Can guineas share a coop with chickens?

[heybarb]

We might try to add some guinea chicks in the spring. I guess I missed my chance with this round of broody girls, but I'm guessing it'll happen again and maybe then we'll be ready. Also, I'm not sure our coop is big enough. Our 9 chickens fit just fine for roosting and they free range during the day, but guineas are pretty big birds...So, I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

 

[JimWWhite]

Back in May of this year after we gave our flock of Golden Comets away because they were pretty well spent, we were given 5 eight week old guinea keets, 3 pearls and 2 lavenders. They had the run and coop all to themselves for almost 3 months until two weeks ago when we brought in 24 BSL started pullets. These were 15 weeks old when they arrived. After two weeks its becoming apparent the pullets are starting to dominate the guineas. The guineas stay to themselves but I see the pullets try to keep them away from the food and water. When I go down to the run and go in the pullets go to the back of the run and then the guineas run to the feeder and waterer and have their fills. But after I leave I watch from the distance and start to see the pecking order being set. I'd love to see the guineas turn on them and kick butt for a change. For the most part the guineas stay in one corner or they are up on top of the coop which is inside the run. The run is a carport I re-purposed by adding 2x4 wire to enclose it, a gate, and moved the coop inside of it. You can see it if you go to my profile page.

But yes, I think you can have guineas and chickens together but I've heard it can go to the chickens dominating the guineas or the other way around. Every coop has a pecking order and what I've noticed in the past before getting guineas that chickens seem to put the odd duck chicken to the bottom of the order. By than I remember a couple of young hens we had before didn't develop combs or waddles as early as the others and they were set apart by the others and were constantly tormented. I think the same thing is happening to the guineas because they are different.

 

[Myron60]

Hello, back in may we incubated 10 chicken and 6 guinea eggs together, and six chicks and 4 guineas hatch. They stayed in the brooder and the coop together all the time with no real pecking order that I could see. Later on the guineas started sleeping in the trees and the chicks in the coop. Every morning the guineas raise all heck until I let the chicks out to free range, then they run all around and do their thing. Yesterday I saw one of my two rooster chicks try to mate on of my female guineas. I have 2 roosters out of the 6 chicks and 2 roosters from the 4 guineas. There has been no fighting between them especially when the rooster tried to mate the quinea hen. This really suprised me.

 

[jbirds2012]

I saw some baby guineas at the local farm store and was thinking about getting some, but I don't want to build another coop...can they share with my chickens?

yes, i got baby guineas,turkeys,and chicks, all at once and put them in the brooder together and they got along fine. i took the chicks & turkeys out at 5 weeks old. when the giuneas were 6 weeks old, i put some 2 week old bo's in with them untill they were 5 weeks old and they got along just fine.

 

[jtbrown]

My guineas were day old the beginning of June this year. I have gotten about 1/2 doz eggs starting last week, an egg or two every few days. Haven't seen any mating yet. They share an enclosed run with our ducks. I have a door to chicken coop that is only open to enclosure on everyone free range days as my chickens are quite numerous and flood the enclosed run like a packed bar on Saturday night! The ducks and guineas have a two story 'house' within their enclosure but the guineas so far roost out in the rain within the enclosed run at night. Even with free ranging, I havent had trouble getting them in at night to roost. They only hang out in their roof covered perch occasionally, but I wonder if that will change in the winter.

So far no fighting, although an experienced guinea friend of mine says spring mating will be the big test. Her guineas tend to pull her roosters tail feather out! I do have a buff orp Pullet that feels the need to intrude on the guineas, she isn't even laying yet but bosses herself in on the guinea group - jumps up to,roost with them but eventually goes back in the coop at night. I often let the guineas out and keep ducks enclosed if i am not going to be home to watch them, as those ducks just lounge in the grass and could be snapped up by the local predators without even a fuss. I want happy guineas, so i let them take their chances. Everyone in my mixed flock kind of coexists by ignoring the other.

Ps - I would live to hatch some guineas under a broody this spring, but we will see.

 

[TheCuteBirds]

I"m sure they can, but there are risks since they are way more into teamwork than ordinary chickens so, if one does something, like a pack of walruses, they all will enhance. Hopefully they do not attack a chicken or, well, you! I think it's pretty much ok in general as long as they aren't attacking as Guniea Fowl generally are chickens, because they are in the family of pheasants and there are no major differences.

 

[JimWWhite]

Well, I'm happy to say that our guineas and BSL pullets now seem to have settled down and there seems to be peace in the hen house. For a while I thought I'd have to do something like build another coop and run for the guineas but I don't think so now. Tonight when I opened the gate and let them out I sat down and had a beer and watched 'Chicken TV' in the backyard. I paid close attention to their interaction. There didn't seem to be any. The pullets would walk by and stop to see what the guinea was pecking at but keep on going. And the guineas seem to be more comfortable because I see them spread out among the chickens and scattered over a larger area all around the outside of the run. Everyone seems to be minding their own business and not tormenting each other. Some of the pullets run up to each other like two cocks wanting to fight but one will back down and they say to each other 'Fuhgetaboutit...' and go on their way. All in all, there is peace which is much better than our old flock where the Gals would be slamming each other all the time setting and resetting the pecking order.

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

Ours do fine together. The guineas have attacked a hawk that got in looking for a free meal... it left missing quite a few flight feathers and all of its tail's. There is an occasional squabble, always involving a rooster. Most of the guineas roost intermixed with the chickens and turkeys.

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

I"m sure they can, but there are risks since they are way more into teamwork than ordinary chickens so, if one does something, like a pack of walruses, they all will enhance. Hopefully they do not attack a chicken or, well, you! I think it's pretty much ok in general as long as they aren't attacking as Guniea Fowl generally are chickens, because they are in the family of pheasants and there are no major differences.

The attacks ive seen have been very minor. no blood, some feathers and squawking then peace restores.