Angry Bird

[Con0]

I raised 6 keets in May, 3 of them have survived and are the coolest, friendliest birds. In addition, I have 3 adult hens I bought in September. I kept them in adjacent coops with a divided run. At this point 5 of them are together on one side with a shared coop but the other hen is so aggressive. She wants to fight my original 3 and she is relentless We have her by herself in the divided run with her own coop. All she does is strut back and forth, trying to attack our flock. Is there any hope? I detest seeing her alone while the others free range.

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[Jabebee13]

I had adult guineas before. They weren't mean. Maybe if it's a she then she is broody.... I heard male guineas don't get along with male rooster. You want to keep this bird for eggs? For breeding purposes? Or for meat?

 

[Con0]

The other 5 are as nice as they can be. I just have them for insect control. She is hostile and attacks the males. She grabs hold of their wattles and won't let go.

 

[Jabebee13]

Quote " and are the coolest, friendliest birds" I read everything you said. "She is hostile and attacks the males." And you said already "trying to attack our flock.". You also said she is relentless. I know he is a she. She is a she. Mean girl. Angry bird. So she can do bug control inside the coop.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I raised 6 keets in May, 3 of them have survived and are the coolest, friendliest birds. In addition, I have 3 adult hens I bought in September. I kept them in adjacent coops with a divided run. At this point 5 of them are together on one side with a shared coop but the other hen is so aggressive. She wants to fight my original 3 and she is relentless We have her by herself in the divided run with her own coop. All she does is strut back and forth, trying to attack our flock. Is there any hope? I detest seeing her alone while the others free range.

.

I’m sorry that you are dealing with this conflict. To be clear: are all six birds guinea fowl? How did you determine which are hens vs cocks? How did you integrate the two groups and for how long have they been integrated?

 

[My2butterflies]

^ Yes, more information would be helpful.
Pictures would be great too.

Is she trying to attack through the fence, or just trying to get to the group? They aren’t solitary birds. I can only imagine how frantic she must be if she’s been divided from her flock.
Ive had a few young guineas fly into my chicken run and they go bonkers at the fence trying to get back out. Pacing, sticking their necks through the fence, ect.

You also need to give them time to establish a pecking order. It can look brutal, but they are tough birds. Just be sure to provide plenty of hiding spots with multiple exits.

 

[Sydney65]

It wouldn't be the first time I was wrong, but she really sounds like a he- the dominance, waddle pulling. They're abt 6 months old..
I had to go back & look at that time period. Mine had paired off by then, mb not so much as mates but pals & sleep mates. One pair, he was docile,letting the other peck holes in his foot until I ended up having to amputate it - but he never fought back or moved away.
Yet he & the rest, male & female, would pick on the lighter colored lavender one, chased him all over the yard constantly.
Then came the macho fights, between the lavender and the amputated toe male. They were the only 2, and still are, that fight. It's grueling to watch, grabbing the waddles then running as though they were yanking on a leash, pinning each other against structures.
When the lavender gets too annoying, you'll still find him running full out with the other 5 giving chase.
But- 4 of mine are in their 2nd year, 2 are 3 months old. The 4 older ones I bought & raised, & though not as cuddly as they were when younger, they're still tolerant of my touch and being picked up, as well as eating out of my hand. These 2 female keets that I hatched would rip my face off if they could.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

It wouldn't be the first time I was wrong, but she really sounds like a he- the dominance, waddle pulling. They're abt 6 months old..
I had to go back & look at that time period. Mine had paired off by then, mb not so much as mates but pals & sleep mates. One pair, he was docile,letting the other peck holes in his foot until I ended up having to amputate it - but he never fought back or moved away.
Yet he & the rest, male & female, would pick on the lighter colored lavender one, chased him all over the yard constantly.
Then came the macho fights, between the lavender and the amputated toe male. They were the only 2, and still are, that fight. It's grueling to watch, grabbing the waddles then running as though they were yanking on a leash, pinning each other against structures.
When the lavender gets too annoying, you'll still find him running full out with the other 5 giving chase.
But- 4 of mine are in their 2nd year, 2 are 3 months old. The 4 older ones I bought & raised, & though not as cuddly as they were when younger, they're still tolerant of my touch and being picked up, as well as eating out of my hand. These 2 female keets that I hatched would rip my face off if they could.

Oh ouch Sydney! Why do you think your older and newer guineas are so different in temperament? Mine are so flighty and scared of me.

My DD finds them annoying because they make aggressive pecking motions from their roosts as she’s feeding and watering them after dark. I was in their coop with her and said, “oh they don’t mean anything by that! They wouldn’t really peck you.” So then she put her hand up in front of one that was hissing and threatening her and it did indeed peck her hand! Since then I’ve been on a mission to put my hand in front of them and touch them when roosting if they threaten me. Not sure that I have any real goal, just testing the waters and entertaining myself I guess... Once they hit my hand they usually stop and try to turn away from me. I wonder if they are perceiving me as a threatening predator or as a guinea that they need to warn off from their perch... There is a light in there and I’ve always tended just after dark, so they know it’s me.

 

[Sydney65]

knock on wood, I've not been pecked. Given Blue's toe, I have a feeling that's worse than the bite- and that's what they try to do. They've bit my fingers.
PJ (the big gray) will nip my fingers and toes to get my attention when I'm giving treats, but it doesn't hurt. I went through a period w/the grays right as that 1st mating season was kicking in where they would air strike at me,but never made contact & it was short lived. These days not much affects the grays. They're big & the know it, no need to exert energy proving it. Funny, bc they were the biggest chickens as keets. Rosie has even taken to having conversations w/me. Before it's only been the boys to do that.
Anyway - these little twirps. Mb it's just the 2 of them? They don't get picked on by the others unless they are being annoying, like landing on top of one or trying to scoot under them, then they get a thunk on the head. But they have a "me n you against the world" attitude, always together & go berserk when separated. They now wander around on their own, eventually catching up w/the others but not worried abt not being w/them. They join the line to scream at intruders, and even more hilarious, the one that forms up to chase Nugget around the house. Lol.
I try to handle each of them daily & take them off to a quiet area, get them to chill. But you can see the fight in their eyes. Nope, definitely not like the others.lol. I know my other 4 won't hurt my grans or dogs or neighbor. I worry abt these to when they're grown.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

knock on wood, I've not been pecked. Given Blue's toe, I have a feeling that's worse than the bite- and that's what they try to do. They've bit my fingers.
PJ (the big gray) will nip my fingers and toes to get my attention when I'm giving treats, but it doesn't hurt. I went through a period w/the grays right as that 1st mating season was kicking in where they would air strike at me,but never made contact & it was short lived. These days not much affects the grays. They're big & the know it, no need to exert energy proving it. Funny, bc they were the biggest chickens as keets. Rosie has even taken to having conversations w/me. Before it's only been the boys to do that.
Anyway - these little twirps. Mb it's just the 2 of them? They don't get picked on by the others unless they are being annoying, like landing on top of one or trying to scoot under them, then they get a thunk on the head. But they have a "me n you against the world" attitude, always together & go berserk when separated. They now wander around on their own, eventually catching up w/the others but not worried abt not being w/them. They join the line to scream at intruders, and even more hilarious, the one that forms up to chase Nugget around the house. Lol.
I try to handle each of them daily & take them off to a quiet area, get them to chill. But you can see the fight in their eyes. Nope, definitely not like the others.lol. I know my other 4 won't hurt my grans or dogs or neighbor. I worry abt these to when they're grown.

Well that’s probably the good thing about mine being afraid of me - there’s little chance they would attack me or someone else. My dogs are more a threat to them than vice versus.