Keeping
It's all about guinea fowl...
I have found keeping
Guinea fowl to be very easy, as they live with our hens and go to bed
in the henhouse every night. Some people will tell you that Guinea
fowl are wild and flighty, this can be true if you buy them as older
birds, however if you can buy young birds (called Keets) then they will
quickly get used to you and are as tame as hens.
Guinea fowl do not like being handled; they will come close to you but
will “explode” if you try to pick them up. If you do have
to handle your Guineas I find it best after dark when they are in the
henhouse, using as little light as possible. The Guineas have
very close feathers and are much more slippery than a hen so you will
have to hang on tight when you do manage to grab one.
Guinea Fowl can be very noisy when upset, this normally only happens
if a stranger is in view but can also be caused by a rat or stoat, also
a hawk or carrion crow in the vicinity. They are as good as geese
as an early warning system.
