such a positive qualitative difference of the shade cast by 75% shadecloth over clear, vs. an opaque dark tarp (which get totally hot underneath in any case). And ventilation is super important-- the clear tarp will only cover the roof, not the sides, which for 9 months of the year or more will be open, just the security hardware cloth. And the front and rear walls are open completely. We're in the Deep South with zero snowfall. In the depths of winter we can add coverage if needed to block cold wind.

I'll post photos of the Big Coop when we get it done. We will be finishing the temporary coop today and moving the keets into it-- will take a photo and post.

--V