Went to TC ti buy water battle came out with 12 assorted Guinea kids, now what?!?!

[Pipica]

Since I have in my garage bruooder with 36 chicks, it was quite fast getting them set up in the extra bird cage that I had. Store employees told me to feed them non medicated chicken crumbs and that’s what they got. I will reed and educate myself but I need help quickly if I’m doing something wrong. Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

 

[sourland]

Have you had Guinea fowl before? Life is about to get interesting.

 

[R2elk]

Since I have in my garage brooder with 36 chicks, it was quite fast getting them set up in the extra bird cage that I had. Store employees told me to feed them non medicated chicken crumbs and that’s what they got. I will reed and educate myself but I need help quickly if I’m doing something wrong. Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

You were lied to.

Do not brood the keets with the chicks. You will be sorry later.

Keets need a high protein turkey or game bird starter. Chick starter does not have the levels of protein, lysine, methionine or niacin that keets need for proper development.

Brooding keets with chicks causes them to be imprinted. When they are adults they will not be able to understand that chickens are not guineas and they will treat the chickens the same way they treat each other. Guineas have entirely different instincts than any other poultry.

Other poultry do not understand the races and chases and attacks from behind with the feather pulling and feather breaking. The other poultry do not understand the attacks en masse that guineas also use.

Other poultry do not know how to show submission in guinea causing the attacks to keep going on.

Read the thread Raising Guinea Fowl 101 and pay particular attention to posts by @PeepsCA.

 

[Pipica]

Have you had Guinea fowl before? Life is about to get interesting.

Nope. Never did and planned maybe in a couple of years but today….. I was trigger happy. Got into my car and omg , what have I done!!! Lol.

 

[Pipica]

You were lied to.

Do not brood the keets with the chicks. You will be sorry later.

Keets need a high protein turkey or game bird starter. Chick starter does not have the levels of protein, lysine, methionine or niacin that keets need for proper development.

Brooding keets with chicks causes them to be imprinted. When they are adults they will not be able to understand that chickens are not guineas and they will treat the chickens the same way they treat each other. Guineas have entirely different instincts than any other poultry.

Other poultry do not understand the races and chases and attacks from behind with the feather pulling and feather breaking. The other poultry do not understand the attacks en masse that guineas also use.

Other poultry do not know how to show submission in guinea causing the attacks to keep going on.

Read the thread Raising Guinea Fowl 101 and pay particular attention to posts by @PeepsCA.

Thank you, I’m not having them in the same brooder they are just in a same garage. I’ll get food tomorrow. Any game food in particular? And thank you.

 

[R2elk]

Thank you, I’m not having them in the same brooder they are just in a same garage. I’ll get food tomorrow. Any game food in particular? And thank you.

Turkey or game bird starter. preferably around 28% to 30% protein. Here Tractor Supply carries Purina Game Bird starter.

 

[Sydney65]

I've never had chickens, so can't address a comparison. It seems most describe chickens basically as docile lap dogs, and guinea are definitely NOT that.
With guinea, it's best to start early and handle often. I've both raised guinea in my house and let the guinea raise them. My boys have always been very active in raising them, but that isn't always the case. I'm not sure it's even the norm, but possibly a case of the boys being ones I raised.
The ones I raised and handled still trust me as adults, & there's very little I can't do with them. The ones raised by guinea- well, I'm pretty much enemy #1 to them.
Training is possible and important. A sound, a whistle, the rattling of treat inside a coffee can - whatever works for you but consistant, will bring them back to you, get them in the coop, etc.
These days I always have a stray who decides to be obstinate when it's time to line up and return to the run, and it could take hours trying to round them up.
Needless to say, it's been cold lately, and no time for that. It's easier to lock everyone else in the coop and leave the run door open for the other to return (mine go in way before dark so I can go back out and lock the run).
I've found myself singing Backstreet Boys "Everybody" except I say "everybody move your body" - assoon as I sing "everybody", they start heading for the coop.