Taming Guineas

[NickiV]

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 interact with them differently? If anyone has managed this before please let me know you're secrets!

 

[R2elk]

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 interact with them differently? If anyone has managed this before please let me know you're secrets!

Approaching from above terrifies them as it is instinctive behavior to avoid flying predators.

Put some food in your hand and slowly lower your hand into their brooder ant bedding level, hold your hand still and let them approach you. If you stay still long enough they will eventually crawl up into your hand to eat.

Personally I prefer all my poultry to not be human imprinted.

@Sydney65

Hope I tagged the right Sydney.

 

[Gill-b]

I agree with @R2elk. I think try let the keets come to you. I had a rescued keet which had freedom of my house and garden. It followed me everywhere I went and it regarded me as its mother, so it was as tame as a Guinea Fowl can be. However, even so, it did not like me to pick it up from above. It would run a few steps away from me and then turn to look up at me. So if I wanted to pick it up I would try get as close to its level as possible and then stretch out my hand so it would come to me.


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And don't underestimate the power of treats. I used live wriggling mealworms which worked a charm every time.

Does anyone know if sitting on a floor, with the keets, with food or treats on your lap works to get keets to come to you?

 

[NickiV]

I agree with @R2elk. I think try let the keets come to you. I had a rescued keet which had freedom of my house and garden. It followed me everywhere I went and it regarded me as its mother, so it was as tame as a Guinea Fowl can be. However, even so, it did not like me to pick it up from above. It would run a few steps away from me and then turn to look up at me. So if I wanted to pick it up I would try get as close to its level as possible and then stretch out my hand so it would come to me.


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And don't underestimate the power of treats. I used live wriggling mealworms which worked a charm every time.

Does anyone know if sitting on a floor, with the keets, with food or treats on your lap works to get keets to come to you?

Is it ok to introduce treats into their diet this early? They aren't even a week old yet.

 

[R2elk]

Is it ok to introduce treats into their diet this early? They aren't even a week old yet.

Yes but at a minimum amount and they must have appropriate sized grit available or they won't be able to digest them.

FYI, if you plan to allow your guineas access to your garden, do not feed them trats from the garden. As adults they will remember those treats and help themselves to them.

 

[NickiV]

Yes but at a minimum amount and they must have appropriate sized grit available or they won't be able to digest them.

FYI, if you plan to allow your guineas access to your garden, do not feed them trats from the garden. As adults they will remember those treats and help themselves to them.

I have chick sized grit. I also have white millet and meal worms. I planned to only give them edible weeds for greens so they didn't go after my lettuce.

 

[Gill-b]

Is it ok to introduce treats into their diet this early? They aren't even a week old yet.

Oops! I totally did not think of that. Thank you @R2elk for your wisdom.

To explain, @NickiV, my rescued keet was from a wild flock of indigenous Guinea Fowl that live in our residential area, so I gave the keet assess to my garden as that is where these Guinea Fowl naturally forage and rear their keets.

 

[R2elk]

I have chick sized grit. I also have white millet and meal worms. I planned to only give them edible weeds for greens so they didn't go after my lettuce.

Once mine were a week old I would give them short grass clippings that I cut and dropped from above. It greatly reduced their fear of things from above.

 

[SamLockwood]

In general guinea fowl are going to be more stand-offish than chickens, especially the hens. Both chicks and keets will initially be very friendly when they first hatch, and within a week their instincts will kick in and they'll get shy.

Personally, I try to handle my birds as little as possible. Hygeine is one reason: I've seen some of the places they dust-bathe in. The other is I free-range mine all day and I'd rather their survival instincts be as razor-sharp as possible. One night I had a hen roosting on the roof of the run and when I got up there to dislodge her in the dark she screamed and jumped the instant my fingers touched her. It took me a while to herd the night-blind hen into the run but I'm guessing she's probably going to survive a long time with those reflexes.

Guinea fowl are more feral than regular poultry, so a lot of things you can take for granted with chickens and ducks require you to spend time training them: using the coop at night, staying on your property, etc. On the plus side, they're more receptive to being herded due to their stronger flock instincts and they also understand pointing.

I can get mine to come when I call them (though it helps to have their favorite treat in hand), I can usually herd them into the run or another part of the property with a couple basic hand gestures.

 

[NickiV]

I've never had chickens or any other poultry so I don't have any preconceived notions about their behavior other than what I've read.

I don't want them to snuggle with me, but I would like to be able to pick them up without a fight if needed. I also need to be able to train them somewhat to come when called and to stay on the property. We only have four acres. It's no city lot, but it isn't a 40 acre farm either and I don't want them jumping over my unsociable neighbor's fence or wandering into the road.

They will be confined to their coup for at least 2 months. I will be letting them into their run after that which is fully enclosed, including the top. I'm debating not letting them into the rest of the yard until spring by that point in the year.