Can't have just one?

[chefgian]

I bought a couple guineas to help guard my flock. I ended up with one cock and one hen. Perfect (or so I thought). I also have an assortment of chickens, a few who are bantams. As the cock got bigger, he began terrorizing my bantam roo and some of the hens (even the big ones). Can I cull him, but keep his mate? I was told when I bought them that you couldn't keep just one because the other would be too lonely. I feel like she would be fine with the hens, but he needs to go.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[JLeigh]

I wouldn't keep one guinea. Separate them for a few minutes, and you'll see they both get VERY stressed.

I'm not a believer in keeping a bully around myself, so if I were in your shoes, I would do one of a few things. 1) Cull the male (or re-home him if you can) and get another female or two. 2) Re-home both 3) Separate them both from your chicken flock if that's feasible.

Guineas have a lot of common traits, but each one has its own personality. What do you mean by terrorizing? Is the male guinea drawing blood from your chickens, or just running them off without harm?

If the male is drawing blood, then you have to do something quick, but if he's just running the chickens around the yard - running them off 5 or 10 feet and then turning back to what he was doing before, then that's just dominance.

Is he doing it in a shared pen or while they're free-ranging? If they're sharing a pen or coop, then they may not have enough room to "go to their corners" so to speak.

But what I wouldn't do is keep just one guinea. Sometimes finding the right mix of personalities can be difficult, but try if you can to find your female another companion or two. She won't be happy by herself, even if she hangs with the chickens peacefully. There's always the option of all-in and building a flock of about 7 or 8 guineas. That's actually the best option if you can swing it.

Did any of that make sense? I'm only on my second cup of coffee - I'm not much good until my third .

 

[PeepsCA]

If lack of coop space or free range time isn't the issue, and you can't house them separately from your flock of chickens then I agree with JLeigh and would just re-home them both. They are bonded mates and she will grieve the loss of him. It's not likely that a lone Hen will be a very efficient "alarm system" once the male is gone, IME the male Guineas are the watchers and protectors, not the Hens. She'll probably be distressed and continually call for him non-stop for quite a while. She may even wander off looking for him, and end up as a predator's meal, even if you decide to add a couple more Guinea Hens to keep her company.