tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post7410776104003405832..comments2024-03-28T14:37:45.575-04:00Comments on 5 Acres & A Dream: Moving Day For Guinea KeetsLeighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-64755078917968482792013-08-06T05:39:37.871-04:002013-08-06T05:39:37.871-04:00vlb5757, I'd like to train them to come when c...vlb5757, I'd like to train them to come when called because I'd like to round them up at least once a day, mostly to keep track of them and do a daily head count. I'm also hoping it will encourage them to roost inside at night, something that it seems they can be trained to do, but otherwise wouldn't do naturally. <br /><br />I got them mainly for ticks, and bugs, which seems to be a common reason for folks to get them. They do lay edible eggs, 2 eggs equaling one chicken egg in size. I've also read they are good eating, although there isn't much out there about that. <br /><br />Laura, thank you for that. A rounded tank would be ideal; I didn't even think of that. So interesting about your turkeys. They are on our someday list too.<br /><br />MTS&M, my little guys are already flying up to the roosting perch Dan made, and it's about 3 feet or so off the ground. I agree, they are extremely interesting. And I can see their wild streak, unlike my little chickens. As you say, I just want them to stick around the place and eat bugs! <br /><br />We're hoping the buck barn is the perfect location for them. It's where the ticks are and far enough off the road so that any ruckus they make won't be right in neighbors' ears. :)Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-84580660128517181642013-08-05T18:34:43.612-04:002013-08-05T18:34:43.612-04:00Leigh
Yes, as I mentioned they are native where I ...Leigh<br />Yes, as I mentioned they are native where I grew up. We took some eggs from a nest in a field we were harvesting (they would have been destroyed by the harvester) and pup it under a chicken. So they grew up with the chicks, but once they were big enough to fly they roosted in the trees at night (the chickens were put in a coop at night to protect them from predators). We did not really try to tame the guinea fowls and they were not very tame, but they did stay around the house for there entire lives (kinda what I think you want). I always liked them since they were so interesting.<br />BTW, I didn't comment on you post about the coyotes since I don't have experience with them. However we had plenty of other predators and dogs worked the best for us. We didn't have them living with the flock, they were basically guard dogs, but made such a ruckus whenever anything came close to the flocks around the homestead that it warned us that something was wrong. I know you haven't had much luck with dogs though.<br />Madness, Trouble, Squish and Milkbonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02368723357507438999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-85052385641136758332013-08-05T17:20:07.346-04:002013-08-05T17:20:07.346-04:00Turkeys have the same "piling in the corners ...Turkeys have the same "piling in the corners and suffocating" problems. I use a stock tank as a brooder - there are no corners to pile up in. In an oval one, you can hang the light at one end, and put food and water at the other end, giving them the option of where to hang out. I start out with a 100 gal. tank, and move them up to a 300 gal. tank (craigslist is wonderfu for finding used stock tanks), and then they're moved to their final home.<br /><br />Currently, I have hen-hatched turkeys - they're 2 weeks old, and quite the little intrepid explorers. I find them in the garden, in the chicken coop, in the horse pen, and next door. They eventually find their way back to mom, but geez, they give both of us apoplexy!!Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08421589409738817614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-4950381361227543392013-08-05T13:33:15.423-04:002013-08-05T13:33:15.423-04:00I have read all the comments on this post and now ...I have read all the comments on this post and now I have a few really simple ones. What are you training the quinea hens for and why do you have them. Are they better bugs hunters? Or egg layers? I know nothing about chicken or fowl except from a chef's point of view. I am always curious why people have the breeds they have and if that breed does something special.vlb5757https://www.blogger.com/profile/05444876262831798051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-80989369149622126112013-08-05T07:32:35.827-04:002013-08-05T07:32:35.827-04:00Hannah, I don't know either. It was never ment...Hannah, I don't know either. It was never mentioned in the information I read. I do know that cocci is species specific, because goats can get it too but it's a different strain than what chickens get. Great tip about the kefir.<br /><br />Su Ba, ooo, owls. We definitely have those. Another good reason to try and train them to sleep inside at night.<br /><br />MTS&M, they are terribly amusing! Did you have any growing up?<br /><br />Michelle, yes, William as in Billy Goat, LOL. I thought it clever but Dan wasn't so impressed :)Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-68709565781167745502013-08-04T22:22:49.785-04:002013-08-04T22:22:49.785-04:00I LOVE that your buck barn is called Ft. William. ...I LOVE that your buck barn is called Ft. William. I may just be a copycat when that day comes. :-)<br /><br />Your keets are so beautiful. I love that their feathers are already showing that beautiful guinea pattern!Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16852320721216631639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-29428626100341638852013-08-04T13:12:33.587-04:002013-08-04T13:12:33.587-04:00They are adorable and they will provide a lot of a...They are adorable and they will provide a lot of amusement. Enjoy them.Madness, Trouble, Squish and Milkbonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02368723357507438999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-87944688551686268642013-08-04T02:18:38.280-04:002013-08-04T02:18:38.280-04:00Oh my, your keets looks so nice! It's been a l...Oh my, your keets looks so nice! It's been a long time since I've had guinea hens, but seeing pictures of yours is bringing back the memories. I really enjoyed mine for a numbers years. I can't be sure if they really helped with the ticks, but at least they were great "watchdogs" and plenty of fun. <br /><br />I lost a number of mine to owls until they were grown enough to sleep high in trees. If I had known that beforehand, I would have conditioned them to sleep inside the barn until they were big enough. <br /><br />Please keep posting updates. It will be enjoyable to watch them grow up. <br /><br />...Su Ba<br />www.kaufarmer.blogspot.comSu Bahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09125127467859054156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-35378974869586973292013-08-03T18:47:49.089-04:002013-08-03T18:47:49.089-04:00I don't know if keets are susceptible to cocci...I don't know if keets are susceptible to coccidiosis, or if you have it there. I didn't have trouble with it in San Diego but do up here in the PNW. I lost a couple of chicks in my first batch to it then started using medicated food. My DIL is opposed to medicated food, which is probably wise since antibiotics have their own problems, and gives chicks kefir for good bacteria, and hasn't lost chicks to coccidiosis. I switched to ducks, they are hardier than chickens, don't dig holes, don't get coccidiosis, lay better, etc. <br /><br />Good information, I would probably consider keets if I had a farm.Hannahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04773149110503024929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-38979799500096680792013-08-03T09:35:34.566-04:002013-08-03T09:35:34.566-04:00Stephanie, right now they sound like little birds,...Stephanie, right now they sound like little birds, twittering and chirping. I reckon when they get their adult voices they'll sound a whole lot noisier!<br /><br />Leslie, thanks! I have to say I find them fascinating. So much more interesting than chickens (don't get me wrong, I love chickens:) And, yes, I'll keep you updated on our homing progress!<br /><br />DFW, check out my original keet post too, <a href="http://www.5acresandadream.com/2013/07/keets.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>. I had a few more links on that one.<br /><br />Fern, thanks! Your information is basically what I found, with the addition of some folks believing the blocked vents cause them to poison themselves on their own waste. We do always allow enough room in the brooder box for them to move to a cooler area if need be. It's odd that only the littlest keets had the problem. The bigger ones never developed pasty butt at all. <br /><br />Renee, I appreciate your interest! The best part about their new quarters is, bugs! So nice to see them doing their "job" from the get-go. :)<br /><br />Sunnybrook, I tried to time them to be ready for winter! I didn't expect July to be so cool though. My goal is to get them to roost indoors, but you and others have pointed out that this isn't always their perference. I'm curious as to what ours will do once grown. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-80924460127030842522013-08-03T09:10:35.370-04:002013-08-03T09:10:35.370-04:00They will be good sized by winter, mine used to ro...They will be good sized by winter, mine used to roost in trees except in the worst icy weather when they would stoop to roosting with chickens.Sunnybrook Farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18135224259672444423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-73161761842156365692013-08-03T08:39:05.045-04:002013-08-03T08:39:05.045-04:00I was hoping for a guinea update. Thanks! Their ...I was hoping for a guinea update. Thanks! Their new home looks lovely, kind of like a cabin at camp! :D I'm sure they'll love it, especially when they start finding all the treats.Renee Nefehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08167893445846427824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-76820178791761223782013-08-03T08:26:52.793-04:002013-08-03T08:26:52.793-04:00Hi Leigh,
We learned the hard way with baby chick...Hi Leigh,<br /><br />We learned the hard way with baby chicks that pasty butt is caused from high temperatures and dehydration. We brood our baby chicks in a cardboard box like you do. Once we started lowering the temperature in the box, the chicks quit having pasty butt. <br /><br />In our reading we found that the feces will collect around the vent, block it off and cause secondary problems. The excessive feces is caused by being too hot, which leads to dehydration. We didn't have this problem until we moved here, which is farther south and more humid than where we had raised chicks before. There is always something new to learn, isn't there?<br /><br />Your birds and their 'barn' look great!<br /><br />FernFrank and Fernhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15570058990887565563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-72545188428170507932013-08-03T07:54:12.532-04:002013-08-03T07:54:12.532-04:00Thanks for the links Leigh. I hope to have some gu...Thanks for the links Leigh. I hope to have some guineas some day. My grandmother always had them near where our Country House is. Looking forward to following your progress, especially with putting them up for the night.DFWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18345712839702427280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-57685654846798924602013-08-03T07:35:50.773-04:002013-08-03T07:35:50.773-04:00What an interesting post. I dream about having gui...What an interesting post. I dream about having guineas someday. When I was growing up, our neighbors had some and it was so neat to see them strolling about the neighborhood. They're such beautiful birds!Leslie Kimelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10819439877752751687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-36963729593200338942013-08-03T06:55:16.213-04:002013-08-03T06:55:16.213-04:00Are they as noisy as I have heard about?Are they as noisy as I have heard about?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com