Raising Guinea Fowl 101

[R2elk]

My Guineas were raised on good quality wild bird seed,

Wild bird seed is a low protein and high fat food. As such it is not close to the high protein feed that guineas should be raised on.

Treats should be kept to a minimum and should not be the main food for any poultry. If you want your guineas to have short lives then keep feeding them low protein, high fat foods.

 

[CityGuineas]

Thank you so kindly! I have read that you release one at a time, but keep them cooped for 2- 6 weeks??? 6 seems soo long! I don't like thought of clipping their wings, period.I agree, bad idea!

 

[CityGuineas]

Oh my, I had no idea!!! Ok, I appreciate your kind info- that I have been feeding them poorly for 2 years...but what specifically is best to buy them?
I will go to feed store if need be...thanks so much, -Lisa, Rosie n Lee's human

 

[R2elk]

Thank you so kindly! I have read that you release one at a time, but keep them cooped for 2- 6 weeks??? 6 seems soo long! I don't like thought of clipping their wings, period.I agree, bad idea!

Every situation is different but a god rule of thumb is if you start with adult guineas, six weeks is about what it takes for them to understand that it is their home. If you already have a flock of guineas that you are adding them to, it can take as few as a couple of weeks. Starting with keets, they don't really have to learn a new home so it can take less time to acclimate them.

Oh my, I had no idea!!! Ok, I appreciate your kind info- that I have been feeding them poorly for 2 years...but what specifically is best to buy them?
I will go to feed store if need be...thanks so much, -Lisa, Rosie n Lee's human

A good 20% protein all flock feed (aka flock raiser) is an excellent feed for adult guineas. Keets should be started on a good turkey or gamebird starter for the first 6 weeks, a turkey or gamebird grower for the next 6 weeks before being transitioned to an all flock feed.

 

[CityGuineas]

Wild bird seed is a low protein and high fat food. As such it is not close to the high protein feed that guineas should be raised on.

Treats should be kept to a minimum and should not be the main food for any poultry. If you want your guineas to have short lives then keep feeding them low protein, high fat foods.

Oh my, I had no idea!!! Ok, I appreciate your kind info- that I have been feeding them poorly for 2 years...but what specifically is best to buy them?
I will go to feed store if need be...thanks so much, -Lisa, Rosie n Lee's human

View attachment 1818799

My guineas were picky as far as treats go, so I tried lots of different things. This is the one thing that they loved. They went crazy for it...like crack for guineas! I got it all Walmart but you can probably get it all sorts of places. They seemed to like the orange zest kind the best.
As for the confinement, guineas will be perpetually unhappy until they can roam some. And for clipping their wings, I would make sure that there are no predators that can get ahold of them, otherwise they’ll get picked off by something in short order.

View attachment 1818799

My guineas were picky as far as treats go, so I tried lots of different things. This is the one thing that they loved. They went crazy for it...like crack for guineas! I got it all Walmart but you can probably get it all sorts of places. They seemed to like the orange zest kind the best.
As for the confinement, guineas will be perpetually unhappy until they can roam some. And for clipping their wings, I would make sure that there are no predators that can get ahold of them, otherwise they’ll get picked off by something in short order.

Every situation is different but a god rule of thumb is if you start with adult guineas, six weeks is about what it takes for them to understand that it is their home. If you already have a flock of guineas that you are adding them to, it can take as few as a couple of weeks. Starting with keets, they don't really have to learn a new home so it can take less time to acclimate them.

A good 20% protein all flock feed (aka flock raiser) is an excellent feed for adult guineas. Keets should be started on a good turkey or gamebird starter for the first 6 weeks, a turkey or gamebird grower for the next 6 weeks before being transitioned to an all flock feed.

 

[CityGuineas]

Thank you so very much for your help! My Guineas, Rosie and Lee turned 2 in Dec. They were preceded by Gypsy, a free ranging Male that wandered into our neighborhood 5 years ago.After my parents died, and Gypsy mostly fed and slept in my backyard- while all the hood loved him( except for the one neighbor who wants to sue me for my babies damaging her plants- which I promptly paid for!)- he died shortly after these two arrived at about 8mo.old.At first they stayed in little coop, then as they became adults I let them wander with Gypsy , as he did for 5 yrs, until he died! Last year Rosie and Lee mostly avoided "forbidden yard "- seems they know where they are welcomed...until last week when Rosie became "stuck" in bamboo plants in a vacant yard.Lee knows his name and always returns to my oak tree- but that was a very scary experience. Hence, building coop, investing $$ in it, and now keeping them in it in a last ditch effort to train them.Also heard tales of a raccoon in neighborhood, so Rosie's misadventure- along with new threat- has me trying very hard to resurrect my mistakes in raising them.

 

[CityGuineas]

As they say, no animal problems in life, just people problem s. I am proof of that!

 

[CityGuineas]

Oh, I forgot to mention that it was my sweet Dad in law- who raises chickens- that gave me Rosie and Lee, as therapy for being so lost in grief. While I can't pet them, I do believe that they regard me with as much affection- almost- as I do them.They are calm as I sit out here on patio with them in the heat, anyway.

 

[NashvilleLuLu]

Tractor supply has a game bird feeder if you ask them to order it in they will.

This is the only game bird feed Tractor Supply carries and it's supposedly to be fed til 16 weeks, https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...d-flight-conditioner-50-lb-50-lb?cm_vc=-10005

 

[NashvilleLuLu]

I would not mix chick starter with the flock raiser. While your chick starter may have a higher protein concentration, it does not have the necessary concentrations of lysine, methionine and niacin. By mixing the chick starter in you are reducing the concentrations of those ingredients below their optimum levels.

Keets being fed the optimum feed will grow faster and healthier and will crap more. Guinea excrement also seems to have a higher odor factor than other poultry.

While Tractor Supply does not carry proper game bird feed they do carry Purina feeds. Purina does make proper game bird feeds. Depending on the local TSC management they can order in the proper feed.

I didn't mention that we've been continuing the Super B Complex in their per your recommendation. Oh and yes I am very aware of the significantly more odoriferous excrement. LOL. I was just wondering if the 5% fiber was contributing to the volume of it.