Guinea's and Chickens

[Swede]

Hi everyone,
I have 4 Guinea Fowl 3 males one female they are 3 years old, in a coop/run abt 20'x30'. Do you think I could raise chickens with them?

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

Yes chickens and guineas get along just fine.

 

[Swede]

Brian,
I feed my Guinea fowl "Game Bird Grower" would I have to feed my chicken with something else? I will have laying hens.

 

[lovemychicks2much]

i keep mine together and my guineas eat the same thing my chickens do which is laying pellets and cracked corn

 

[cw]

ya feed em the same thing

 

[new-roo]

Feed what the chickens need, the guineas will get along fine on whatever that is.

 

[speckledhen]

Guineas are nothing like chickens. I had them together for months just fine, then one day, my alpha male bodyslammed one of the RIR hens, then the battle was on. She took to hiding in the nests. Then all four guineas began attacking all the RIRs and ONLY the RIRs. Later, they coordinated attacks on my rooster, running him off into the woods. I finally had to make a decision to get rid of my RIRs or my guineas. The guineas were rehomed.

For every person who tells you that they'll get along with your chickens, there are 50 who will tell you that they've had serious aggression problems with guineas attacking the chickens, even to the point of killing the rooster. They are wilder types than chickens and they don't think or act like them, so be prepared for it.

There are BYCers who know how much I tried to fix the situation. I miss them and loved guineas, but I cant have them hurting the chickens..And I did my research before raising guineas, too. I was prepared for them to rule the roost, but not to come close to killing my chickens. The main book on the market "Gardening with Guineas" simply glosses over this and doesn't tell the darker side of guineas.

 

[rooster0209]

Mine are raised side by side with my chickens. I feed the guineas the same thing my chickens eat. I started with med chick feed, then layer and supplement with corn. They even like some of the same treats: bread, melons, squash..etc

Going on two years with them together and I have yet to have a problem.

The Guineas are good at sounding an alarm when a big bird flies overhead causing the chickens to head for the trees.

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

Quote:
Our guineas eat layer pellets that we feed the chickens.

 

[new-roo]

Quote:
How true, when I was trying to find out about guineas that was the only book out, all the other mentions were a page or two in Poultry Books. I have definately learned more about them here, and on other sites than you will in the book.