How to free-range guinea keets

[Mo_fawaazzz]

My 2 keets are almost 6 weeks old, and I plan to free range them with the rest of my birds.

I have some rhode Island red pullets and a few turkeys and ducks that all free range and now return to their coop at evening.
It took a while for the turkeys to get used to this, but now they are the first birds to go back into the coop at evening.

The issue is that my guinea keets are tiny while the rest of my flock are larger birds. I want my guineafowl to mingle with the rest of my flock and perhaps return to their coop with them.

A long time ago, I let out a 3-day old guinea and I witnessed how fast they run..

I cannot let these guys roost in trees until they are older, so I want them to return to their coop with the chickens. Has anybody here had experience with raising guineafowl alongside chickens? Will the keets run/fly away and never return?

 

[red horse ranch]

I want my little guineas to be almost adult size before letting them free range. Around 3 months old. Your young guineas are too small right now and at this stage in their life they are afraid of everything. They need to be broken in to free ranging gradually.

I would recommend going to the articles section and reading the raising young guineas (6 weeks to 3 months) article.

 

[cvamoca]

My 2 keets are almost 6 weeks old, and I plan to free range them with the rest of my birds.

I have some rhode Island red pullets and a few turkeys and ducks that all free range and now return to their coop at evening.
It took a while for the turkeys to get used to this, but now they are the first birds to go back into the coop at evening.

The issue is that my guinea keets are tiny while the rest of my flock are larger birds. I want my guineafowl to mingle with the rest of my flock and perhaps return to their coop with them.

A long time ago, I let out a 3-day old guinea and I witnessed how fast they run..

I cannot let these guys roost in trees until they are older, so I want them to return to their coop with the chickens. Has anybody here had experience with raising guineafowl alongside chickens? Will the keets run/fly away and never return?

I have a chicken hen who raised 4 keets last year with one chicken chick. This year she has 6 keets- 2 I raised for 2 weeks in the house til she hatched out her own chicks- she has about 25 chicks and her 6 keets. They are great- last year's all come home and nest in the barn. And while I have WAY more males than females (7 to 3), no one really fights. A wild guinea just had 3 keets, me and my 3 tamest Guinea boys managed to slowly get her into the barn and into a pen, they refused to leave her and the keets cry if one goes out- so she's in a 6X6 pen with 3 males and 3 keets. And everyone's happy. She hates me but doesn't attack and lets me change feed and water. And because I held them for almost 24 hours before we got the hen in, the keets are pretty tame. The hen's the pearl, the boys are the light lav or porcelaine.The funky run is so I can get my old butt over the gate.

 

[cvamoca]

I have a chicken hen who raised 4 keets last year with one chicken chick. This year she has 6 keets- 2 I raised for 2 weeks in the house til she hatched out her own chicks- she has about 25 chicks and her 6 keets. They are great- last year's all come home and nest in the barn. And while I have WAY more males than females (7 to 3), no one really fights. A wild guinea just had 3 keets, me and my 3 tamest Guinea boys managed to slowly get her into the barn and into a pen, they refused to leave her and the keets cry if one goes out- so she's in a 6X6 pen with 3 males and 3 keets. And everyone's happy. She hates me but doesn't attack and lets me change feed and water. And because I held them for almost 24 hours before we got the hen in, the keets are pretty tame. The hen's the pearl, the boys are the light lav or porcelaine.The funky run is so I can get my old butt over the gate.

Just an update- the pearl hen and her guards and keets are all fine, the boys leave every day and no idea if the same ones come back in, but they are incredibly solicitous to these tiny babies. I throw out my used canary/finch seed and was watching one pick up a tiny millet seed, make a sound, and then drop in front of the keets. I should band the males so I can tell if they are always the same.They appear to be great parents but of course that's in a pen, not outside.

 

[cvamoca]

Just an update- the pearl hen and her guards and keets are all fine, the boys leave every day and no idea if the same ones come back in, but they are incredibly solicitous to these tiny babies. I throw out my used canary/finch seed and was watching one pick up a tiny millet seed, make a sound, and then drop in front of the keets. I should band the males so I can tell if they are always the same.They appear to be great parents but of course that's in a pen, not outside.

As far as I can tell there are 2 main guys. One never leaves her, the second wants out soon as I open the barn, but he always returns after bathing and feeding.
For colors- one's dundote I think, light beige stripes, One's lavender and the other's blue, I also have 3 of hers that are pearl, and another LAv and porcelaine.
All my light birds have been male, I was wondering if it's sexlinked or just bad luck, but I think one of my older tame keets is female.
Feel sorry for my 2 naked necks and 2 silkies who are living in same pen, just on the upper level. Smart birds, rarely come to floor...the guineas all really like the silkies but that was before babies.