Think I'm going to order some guinea keets--questions

[daylily]

I use the millet, White millet. They do like it or a bit of alfalfa hay works too. They never got the hang of eating the meal worms and they are expensive. If I didn't hate jumping bugs so much I would go to the pet store and get them a box of crickets. They love crickets! Right now I'm out of all but the alfalfa so that does the trick. If I can get one in the next one is not far behind. Then the male who is always the last finally parades enough and then finally walks so VERY slowly in like he is the King. LOL Just keep thinking that Baby!

Raen, where in Southern Maine do you live? I am only about 30 min from the border of Maine. We come in around Acton, Sanford area. It's nice to know someone lives fairly close by from on here.

 

[OHSpartan]

At what age do you start teaching guinneas the "bribe"? Is this something you should teach in the brooding box?

 

[JLeigh]

IMHO, as soon as you want them to go from point A to point B, and they won't cooperate any other way. I don't bribe in the run - only on the occasions when they don't coop themselves at night, I'm alone and don't have a herding partner, and the herding sticks don't work.

But what I do is give them their mealworms at about the same time every night, in the same place. I think that's important because they can learn that routine. My chosen place is close to the house (the porch) because I can easily keep that up. With guineas, in my experience, training is all about patience and routine. Often times now I'll look outside around 6:00 p.m., and there they are, hanging around the porch waiting. I take them their mealworms then. (I wonder if it's ME that's trained...hmmmm.)

Mealworms cost A LOT of money - $15.00 for 10 ounces. They don't get many, let me tell you, but I can drop one or two every 10 feet or so and they'll follow - as long as they can see you drop the mealworm. I hope your guineas like something cheaper!

 

[Raen]

Daylily, we're currently in North Berwick, just south of Sanford, and the new house is in Lebanon. Nice to meet you.

 

[prairie]

We use plain old chicken scratch -- our guineas love it-- more so than chicken feed. I have trained them to come when I say 'treat, treat'

I start out at the gate of the run and then step into the run and drop some more. When they come in then close the gate. They are easy to get into the coop then.

Our guineas and chickens and ducks free range.
Good luck -- you will love guineas! However as some have said they are just plain not the brightest birds around!

 

[daylily]

Daylily, we're currently in North Berwick, just south of Sanford, and the new house is in Lebanon. Nice to meet you.

That is not that far at all from me! I love your Avitar! That would look awesome in my kitchen. I checked out your website and love your Paintings! I am an artist as well, I do mostly commissions now but I love doing illustrations for children's books. I don't often get to choose the subject matter so each book becomes it's own challenge. I too work in watercolors mostly. But I'm really hoping to do some oils this summer. I really want to do a series of the guineas and how the sun glints off the feathers. I love quirky art as that is so me! Quirky.

Hope to see you often on here and good luck with the new house.

 

[Raen]

Thanks for the complements, daylily! I haven't been painting much lately; need to get back to it. I tend to do art in fits and spurts, but maybe the goofy guineas will inspire me.

I just got an e-mail from someone in NH responding to my craigslist ad seeking adult guineas. She wants to know my best offer for some that were hatched last summer...frankly I don't know what to tell her! I would really like adults because I feel like they'll be able to get to work on the tick population this summer, plus I wouldn't have the cost of raising keets.

Any suggestions? I'm leaning toward $18-20 a bird?

 

[daylily]

Sounds pretty reasonable to me. How many does she have for sale? Where is she? I may be interested as well.

You deserve the compliment, and I know exactly what you mean about getting back to it. I haven't painted a thing in two years! Long story! But I am getting some ideas and need to start sketching soon.

Let me know what she says. I may be interested in two. Colors matter not.

 

[daylily]

I found my guineas nest this morning so I'm going to hatch! Also there is an add from June 1 about keets for sale in Gilminton, NH $6.00 each. That I found on craig'slist yesterday. I am going to wait on anymore to see what I get from these 7 that I have now. Hope the older birds work out for you. SIX WEEKS in the coop! NO matter what the guineas have to say about it! They will get right down to work as soon as they are able to come out and the imprint will have been made.

 

[Raen]

I don't know many details on the older guineas, the woman is kind of vague on her e-mails. We'll see. She says she needs to figure out which birds are paired up? Didn't get an answer on the number of birds available. I'll let you know if I get more info.