Raising Guinea Fowl 101

[SunHwaKwon]

Yep. If none of my guineas hatch out soon, I'll try to find a nest and get the eggs under a broody chicken. Usually once the nest is discovered, they won't get back on it, ime. But I still love them.

Don't let them see you and leave some eggs behind. That works for me.

 

[duluthralphie]

Don't let them see you and leave some eggs behind. That works for me.

Pretty hard to not let them see you when you run them over with a brush hog and they barely escape with their lives...Besides the dead give away to her having seen me was when she jumped to the side screamed that God awful Guinea scream and gave me the middle toe. I think she was mad at me.

 

[Nickeyo]

I've never had any other predator problem other than foxes, we don't have any owls around by me bigger than a barn owl and they hunt mice, not other large BOP able to take a Guinea and we don't have a stoat issue either, my neighbour breeds guineas for guard birds and chickens for showing, he's only ever lost adult birds to foxes, and his guineas live in the trees around his farm drive, I have 4 adults that are a year old and they still refuse to go up, I would like them to be tree trained so that they can be better guard birds and so they will be less maintenance than chickens but they really have turned out to be awkward little sods. Every night I wait out with them, and the chickens all go up and then the guineas just wait and wait and wait until I let them go in, I don't even feed them inside the coop/run anymore but they still won't leave smh, I'm sure they do it deliberately as surfing the day I'll come out and they will be in the trees grooming themselves or if they get scared they fly into the trees, but at night, no such luck

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Pretty hard to not let them see you when you run them over with a brush hog and they barely escape with their lives...Besides the dead give away to her having seen me was when she jumped to the side screamed that God awful Guinea scream and gave me the middle toe.  I think she was mad at me.

I was talking about collecting eggs for hatching without the nest being abandoned, which of course requires you to know where the nest is to begin with.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I've never had any other predator problem other than foxes, we don't have any owls around by me bigger than a barn owl and they hunt mice, not other large BOP able to take a Guinea and we don't have a stoat issue either, my neighbour breeds guineas for guard birds and chickens for showing, he's only ever lost adult birds to foxes, and his guineas live in the trees around his farm drive, I have 4 adults that are a year old and they still refuse to go up, I would like them to be tree trained so that they can be better guard birds and so they will be less maintenance than chickens but they really have turned out to be awkward little sods. Every night I wait out with them, and the chickens all go up and then the guineas just wait and wait and wait until I let them go in, I don't even feed them inside the coop/run anymore but they still won't leave smh, I'm sure they do it deliberately as surfing the day I'll come out and they will be in the trees grooming themselves or if they get scared they fly into the trees, but at night, no such luck

I'm sure they've figured out by now that if they wait long enough they're going to be let in. It seems there only way to train them to roost in the tree is to not offer the alternative.

 

[holm25]

Hello everyone! Figured I would join the Guinea thread so I can learn more about them! I only have 9 Guinea keets right now but hope to get more! I have 2 whites and 7 pearl/pied! The whites are the oldest and one has decided to scream "buckwheat"! The other hasnt yet so I assume it a male. Or just a late developer. And the 7 pied/pearl are to young to tell yet lol!

My female white.

And a pied.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Hello: Glad you found the BYC and the Guinea "Farm". I am sure all on here will be glad to answer any questions. Lovely Pics of the White Guinea Fowl. My only problem I have had with my Guines over the years is they
tend to lay their collective eggs in the most DUMB places. Raccoons, Foxes, Dogs and even the occasional Brush Hog have destroyed not only the nests but have also killed the Hens when they decide to sit.
It is so very hard to find the nests so I just keep them in their pen during the season and let them out when they stop laying. They seem to be OK with this and I have not lost many Guineas doing this.
WECOME.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Hello everyone! Figured I would join the Guinea thread so I can learn more about them! I only have 9 Guinea keets right now but hope to get more! I have 2 whites and 7 pearl/pied! The whites are the oldest and one has decided to scream "buckwheat"! The other hasnt yet so I assume it a male. Or just a late developer. And the 7 pied/pearl are to young to tell yet lol!

My female white.

And a pied.

Welcome! Are you sure those are pearl pied? They look different to me. Here you can see one of my pearl pied at about the same age

 

[Kim Z]

Ok folks. I need some moral support.
We rescued a group of guineas from deplorable conditions a few days ago. They are in quarantine right now after we removed their blinders and gave them a good once over looking for health issues. Then, after tending all of my own scratches and abrasions...
These are by far the most skittish and freaked out birds I have ever encountered. I have always hand raised my birds after hatching them or getting day old keets, so I am a bit spoiled by well mannered Guinea behavior.
Does anyone have any tips on how to integrate new adults with a history of abuse and mistreatment?
At least my lone male who lost his mate to a fox a few months ago is excited! He keeps pacing the fence line and looking at the new girls with romance in his eyes. Lol

 

[SunHwaKwon]

How many are there? One concern is that they would ostracize or pick on that lone male since they have already established their flock and pecking order.