Re: See some Guinea hens
[Re: trapdog1]
#7141964
01/17/21 10:08 PM
01/17/21 10:08 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 42,262 Northern Maine
Bruce T
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trapper
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OP
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 42,262
Northern Maine
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I used to have some. My shorthair knows he is supposed to leave the domestic birds alone. He has learned to ignore the chickens and ducks, but those guineas were just too much for him. Dang
Nevada bound
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Re: See some Guinea hens
[Re: Bruce T]
#7143210
01/18/21 05:32 PM
01/18/21 05:32 PM
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 15,872 Champaign County, Ohio.
KeithC
trapper
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trapper
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Posts: 15,872
Champaign County, Ohio.
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Going to order some royal purple guinea hen keets. I like the royal purples. I have about 40 of them. I had a lot of colors in guineas, but last year I hatched almost entirely purples, because of the dominance of the genetics. I've been crossing the colored guineas on the larger French guineas and doing back crosses, to get more interesting colors with better sizes. The biggest French guineas I've butchered and plucked weighed a little over 6.8 pounds dressed. Keith
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Re: See some Guinea hens
[Re: Bruce T]
#7143312
01/18/21 06:16 PM
01/18/21 06:16 PM
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Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,500 Kenai AK
KenaiKid
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trapper
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Posts: 1,500
Kenai AK
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Guineas are like a car alarm with a short in the wires... you can't pick when they sound or shut them off.
Dad had some raised with chickens and they stuck around like the chickens. They roamed a little farther than the chickens but we had a big place.
Boco couldn't catch a cold. But if he did, it would be Top Lot.
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Re: See some Guinea hens
[Re: KenaiKid]
#7143319
01/18/21 06:20 PM
01/18/21 06:20 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 42,262 Northern Maine
Bruce T
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OP
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Posts: 42,262
Northern Maine
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Guineas are like a car alarm with a short in the wires... you can't pick when they sound or shut them off.
Dad had some raised with chickens and they stuck around like the chickens. They roamed a little farther than the chickens but we had a big place. Lol......either you love them or you hate them.
Nevada bound
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Re: See some Guinea hens
[Re: Bruce T]
#7144099
01/19/21 02:47 AM
01/19/21 02:47 AM
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 15,872 Champaign County, Ohio.
KeithC
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trapper
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Champaign County, Ohio.
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Keith, tell me more about those seven pound guineas! They are called French guineas. I suspect they are the French hens in the 12 Days of Christmas song. The French supposedly eat more guineas per capita then chickens. Live weight of some of the females will go close to 9 pounds in their second year. Guineas that are a few years old lay as well as younger ones, unlike chickens, probably because guineas lay much fewer eggs per year. They have a nice yellow fat and taste pretty similar to ringneck pheasant. I bought my French guineas as eggs off of Craigslist, that I hatched. When first crossed to the regular sized pearl and colored guineas, that mostly weigh under 3 pounds live weight you get guineas that will average around 5 pounds. I have not been able to get the colored guineas up to French guinea weight yet. I did not control the breeding enough. Some of the hatcheries call them Jumbo French Guineas. Most hatcheries call them French guineas to differentiate them from the smaller guineas. Ridgeway hatchery, in LaRue, Ohio carries them. I bought a bunch for pet food manufacture last year. They average 4 pounds at just 3 months. By 6 months, they will be over 7 pounds. http://www.ridgwayhatchery.com/gamebirds.htmKeith
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Re: See some Guinea hens
[Re: Bruce T]
#7144134
01/19/21 06:29 AM
01/19/21 06:29 AM
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,292 Downeast Maine
scalloper
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trapper
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Downeast Maine
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I was going to get some a few years ago but they seemed very expensive
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness
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Re: See some Guinea hens
[Re: Bruce T]
#7144612
01/19/21 12:53 PM
01/19/21 12:53 PM
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 15,872 Champaign County, Ohio.
KeithC
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trapper
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 15,872
Champaign County, Ohio.
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Can the french fly like the ordinary guineas? I am interested in getting some of these. Lee, the French guineas don't fly as well as the smaller guineas. They are a lot heavier bodied, especially on the breast. Keith
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Re: See some Guinea hens
[Re: Bruce T]
#7144625
01/19/21 01:00 PM
01/19/21 01:00 PM
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 15,872 Champaign County, Ohio.
KeithC
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trapper
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 15,872
Champaign County, Ohio.
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Around $4 each for Guinea keets(young ones) Almost all hatcheries sell extra chicks and keets much cheaper than their regular prices. They call the extra hatchlings over hatch. If you call them on their hatching date, after they shipped, you can typically get chicken chicks as low as a nickel a piece and guinea keets as low as a quarter each. Over hatch is basically trash for a hatchery. The more you buy the cheaper the price you get, especially if you can pick up. Keiith
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Re: See some Guinea hens
[Re: KeithC]
#7144719
01/19/21 02:23 PM
01/19/21 02:23 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 42,262 Northern Maine
Bruce T
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OP
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 42,262
Northern Maine
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Around $4 each for Guinea keets(young ones) Almost all hatcheries sell extra chicks and keets much cheaper than their regular prices. They call the extra hatchlings over hatch. If you call them on their hatching date, after they shipped, you can typically get chicken chicks as low as a nickel a piece and guinea keets as low as a quarter each. Over hatch is basically trash for a hatchery. The more you buy the cheaper the price you get, especially if you can pick up. Keiith But you have to get the color guineas or breed of chickens that they send you.
Nevada bound
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Re: See some Guinea hens
[Re: Pest's Dad]
#7144720
01/19/21 02:25 PM
01/19/21 02:25 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 42,262 Northern Maine
Bruce T
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OP
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 42,262
Northern Maine
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They can fly very well. Problem is that predators pick them off easily in the wild and they will drag the poults through everything when born. Chances of survival is slim. They're not protective of their young. Yeah. And with the (Heavily protected) pine marten levels locally? Be a bit like setting up a hog roast on skid row, and walking away, trusting all will be well. Bruce; We both know that's a bit like saying, 'Want a horse? Just give it grass to eat.' And I have a horse! No marten around my house.
Nevada bound
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