Have you ever thought about having chickens? I guess it’s a strange question, but for people who live in the country, it’s not that unusual. After all, chickens provide eggs for breakfast, little chicks that become chickens, and later in life, they can provide Sunday dinner! Sort of a multipurpose product, if you see what I mean. The only problem with chickens that I can see as a gardener is that I don’t really like to see my beds dug up, and chickens can make a mess of a garden bed in no time. So now the next question is, have you ever thought about keeping guineas? Guinea pigs eat all the insects they can find and don’t tend to make as much of a mess in your garden. If the answer is yes, I have some great tips for you on how to get started.
First, you must decide if you want to start with keets (the guinea fowl) or if you prefer to start with adults. I had no choice when I started, or even if I wanted to start, with keets or adults, as the two adults I had first came and perched on my roof, and didn’t want to leave. So I have experience with both ways of acquiring guinea. I’m not sure which one I would prefer, if I had been given a preference, as the two are completely different animals (sorry).
Let’s start with the keets. They look very similar to chicks for the first week or two, then they start to develop their wing feathers and the chicks don’t. There are a few other differences between keets and chicks, one of which, in my experience, is that keets will grow faster than chicks. They have delicate legs and feet, so they must have a non-slip surface to walk on. Then there is the food for the kettles. They need a protein-rich starter food for those fast-growing little bodies and plenty of water. Keets will need a box to stay in until they are older and this box is usually referred to as a breeding box. It doesn’t need to be very big, depending on the number of keets you have. It will need to be kept clean of keet poop, as poop can stick to keet feet and cause pain, and it is not easy to remove without hurting the feet. The best practice is to keep it clean. I prefer quarter to half inch wire mesh. This allows feces to fall to the floor below the box and makes for a lot less cleanup!
If you decide on the adult guinea, the process is a little easier. First you, or someone who is better at this particular job, must catch the guineas. They are incredibly fast and will not get caught unless they are confined to a small area. After you catch them and put them in an appropriately sized shipping box, simply take them home. Before acquiring guineas for adults, you must have your permanent home ready to go. The optimal situation is that not only the chicken coop is ready, but there is also a closed pen for them. Remember, guineas can fly so you will want to have a cover over the area where they will be kept. Adult guineas will need to be confined for about three to four weeks to allow their new home to “imprint” on them. After this time, if you have been feeding them and giving them treats in their pen, they will want to come back to it every night. Guineas are blind in the dark so they really want to come home!
This isn’t a complete guide, but it should help you decide: keets or adults?