Guinea Breeders, Have you noticed any varieties being any more docile ?

[big medicine]

I have always kept a small group of guineas with my chickens after having an unfortunate stray dog issue many years ago, and find them invaluable as a early warning system.

My problem has been with male guineas being overly aggressive with the chickens. I raise primarily Brahmas, a gentle breed, which may in it's self be a contributing factor in them being bullied easier. I don't know.

I have over the years adapted the practice of starting a small group of keets every few years. By the time I can determine sex, by call, the young males are causing havoc in the flock. Once these guys are removed, things soon calm down, and the young females eventually join the band of old maids from previous years.

My question for you that have experience with the various varieties of guineas out there, are there any varieties, or lines possibly, that seem to be more subdued, less aggressive ?

I have always had the common pearl type. They eat, lay, and roost in the coop with my chickens, and when down to a female only flock, are easy enough to get along with, with the possible exception of the yearly NPIP blood tests.

With guineas now being shown and all, I figure somebody has had to have made some progress in producing a somewhat mellower guinea.

 

[JLeigh]

big medicine, I doubt there is any difference but if there is, I've never heard of it. LOL. That's a great question though! Like you, I don't keep bullies because I have a very small flock and there is no room for that level of stress for the other guineas, the chickens or for ME. Maybe over lots of time bullies will become fewer because we don't keep/breed them. We impose rapid, selective Darwinism by breeding the "nice" ones.

 

[big medicine]

I couldn't imagine taming guineas like mine down to the point they could spend a day in a show cage with people walking around them, without them just totally trashing themselves.

 

[Sandshaven]

My flocks are really tame. They don't seem to mind people walking around them at all. I guess they are pretty conditioned to people and their actions.
I have not found color to really matter when it comes to training.

 

[big medicine]

My guineas seem to tolerate being around me, and me around them fine, with the possible exception of being a little gun shy for a bit after the yearly NPIP testing.

When my flock got to truelly free range, (which was up untill this past spring, when the mid day coyote predation just got out of hand), the guineas were the first to come running for scraps/treats. I have a 4 month old Anatolian Shepherd/Great Pyraneese pup that I hope will help get the flock back ranging again.

I was just hoping maybe someone had observed some lines that breeding might have taken a little of the edge off.

 

[Searsmom]

Anyone breeding Guineas this year?

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Hello:

I hatched ot 26 Guinea Fowl last year and they are all adults now. They are doing great, but I have to keep them up in the big barn until I get a new house for them this summer.
I would like to get rid of about 10 ot them as I have almost 30.
So, anyone interested in coming for them and promise to keep them fed and relatively safe can have thier pick of the rasp (plural for Guineas),
I need to keep a 50 50 mixture of males and females, but you all can most likely do the same as i do think they are about this mix now.
Just pm me and we will work something out.
guinea g.