Well, I'm owned by a single guinea now

[Maidservant]

I bought a pair of Muscovies a few days ago for a great price. The only catch was that they came with a guinea. I've been wanting a handful of guineas for around 2 years now, so I'm happy that I was able to get her.

She has been here for 3 days, and we've already gotten two eggs from her! She doesn't really act scared of people, just unsure of her environment for now. She is in a quarrantine cage for now, and I'm not quite sure where I'll be putting her after her quarrantine is up, since I don't want to lose her!

I've done some research on and off for two years, but if anyone has any advice, feel free to send it my way!

I am looking for a male for her so that she doesn't get too terribly lonely. If things go as planned, I'll incubate some eggs next year to start building a small guinea flock.

Thanks!
Emily

 

[TennesseeTruly]

Congrats!! I just hatched my first guinea eggs today! I did a test hatch for a BYC member and 5 of the 7 eggs she sent, hatched.

I just took them out of the incubator and I have to tell you they are the cutest little things and make a completely different noise from chickens!

Good luck in finding a male!! And good luck with the Muscovies! I absolutely adore those and plan on adding them to my flock next year. I have Pekins and Call ducks now!

Laurie

 

[Maidservant]

I have a pair of Muscovies, plus one duckling, but I'm still looking for more. I'm hoping that someone near by will have an extra male that I can get. I was going to go to a local poultry/small livestock auction/sale today, but I tripped while I was feeding everyone this morning, and I'm just now getting to where I can hobble around again. Hopefully after I sleep I'll feel better, lol.

Right now I'm feeding the little girl (I think she is around 1 year old, the lone survivor of a flock of 30) half chick starter (24% protein) and half laying mash (18% protein). I'm working on getting my mealworm colony back to breeding so that I can hopefully bribe her and get her to at least let me pet her.

Here is a photo that I took of her a little while ago, she's a nut!

 

[TennesseeTruly]

Oh she's adorable!! I just started my mealworm farm. My chickens go absolutely bonkers for them so I figured that I might as well farm them instead of paying the ridiculous price for them.

I'm sure she'll be eating out of your hands in no time.

Laurie

 

[Maidservant]

Now, for a name. She sounds like a baby donkey, and the chickens already ignore her when she cries, poor thing. She didn't run from me when I took the photo, and I petted her tail!

Looks like I'll be looking up names for the rest of the night, lol. I'll probably do something African, since guineas are originally from Africa. I just wonder how they survive in the wild, lol!

 

[sweetshoplady]

It's possible her eggs are fertile, depending on when she lost her mate. I'd try in a bator just to see.

She's really pretty.

 

[Maidservant]

She lost her mate last year, but she has been in with chickens, so there's a possibility of a cross. It took me 6 months to get my family warmed up to the idea of eating duck eggs, it will probably be the same thing for guinea eggs, so I might as well try them to see if any are fertile for a little while. I'm still going to look for a male for her though.

Emily

 

[sweetshoplady]

In that case, don't bother putting them in the bator. A chicken/guinea cross is possible and from what I understand its a very ugly bird. I thought her mate may have recently passed on, so keets may have been a possibility.

Good luck on finding her a new husband!

 

[Maidservant]

I have a thing for ugly birds! I have a very motly collection of birds others have deemed "ugly" and I couldn't love them any more. I have a frizzle with a double frizzle gene so her feathers all break off and I have to keep sunscreen on her 24/7, I have 4 naked necks, and a lot of people think that guineas are ugly, but I think that they are cute! I already have one egg in the incubator, just as an experiment. If I had an adult male turken or naked neck I'd cross her with it, just because the offspring will look like little vultures but act like chickens! My very odd birds get to travel to schools in the area with me for presentations on animal husbandry and responsible pet ownership. The weirder the birds look (as long as they're healthy and happy), the easier it is to get the kids attention.

Emily