Taming Guineas

[Texasaggie]

Has anyone else had success taming their guineas? I read "Gardening with Guineas" before even considering getting them and I know it is possible. Ours arrived three days ago. We have 18 of them. I have them in the largest tote I could find at the moment and I change out their paper towel bedding several times a day by moving them from the dirty tote to a clean tote. I pick up each one, set it on my lap, and give it some gentle pets before releasing it into the clean tote. They don't seem to be getting used to me though. They're only getting more skittish and wiggly making it hard to hold them. Am I doing something wrong? Is it because the brooder area I have is just too small? Is it because I had to order mine and wasn't there when they hatched? Should I

Mine seemed completely wild and skittish from the get-go. I tried the holding for exactly one day but gave it up as it was too stressful for me & the guineas. My crew is completely untamable, but I think every pack is different, which is why there is so much seemingly-contradictory information on the internet, such as they do/don't get along with chickens (mine did...until they didn't and on one random day decided the chickens must die) they are/aren't good mothers (mine are terrible and one has actually EATEN one of her own keets...now I take them away as soon as they're hatched). Good luck! LOL

 

[The Sniper]

Ive never seen a tame guinea in my life. the second mine left a covered pen they started roosting 50 feet up a tree and it was 20' to the first branch. their wings were clipped.
mine were tamed with mayflies of which we had abundance, until they were about a month old, and then they decided I was their enemy

 

[NickiV]

Mine seemed completely wild and skittish from the get-go. I tried the holding for exactly one day but gave it up as it was too stressful for me & the guineas. My crew is completely untamable, but I think every pack is different, which is why there is so much seemingly-contradictory information on the internet, such as they do/don't get along with chickens (mine did...until they didn't and on one random day decided the chickens must die) they are/aren't good mothers (mine are terrible and one has actually EATEN one of her own keets...now I take them away as soon as they're hatched). Good luck! LOL

Oh no! Granted mine are only a couple weeks old, but so far the advice to get low and offer feed or treats from my hand and wait for them to come when called is working. They will all come when called. I can pick them up if I pick them up from the bottom instead of from above, though some still don't like it and will take off if not held tightly. I haven't been forcing them to stay if they don't want to. I've even got a few of them to fly up, sit on my hand, and let me pet them for a treat. Not sure if they'll suddenly turn on me one day, but it'll be quite some time yet before they leave the coup, and I probably won't let them out of their run until spring so I've got some time yet to win them over

 

[R2elk]

such as they do/don't get along with chickens (mine did...until they didn't and on one random day decided the chickens must die)

This is normal. Guineas that were imprinted as keets by chicks lose the ability to understand that chickens are different from guineas.

Everything can seem wonderful until suddenly it isn't. This normally happens at the start of the first breeding season when their instincts really kick in.

They treat the chickens the same as they would treat other guineas. The chickens do not understand and do not know how to show submission in a manner that guineas understand so the attacks keep on.

My guineas that were not chicken imprinted and were housed separately would not bother my chickens at all when they were all out free ranging in the same area. Each group would keep to themselves and not bother the other groups.