aggressive guineas??

[R2elk]

I have two 2.5 month old guineas sex unknown still bcz I can't tell their sounds apart. I have them with with same aged bantams chicken and turkey and the only issue I have is my for sure Tom turkey pecking at my baby goose. Everyone gets along great. They are enclosed with a 25x25 house and a 35x20 run full of bugs and grass. I can't free range bcz of my dogs. Just always make sure they have entertainment like treats to forage for.

Your guineas have not reached the problem stage yet. It is quite common for guineas to be raised with chickens and people post about how well they get along and then comes the first breeding season. When the guineas get their hormones raging and their number is too few to take it out on each other they can become little terrors to all of the other poultry. Guineas are by nature feather pullers and they are quick little things. It doesn't take them very long to destroy a roosters tail and wing feathers or a turkey's also. The other poultry do not like their feathers being pulled and the guineas can become bullies.

 

[aliciasch]

I believe mine are both female

 

[HarmonyHen]

I have 4 guineas with 11 chickens and though they will chase and occasionally nip at a chicken, that has been pretty much the extent of the aggression I've seen. I don't have any roosters, so I don't know if it would be different. They roost together in the coop at night, alongside each other. All free-range 12 hours a day, might be different if they were all together in a enclosed space all the time. But they've been cooped up for an occasional weekend when we've been away and we've never had any issues.

 

[angryguinea]

Hello! I need help!!! I have an aggressive guinea! Small background...I hand raised 4 keets to about a year old.. I moved and my guineas refused to stay in the yard! They started to flock with the local turkeys and a flock of peacocks.. I was able to retrieve 2 of them..a week or so later I found the feathers of a guinea. Body count 3.. I moved again..so now 6 months go by and I'm we still have "El Patron" the boss of the bosses!! bc he's the only one surviving now...ok so he's about a year and a half now loves my dog and two 5 month old kittens..never chases my 3 yr old daughter and her many play date friends..so the last month or so he has picked up a habit of charging and jumping feet first at my boyfriend who has been with us the whole time.. He bites at his ankles..they had a 30 minute altercation where the guinea cold only think to attack him.. Seeds wouldn't work to distract him water from the hose sprayed on him...so we have good days and bad days... He has not shown any interest in attacking me until yesterday he started to run by my legs and peck the back of my ankles..3 times.. and he went to the coop..I let him out a bit later and he was fine..so today he is running about like usual and out of nowhere runs at me while I'm sitting in the shade enjoying a drink. He knocked my cup and as I reached down to get it he circled around and jumped at the side of my face feet first! Scratched my neck and face with his claws knocked my glasses off my face..he is In the coop.. Lucky that my daughter was here or I would have chopped his head off!! Now that I've calmed down Im curious if anyone has ever had this problem and what should I do!! Change his name to "Thanksgiving" ? I've grown attached to the little prehistoric looking creature and he is quite fun to watch with my kittens, dog, and daughter. We can catch him and pet him he comes in my house and sleeps at the door with the dog...!!! What do I do????

 

[aderenzo]

I need help with my guinea. I raised them with chickens and I suspect I have only 2 guineas left. (Predators orefer them). When I let chickens out of the coop this morning he nearly killed my roooster for no reason. I had to intervene and put guinea in separate pen. But they need to sll live together but I don't want my tooster dead. What should I do?

 

[aliciasch]

It may be not enough females for each male or mating season. Guineas are seasonal layers while chickens mate year round. My guineas just started laying again a few weeks ago. I would separate until thing calm down but you risk them being rejected once reintroduce. I've had that happen with my geese Guinea flock and my turkey pair. Geese started attacking bit was awful. Best of luck!!

 

[aderenzo]

Well I figured out that the two I had left were a pair (male and female). I separated my coop in half and locked the two guineas in the back half for two days now and I have two eggs : ) How long with this laying season last for them? Will they eventually get along with the chickens again once mating season is over?

 

[Msufficient]

Hello! I need help!!! I have an aggressive guinea! Small background...I hand raised 4 keets to about a year old.. I moved and my guineas refused to stay in the yard! They started to flock with the local turkeys and a flock of peacocks.. I was able to retrieve 2 of them..a week or so later I found the feathers of a guinea. Body count 3.. I moved again..so now 6 months go by and I'm we still have "El Patron" the boss of the bosses!! bc he's the only one surviving now...ok so he's about a year and a half now loves my dog and two 5 month old kittens..never chases my 3 yr old daughter and her many play date friends..so the last month or so he has picked up a habit of charging and jumping feet first at my boyfriend who has been with us the whole time.. He bites at his ankles..they had a 30 minute altercation where the guinea cold only think to attack him.. Seeds wouldn't work to distract him water from the hose sprayed on him...so we have good days and bad days... He has not shown any interest in attacking me until yesterday he started to run by my legs and peck the back of my ankles..3 times.. and he went to the coop..I let him out a bit later and he was fine..so today he is running about like usual and out of nowhere runs at me while I'm sitting in the shade enjoying a drink. He knocked my cup and as I reached down to get it he circled around and jumped at the side of my face feet first! Scratched my neck and face with his claws knocked my glasses off my face..he is In the coop.. Lucky that my daughter was here or I would have chopped his head off!! Now that I've calmed down Im curious if anyone has ever had this problem and what should I do!! Change his name to "Thanksgiving" ? I've grown attached to the little prehistoric looking creature and he is quite fun to watch with my kittens, dog, and daughter. We can catch him and pet him he comes in my house and sleeps at the door with the dog...!!! What do I do????

I'm having this same issue. My guinea is my BABY but this aggression has to STOP! Did you find a solution?

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I'm having this same issue. My guinea is my BABY but this aggression has to STOP! Did you find a solution?

My guess is it has something to do with being a lone guinea.

 

[CalBickieMomma]

I’m so glad I found this thread. I have a bunch of 10-11 week old chicks (at least one roo in the bunch) and a single Guinea fowl (showed up out of nowhere in our yard when the chicks were 2-3 wks old and the Guinea was about that age).

Just today he/she was showing slight aggression towards my smaller EE hen (but my two Silver Laced Polish are even smaller than her). The aggressive behavior was pecking on the back and chasing with wings slightly lowered and back feathers slightly fluffed (I’ve never had Guinea fowl so I don’t know their behavior the way I know chicken behavior, but this came off to me like ‘male bird trying to dominate female.’

I posted something here on BYC about it and the one reply I have so far suggests I get rid of my Guinea (which would break my heart). We’re all attached to him/her and she/he’s been raised with chickens, so they’re his flock. Really hoping this ‘aggression’ (if that’s what it really is) Is temporary or at the least, doesn’t grow worse. A little pecking amongst chickens is normal. I want him/her to live happily with her/his flock. He/she hasn’t been aggressive before and will even sit on my legs when I sit in the coop with everyone else.

Some of your posts have given me a little hope, so fingers crossed it all works out.