Time, patience and food. Let them settle into a routine of getting used to you coming and feeding, without forcing yourself on them. Once they've got some size and maturity, you can start to portion feed them twice a day, so that they're hungry and associate you with food. If you're really patient, calm and consistent, you should eventually be able to get them to settle down.

Keep in mind that these are not house pets. They are nervous by nature, and will probably remain that way for the most part. They're not puppies or kitties, they behave differently, and they'll probably never completely tame down or learn to "like" you.

Guineas are a much different critter from chickens. In all the years we raised guineas, sometimes with chicks, I don't recall any ever being pets or tame at all. They are closer to wild birds, such as phesants and quail. We even used a hen chicken to hatch and raise the guinea keets and they were still semi-wild, always keeping their distance.

The ONLY way you can 'tame' guineas is to raise them and handle them a MINIMUM of 3 times a day...every day. If you have kids that are old enough to be around keats without squishing them, let the kids tame them for you. Guineas can be tamed, but they are wilder than chickens (except maybe leghorns!). You also have to pay attention to them when they are older too, they can revert. I try to pick a color that is different when I hatch a large number so I can sometime tame them. It's hard if you work though, they really are wild birds. But, it can be done, if you play with them everyday.

It's true that guineas are more wild than chickens. I have raised many keets over the years & mine have always been skittish like yours... however I know of people who have been able to tame them to perch on their arm or eat from their hands. It takes a lot of handling of the keets... Since you only have 6 you may be able to do it. I had one keet once that had a bum leg. I would get him out and mess around with him several times a day and he was very tame...but sadly he had to put down. I've always meant to raise a couple of really tame keets, but it is time consuming!

Lots of contact daily helps and try putting chick crumbs on your hands and letting them feed from your hand. My keets will eat from my hand and sometimes even stand on my hand. Good Luck

We started out with 13 keets this spring, I raised them until 8 weeks old and sold 10 of them. I had the exact same experience of trying to handle them as much as possible etc. but they were still wild. The three keets I have now are males (I think/hope), since their group has been drastically reduced the difference is amazing.

They are FAR less talkative and much less panicky. They now come in to roost on their own at night without having to be corralled. They are still young so things can change but I'm finding a smaller number is working out better for everyone.

-Sheila

thanks for all the tips guys

well this weekend there was a bit of a tragedy. I woke up sunday morning to find my neighbor's full grown husky in the run.
He killed all my chickens- including my blrw chicks- that was their first night out in the run.

I turned the shed into a temp brooder for the surviving guineas- its 10x15.
Thankfully the keets were still in the garage because of the one keet w/ leg problems.

theyve become much calmer and will even let me pick them up and will sit on my finger if I put them there.
They are happily hanging out w/ houdini- the one blrw chick who survived. They sit on him to sleep and he keeps an eye on them. He gets very protective if I pick them up.

i was wondering if we could keep the guineas in the pen in the morning until they lay their eggs and them let them run around outside because we dont want to have to find their eggs because we have a big yard

thats what I plan on doing.
I dont feel like going on egg hunts every day.
At least until they get used to laying in the run.

well how old are your guineas auryn???????

whats a "run"?????????

well how old are your guineas auryn???????

my guineas are 3 weeks old this week.

A run is a fenced in enclosure attached to the coop, where you can let the birds 'outside' without worrying about predators

Cool my keets are 21 days tomarrow the 14th so i guess we'll find out at the same time if we can have the guineas in the pen til they lay their eggs

does a run have a roof fence

thats a wierd name..run.. they shouls call it.... a cage... lol

Auryn, I'm sorry about your loss of chickens. I hope your neighbor is willing to replace them for you.
VG