Where to get guinea from?

[robin416]

Mrs. Fluffy Puffy :

Oh, thanks! In summer we have TONS of grass hoppers that DESTROY our garden! Will they eat snakes or at least warn us so that we can kill them?

Are they kinda stupid? Would they drown in the horse tank?

Could they be housed with my chickens? Or would they beat - up on my roosters? And my hens for that matter? If they couldn't be housed with my chickens then I have a building I might could put them in!

No, they are not stupid. But until you've lived with them for a while its rather hard to tell. They have a purpose for everything they do. At times it appears that one is attacking another but if you look at the big picture there is a reason for the "attack" such as its "time to go to bed, fool. Get in the coop." That is generally the flock leader or leaders trying to get his/their flock under control.

Just like any non swimming animal if they land in the water they are going to drown. One of my dogs rescued one of my Guineas when it ended up in the middle of the pond.

There are two times of the year that Guineas can be a problem around roosters, Spring and Fall. Spring is easy to figure out, its mating season. Fall I haven't seen the reason for it so far. Guineas also attack as a flock, which is good when going after an interloper but bad for the roo being attacked.

Guineas may or may not kill snakes. Mine don't see Black snakes, which is fine since I want them around for mousing. But they will come running if they hear my gun to see what they can help with. They will join the dogs to run off an interloper. They will run a deer off, or a fox, or a cat or whatever else they perceive as not belonging.

They are trainable with patience and understanding of their flock dynamic. They will share in the raising and caring of keets. The females will co brood a nest.

They love Japanese beetles. I set a modified scent trap up for beetles so the Guineas can get at them easily.

They will develop a favorite dust hole and it will get so deep you can't see the birds in them.

Their night vision is very poor to non existent. If they are not in their coop before dark chances are they are not going to get in without help.

They are hardy, healthy birds. Other than worming they need a decent feed, fresh water just like our chickens. Actually I've found the Guineas to be hardier than the chickens.​

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Well it sounds like guines are what I need! I would probably want a dark colored bird because coyotes come up ALOT! But I would want to train the guineas to go back to the coop at night! I couldn't sleep at night if I knew they could be dinner for some hungry critter! Do they eat alot of grass seed and weed seeds? Will they roam alot or will they stay close to home? Thanks for all the info!

 

[robin416]

I have lavender and white. As far as color and coyotes, I don't think it matters that much since they operate on scent and not sight. The darker colors are supposed to be better to hide them from predator birds. I've had one hawk attack, the hawk lost. The Guinea did have a couple of rakes on its back but was fine other wise.

Guineas can be trained to return to their coop before dark each night using a treat. I use millet. If its necessary to put the birds up earlier than normal I know they'll answer my call because of their addiction to millet. Although a ton of patience is needed in the Spring. The females are reluctant to return to the coop and their mates will refuse to leave them.

They need to be trained to lay their eggs in the coop so they will not nest in the brush. Listen for the egg call in Feb or March or April (depends on the part of the country) and once that sound is heard leave the birds up until eggs are laid for the day. Not an easy thing to do but once trained they will return to their nests to lay.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

As far as colors go, you should visit the www.guineafarm.com/descriptions.html website.

They house and breed ALL of the colors of Guinea Fowl. They even sell a chart of the different colored birds.

They show most of the Keets too !!

Oh, and they sell EGGS and older breeders too.

 

[swampducks]

I got my last batch from Estes hatchery and was very pleased with their service. Lost a few in shipping and they took care of the problem right away. I thought they would simply refund my money but instead sent me twice as many as I lost. Plus I happened to order late that summer and they had a huge sale so I got them cheap, too.

http://www.esteshatchery.com /

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Really?

That's so cool! Were is Estes hatchery at? Somewhere in Texas I hope!

Oh, okey! I would probably just start out with like 5 maybe and then if I like them then I would get ABUNCH!

Are they pretty loud? How many eggs will the guinea hen set on? Would I have to lock them up when they went broody so that nothing would get then hen? And one more thing how many eggs will the hens lay a week? Thanks for all the post it AWSOME!

 

[robin416]

A hen will lay every day during the season just as a chicken will. Nests can contain 15 to 20 eggs.

If your girls are laying in the coop the coop does not have to be locked while they are on the nest, chances that anything will get her during the daylight hours is pretty slim. Try not to disturb them while on the nest, Guineas are not as forgiving having them, their nest or eggs messed with.

They can be terrifically noisy, especially during Spring mating season. My boys will get quiet when I yell ENOUGH but the girls will completely ignore me.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Are the guinea eggs good to eat? Could I sale them? How much could I sale them for? Wow, 15 to 20 eggs? I guess you don't need to order abunch since they hatch that many! lol So don't mess with'em when they are in the nest. Well I guess there is some faults in everything!

 

[robin416]

Try not to think in terms of chickens when thinking about Guineas, their behaviors and needs can be very different. They are not chickens by any stretch. Some things about them are easier than chickens, others can drive you straight up the wall.

Keets should not be out with Momma until they are at least three weeks old, I prefer a month. Mom's are still very in touch with their wild genetics and will end up losing keets to wet grass, tall weeds and predators of all types.

New genetics will have to come in to the flock, when that happens depends on how many birds you start with. Less birds, sooner. More birds make a happier flock. Once my numbers hit the teens the birds became more stable as a flock. All of their attention was focused on flock members as opposed to other things like the chickens.

Yes, eggs can be sold. Depends on your market and what people are willing to pay. You also have to think about whether you want to disturb that nest because if they catch on they will not return to it. Keets go for five to eight dollars, depending on color. The more rare or flashy colors will bring more money.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

So do you think it would be better to hand raise the keets myself of let momma do it? Can I feed keets chick starter? If the guineas start to lay outside the coop then how do I find their nesting spot? Cause our place is HUGE, and they could lay anywhere!