# anyone raise guineas?



## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

That would be guinea fowl, not pigs.
I have always wanted some so this year we found a guy with a cheap price and picked up 7 keats. They are 10 days old so well started. Is there much difference between raising these and chickens? We have a pen that we raised turkeys in last year for when they get bigger. Then I hope they will be able to free range with everybody else. I do not even know if they roost or rest on the ground. Guess I better get a book, huh? :shrug:


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Had guineas. They roost in trees. Care is the same as for chickens. They are great at eating ticks. The ones we had were very flighty and loud so we found them a home and just kept the calmer chickens. We think part of our issue was they were all hens and may have wanted a boy around. :shrug: I know people who keep them without as much a issue as we had.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

From my experience with the ones my mom had, they were great for bug control..especially ticks and they were our alarm system when there was ANYTHING around that didn't belong. They do give good eggs, though small and when they went to bed at night, they would roost in the tree by the hen house.

Steph is a member here and she recently got a few keets, maybe send her an email as far as how she cares for them.


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## cdtrum (Aug 25, 2008)

I had a small flock, gave them away because of their noise! One would get out of chicken yard and then it and the others would cause such a ruckess until I would go help the one find its way back in......I had them in with my hens.......I could not let them roam free on the farm due to my terriers!


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## maple hill farm tina (Mar 14, 2010)

We have some. They're definitely not my favorite creatures on the farm, but they do have their purpose. We have only found three ticks on our dog, total, this year; and we have had NO trouble with Japanese beetles in our garden. Also, they are VERY independent once they're grown. During the spring and summer we don't even feed ours. They gather their own food free-range. The things I don't like about them: they roost up high (trees and fence tops)and will not roost in the coop we built for them (even though we built it according to the specifications we found from a guinea site online), they are not friendly (even though we've raised them from a week old and spent LOTS of time with them), and they are LOUD (MUCH louder than anything we've ever experienced before or were prepared for, even though we'd read about their noise. It's something you cannot understand until you hear it for yourself). My husband calls them cacaphonous minions of satan...if that gives you any idea. :wink: That said, we deal with the negatives because our garden literally provides MOST of our food throughout the summer and canning/preserving provides a good percentage of our food, year round. So, to us, they are worth the aggravation.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Thank you for the feed back everyone. I have already found out about the noise and they are still so little. YIKES!!!!!! I put them in the bathroom behind my bedroom they are so loud (and persistant) with just peeping.
I have heard that the eggs are especially good for baking and I do a lot of that. We do not like to spray so do want the bug eating. We had ducks that did a pretty good job but once the garden came in they had to be penned. We do have a pecan tree they will probably love to roost in. Also, we had to get rid of our yard dog so I like the idea of them being protective.
We actually bought them from someone who lives in town. They would not let us into their back yard so I do not know how they kept them. They bought a pair as pets for their kids and they had babies. We do have some fairly close proximity neighbors with whom we get along and I do not want to ruin that. So we shall see. :thankU:


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## Randi (Apr 22, 2011)

Had a lot of guineas--pearls. They are VERY territorial and make great watch fowl. They are altogether noisy. They roost in trees and only lay in tall grasses. The eggs and the guineas are delicious. If you keep feed out on platforms they can free range and will generally not leave their territory. I loved having them but we could not keep them here for the racket they make.


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## Randi (Apr 22, 2011)

> cacaphonous minions of satan


 :ROFL: Boy did he ever get that right! :slapfloor:


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## Chi Chi (Mar 7, 2010)

Last year we raised 10 keets with our chicks. Yes they are loud and the males are rather annoying- they sound like machine guns- they girls make a woo-hoot sound. Since moving to Minnesota three years ago this was the first summer we could actually enjoy our farm/yard without getting covered in ticks. I HATE those things!!!! In this area 1 out 8 ticks carry some kind of nastiness and is a really issue. One of our poor dogs was treated for Lyme's disease! This year only a few ticks! Unfortunately they aren't the smartest creatures and we lost 4 in one night. They are safe as long as they return to the coop at night but if they don't they are owl bait. I ended up getting 5 more keets this year. The farm and fleet had a run on them this year. Their eggs are good once you crack thru their hard shells. Their care is just like the chicks. We have a girl laying on a nest in the brush out front- I pray for each night- we already had a fox try to get her twice. Here is my blog that talks about them http://operationhomestead.blogspot.com/ ... keets.html. If you click on Razzberry Corner on the blog list- she is the guinea queen!


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

My little ones are growning so fast. They have been moved into a chain link dog kennel. They are always in a bunch. Even if one gets out the other six run around with him at the edge until I get him back in. Don't know what we will do when they get big and noisy but our whole area is pretty livestock noisy so maybe they will just fit in.


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## Chi Chi (Mar 7, 2010)

So cute!!! We just moved 5 to the coop just yesterday. Now it looks like our guinea hens are going to out number our hens. Our guinea hen that was laying on a nest just hatched them out- some are still in the process. It has been pouring rain since last night- big thunderstorms. This morning I did the chores this am because it was raining too hard when DH left for work. When I threw her grain this am didn't see a thing. When I was out and about I saw Romeo(boy guinea) hanging around the nest- I was scared that something had gotten her. When I got close I saw one all soggy outside the nest, I ran and grab gloves, my son and the Sheppard's hook. Nick distracted her so I could grab the wee one then 8 or so tiny keets popped out from underneath her. I ran the one out to the coup and put under the broody hen. Not sure if it will make it  Each time I go out there some new ones are there.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Oh, I hope the little guy makes it. I lost two chicks in my hatching this weekend and it makes me so sad. I hope we keep the guineas long enough for them to breed. I would like to have newborns. Good luck with the rest. I just love hatchings and birthings.


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## Jessaba (May 13, 2010)

HAHA..my father in law says we can have anything just no GUINEAS lol...


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## brandy8965 (Jun 21, 2011)

I've had guineas for a little while now. I started out with two adults and bought 16 more day old meets back in July. I haven't had any trouble yet with them returning to the coop at night. They are noisy that's for sure. But aS long as they do their job and keep the bugs down that's really all that matters to me. Our oldest male seems to be the protector I was really amazed to see my adult guineas pick up the keets and start caring for them and watching out for them as if they were their own.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

brandy8965 said:


> I was really amazed to see my adult guineas pick up the keets and start caring for them and watching out for them as if they were their own.


That is really cool.
After my babies had been in the kennel for four days and we thought they were secure they all escaped, and scattered. We were only able to find 3 of the 7 and I am sure the others were a midnight snack for the neighbor's dogs.  
But those little 'uns have grown. Still cannot tell what sex they are. I hope they are not all the same. I would like to get some babies in the spring.
The other night I could only find two of them. (They sleep in a stack of wood with our adolesent chickens.) I finally looked in the shelter where a mama chicken and her brood sleep and there was the other one; all snuggled in with the baby chicks. :ROFL:


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## dobe627 (Oct 16, 2007)

I have Guineas in 6 different colors and I think there's about 40 around. Its funny the flocks don't really mingle. With my chickens they pretty much all hang together but the guineas are self seperated by when they were raised. And even the hand raised ones don't get very tame. Mine run the farm & woods during the day and return at nite. The ones a chicken raised go in coop at night. The others roost on top or in rafters.


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## iddybit acres (Feb 18, 2011)

We had a guinea dropped off here 2 week's ago, it hang's out with our rooster Red!! This one doesn't make too much noise that i hear anyway's ( my neighbor claim's he does though oops!) And i noticed i don't have alot of spider's hanging around like i did before :shrug: If he's the one eating them i might just have to get a few more!! Me + spider's = a not so happy camper! I also love the fact that if anything or anyone come's around the yard it start's hollering!!


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

My babies are starting to look like guineas. But are still at that awkward stage.LOL
The evenings have gotten cooler and now we find all three guineas tucked in with mama and her chicks at night. Very cute.


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