I am almost done tryhing to keep guineas......

We had an opossum kill three of ours when they were 7 weeks old. It ripped through the side of the chicken tractor I was keeping them in temporarily. In the morning, I found half a carcass of one inside the tractor, and then two difference piles of feathers outside the tractor. Only one survived the attack, and we still have her. They would always sleep right up against the corner where there was no protection, as you can see in the pic. They'd sleep there in the rain too! I kept telling them, go under the cover where it's dry. That was a waste of breath!! haha! They can be pretty dumb!!!
PART_1498598359374_20170627_171855.jpg
 
Sounds like you don't have a very secure set-up for your guineas, I've never raised keets, I bought all my guineas as adults and clip their wings so they can't fly away from me or out of their runs. My advice to you is Totally secure what they live in before you get anymore. Look up ideas on what to put your guineas in to prevent them from escaping, Something like this would do amazingly. (Notice how the top if covered with game netting)
d3e1a7156de76af9423ea908fdf41f4d.jpg

If you free-range your guineas then you're just going to have to except that you're going to lose a few guineas here and there. Keep them in their coop with a covered run for a couple of months then let them out once they know where home is.

I really like your set-up. Very roomy!! Ours is small but we only have four guineas and they do not free-range because we have a ton of owls and hawks around here. They wouldn't last five minutes outside the coop.

This is our set-up. The back side has a tarp over the opening for the winter to keep the cold wind from blowing through, but during the summer, I remove it and it's hardware cloth so they can see right through but (hopefully) nothing can get in. We also have two hot wires running around the base of it in case anything tries to dig under.
20180217_143620-jpg.1312759
20180219_094806-jpg.1312762
 
I really like your set-up. Very roomy!! Ours is small but we only have four guineas and they do not free-range because we have a ton of owls and hawks around here. They wouldn't last five minutes outside the coop.

This is our set-up. The back side has a tarp over the opening for the winter to keep the cold wind from blowing through, but during the summer, I remove it and it's hardware cloth so they can see right through but (hopefully) nothing can get in. We also have two hot wires running around the base of it in case anything tries to dig under.
20180217_143620-jpg.1312759
20180219_094806-jpg.1312762
Very nice set-up~ Perfect for just 4. Although I do not own that picture, It was an example. My set-up for my guineas is an 8 x 10 coop with an electric fence around it, I don't use it anymore since It was just for training them to stay in that one area and go in the coop at night, They free range on my property so I don't have to worry about runs.
 
I raised my guineas in a chicken tractor next to my coop. Then moved them into half of the coop. Once my chickens grew up i built a tall hoop coop(10 feet high) for them. They kept returning to sleep on top of the coop. So i locked them in the hoop coop for 2 months. Now they know its home. The hens started laying but mostly outside so i let them out after they lay now. I lost 3 while in the brooder to a snake but still have my original 14. Knock on wood. Too bad only 4 are hens! We are on 13 acres so lots of room to roam. I do not clip wings, it helps them avoid predators. One night they didn't all return to roost and i had quite the adventure looking for them in the dark. I got 7 back in their coop. The others showed up in the morning.
 
I raised my guineas in a chicken tractor next to my coop. Then moved them into half of the coop. Once my chickens grew up i built a tall hoop coop(10 feet high) for them. They kept returning to sleep on top of the coop. So i locked them in the hoop coop for 2 months. Now they know its home. The hens started laying but mostly outside so i let them out after they lay now. I lost 3 while in the brooder to a snake but still have my original 14. Knock on wood. Too bad only 4 are hens! We are on 13 acres so lots of room to roam. I do not clip wings, it helps them avoid predators. One night they didn't all return to roost and i had quite the adventure looking for them in the dark. I got 7 back in their coop. The others showed up in the morning.
 
Got our first guineas in the middle of winter so they lived in a large dog cage in the basement for 3 months. Then moved them, cage and all in to the coop. Another couple weeks before they were let out into the coop, but fed in cage. Now they free range with the chickens. They do like roosting in the trees, but all food and water is in coop. Also bring treats to coop just before lock down. Greedy, bossy things don't like to miss out.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom