Adding new guineas

[StarMeKritten]

I have 3 guineas, 2 males and a female. The males have been squabbling as breeding season starts. I have been hoping that adding more females will help sort things out. A friend of mine is giving me two more because they have been bothering her neighbors. I have already picked up a female and will be getting the second whenever she can catch it. The new girl is in a small pen by herself for right now. How long should I keep her in there? Will it be difficult to integrate her into the group? What's the best way to introduce them? I don't know that it makes a difference, but these guineas (mine as well as the new ones) all hatched the same day and were raised together until they were split up at 4 months of age. They are all about 8 months old now.

 

[red horse ranch]

I have 3 guineas, 2 males and a female. The males have been squabbling as breeding season starts. I have been hoping that adding more females will help sort things out. A friend of mine is giving me two more because they have been bothering her neighbors. I have already picked up a female and will be getting the second whenever she can catch it. The new girl is in a small pen by herself for right now. How long should I keep her in there? Will it be difficult to integrate her into the group? What's the best way to introduce them? I don't know that it makes a difference, but these guineas (mine as well as the new ones) all hatched the same day and were raised together until they were split up at 4 months of age. They are all about 8 months old now.

I think you need to keep the new ones confined for at least a month. Hopefully where they can be seen by your other 3. If they were together for 4 months then they may integrate faster than strange ones. I don't think they forget each other that soon. But the confinement period is still important.
There may still be conflicts when they are finally together for the first time because the pecking order has to be reestablished. But since it is breeding season and you are bringing in familiar females it may go smoother than it normally would.

 

[Sierrab]

We are considering adding guineas to our chicken flock. The flock is 13 now with 18 six week olds, and we are thinking of adding 4 guinea in June.
I read a couple areas that makes it sound that guineas pair up for mating? Do we need to make sure we have 2 males and 2 females? Or would they be ok with whatever they are?
We can only buy them straight run.

 

[red horse ranch]

We are considering adding guineas to our chicken flock. The flock is 13 now with 18 six week olds, and we are thinking of adding 4 guinea in June.
I read a couple areas that makes it sound that guineas pair up for mating? Do we need to make sure we have 2 males and 2 females? Or would they be ok with whatever they are?
We can only buy them straight run.

I started out with a dozen guineas. 10 of them ended up being males. Their first breeding season the two females chose their mate and the rest of the males just formed a bachelor group and followed them around. The female will only have one mate no matter how many males there are. But a male may have more than one female in his harem.

I have sold males and added females since then so my flock is more balanced. But if you get 4 guineas they will be fine no matter how it's balanced. Some people only keep males because they aren't as noisy as females.

 

[barredmuscovy]

Ok so I have a question too I bought some pied and I have 4 pearl adults will the adults except them too.

 

[red horse ranch]

Ok so I have a question too I bought some pied and I have 4 pearl adults will the adults except them too.

There is always a transition period before adults will accept new members into the flock. If possible the new ones should be kept where they can see and interact with the others without actually being together. New ones should always be confined for at least a month, ideally in the same house with the adults but separated by chicken wire. If you are bringing babies in the little ones
should be at least 3 months old before trying to integrate them.
I bought 6 blue guineas last summer to add to my pearl guinea flock. The pearls accept them some days and they all free range together. Other times they won't let them in the coop at night without my help. And they have spent the entire winter confined together. Will they ever completely be one flock? I don't know but I hope when the females choose their mates that the integration will finally be complete.
I don't think it's the color that makes the difference. It's just the way guineas are.

 

[StarMeKritten]

Thanks for the replies. I kept the first group of guineas penned up for about 2 weeks in my coop/ barn. I had the new girl in the next stall in a big covered pen. They were all interacting well through the hardware cloth and I didn't have any replies here yet. She seemed unhappy by herself and I let my husband talk me into letting her out on saturday. It was a bad decision. She tried to join the group but they ran her off into the woods. I could hear her out there but she wouldn't come back. Later, my friend called to say that she had caught the other one. I went and got it, but unfortunately, it turned out to be another male. He's in the pen by himself now and will be staying there for at least another week or two. If they were that unwilling to accept another female, it probably won't go well with another male. Two days passed and I hadn't heard a peep from the one that got away. Today, she was back and my previously mate-less male was with her. I am significantly more hopeful now!

 

[red horse ranch]

Thanks for the replies. I kept the first group of guineas penned up for about 2 weeks in my coop/ barn. I had the new girl in the next stall in a big covered pen. They were all interacting well through the hardware cloth and I didn't have any replies here yet. She seemed unhappy by herself and I let my husband talk me into letting her out on saturday. It was a bad decision. She tried to join the group but they ran her off into the woods. I could hear her out there but she wouldn't come back. Later, my friend called to say that she had caught the other one. I went and got it, but unfortunately, it turned out to be another male. He's in the pen by himself now and will be staying there for at least another week or two. If they were that unwilling to accept another female, it probably won't go well with another male. Two days passed and I hadn't heard a peep from the one that got away. Today, she was back and my previously mate-less male was with her. I am significantly more hopeful now!

So glad your hen came back!

Another point you should know; there is almost always an outcast in every flock. 4 years ago I added a young female in with my other 3 month old group. To this day she is still chased away at times and doesn't stay with the group. Or she will stay on the outside edge of the group when free ranging. She has joined with the new blue group I brought in last summer but she still seems to spend a lot of time by herself. I've read of groups that were all hatched and raised together but they still have an outcast. Another guinea quirk I guess.

I would keep your new guineas confined for quite a while yet. Some experts recommend 6 weeks. I usually say at least a month. Perhaps you could try keeping your mate-less male in with them? Might be worth a try..

 

[StarMeKritten]

Yeah, we had an outcast before. She was raised with the whole group but was a bit smaller and got picked on. Sometimes she fit in, sometimes they ran her off. Something got her one night that they decided to sleep on the roof of the barn. I am really hoping that since a member of my original flock has taken a liking to her, the others will start to accept her too. It would be nice if I could catch her, but I'm not sure how likely that is, especially since they roosted in trees at their old home. I do have separate food and water out for her. Hopefully that will help keep her around.

 

[StarMeKritten]

I just came outside to check on her again. I now have a happy group of 4 guineas running around. They are chatting with #5 and appear to be conspiring to get him out... But I'm going to hold off on that for awhile...