[chickenqueen]

I asked about them on another post so I was glad to see this one.It's nice to know they are all doing good.

 

[robin416]

Keets are slowly becoming big birds. I know one is female because she's buck wheating. Looking at two others I'm fairly certain they are females too.

The latest is, I got the neighbor's single Guinea into the keet pen. If I turn my little flock out I know he's going to steal them and keep them from returning to their pen at night. So, he's learning to be up for a while and then, fingers crossed, I can turn the keets out and have them come home at night.

 

[chickenqueen]

Good luck with that!I know my guineas eventually roosted in the trees instead of going in every night,then,1 by 1, they disappeared.I never replaced them and now I'm sorry because the yard is full of ticks and other unwanted insects.

 

[robin416]

If I could get 25 plus birds to return to the coop at night, I stand a chance of getting six up. My birds wanted their millet at night, no chance of that happening if they didn't return to the coop.

 

[robin416]

Today was a success. I opened the door this morning and left it open. Took a while but the adult came out, we had to run into town so I missed the keets adventuring out. They were in front of the garage and then big bird took them into the woods.

He took them far enough I could no longer hear them. Fast forward a couple of hours, I go out to listen and heard them. They were in their pen, the adult too. They got some millet and I closed the door.

We'll repeat that tomorrow. And hope for the best.

 

[chickenqueen]

Alright!!!Good job!!!Don't you just hate missing milestones of your babies?I do. I'll remember your trick if I ever get guineas again.

 

[robin416]

Don't get me wrong, it's not rock solid but it's what worked for me for so many years with mine. Spring and Fall when pairing up occurred could be a difficult time getting them all up. Patience and time usually had all up and safe for the night.

The millet was so popular with them it would have the entire flock racing to meet me at bedtime when they saw me step out of the back door.

 

[nannypattyrn]

Do you trim their wings or is that something not done with keets?

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[robin416]

No. Guineas rely on being able to fly just above the ground to escape predators they've lured away from the their mates. And once they're past a year old they don't usually fly unless it's absolutely necessary. Sort of like large fowl chickens.

 

[nannypattyrn]

I'm kind of toying with thought of trying some at some point later in the spring. We'll see.....

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[robin416]

They take time, especially in the early going. They are still very much the wild birds of Africa and behave accordingly.

One time with my first flock I had an Ag guy on the property to help with soil issues we had there. Up comes the flock, they surrounded us, screaming and complaining loudly. They were incensed that someone they didn't know was on their property.

I asked him to wait a moment and walked away from him calling "birds." They followed me to their pen where I gave them a millet treat, closed the door and walked back to the guy. He was floored, he said I had no idea you could get Guineas to do that.

But it took time to get them to that point, they were less than a year old and still quite the crazy teenagers.

 

[robin416]

Third day for keets to go on adventures. I chickened out the first two days and when they showed up at home in the early afternoon bribed them with millet to go into their pen.

Today I decided to leave them out later but when out there listening for them I could hear one of the females really upset. I knew she had gotten behind the fence at the neighbor's. Drove over, the neighbor said she'll come out. Me, no, she won't figure out to fly over unless I go in and spook her. The moment I walked up, raised my arms, up she flew and rejoined the others.

 

[robin416]

The Guinea cocain is working. This morning I skipped the millet in the pen when I opened the door and they knew. Didn't leave until I gave them their morning fix.

 

[chickenqueen]

Sounds like the training is going well.Keep up the good work!!!

 

[robin416]

The adult male is still trying to steal the keets. I might have to find him a new home without telling the neighbor. The bird lived outdoors for a year and was never trained to return to a coop. I'm going on the hunt for a couple of mature males that are coop kept or trained. Luckily the keets want their millet more than they want to be out 24/7.

BTW, out of six keets there are at least four females. I need them to be a little more still so I can see if it might not be five females. I'm certain of one of them being male.

 

[chickenqueen]

Lucky!!!I usually end up with more males than females.Can't say for certain but out of 10 geese I think I have 4 females and 6 males.So let me say it again-Lucky!!!

 

[robin416]

Not really. Guineas are pretty monogamous, they choose one female as a mate. Then there's the whole low bird thing and with no males it's a poor female that is the target. I think it's the same one I was watching when I first got them.

I did put out a notice that I'm looking for some males. That's liable to turn their world upside down.

 

[seminole wind]

With silkies, I was lucky with all girls for 3 hatches. But payback's a *itch. This last hatch was 7 males and 3 females.

 

[robin416]

With Guineas it's not as bad as it is with chickens and how many are male or female when it comes to rehoming. Keeping more males in the flock actually works out well because of the monogamous dynamic.

 

[chickenqueen]

Good luck finding some males!!!