Chickens and Guinea Fowl

[lfoose]

Are they able to peacefully live together?

 

[Sherry]

From my personal experience...

I had 7 hens and 3 guineas live together for several months without problem. Then the guinea roo, I noticed, was "picking" on my chickens, pulling their feathers, etc.

I have seen other posts here where members have guineas and chickens living in harmony. I don't know, maybe it depends on the personalities of all fowl involved.

 

[speckledhen]

Yes, sometimes. Often, no. Mine did for months. The guineas had been in the coop in a nursery area for months, since they were 4 weeks old and the chickens were six months old. At four or five months, the 'terrible teens' for guineas, my alpha male suddenly attacked my smallest RIR hen. Anytime he saw her, he'd attack. She began living in the nests. Then it progressed to my other two RIR hens. No other hens were bothered. In fact, the hens would often break up fights between the guineas. I locked down the guineas for two weeks. During that two weeks was when my rooster came off quarantine and was integrated into my flock of girls. When I released the guineas, my alpha began making rushes toward the rooster. Hawkeye could handle Dodger one on one, but then the other three guineas began attacking from all sides. They bodyslam their victims, not like chickens at all. Finally, after one day when they ran my rooster off into the woods and he refused to come back till I came to get him, I said enough is enough, and I rehomed them with someone on BYC. I miss them, though. They were extremely tame and sweet with us.

 

[lfoose]

I don't think I want to take a chance then. There was a lot of stress in the coop when I had 4 roo's. Now things are settling back down.

Oh well.

Unless I con convince DH to build me a little house for it....

 

[Run-A-Muck Ranch]

We have 32 chickens, 3 roosters, 3 ducks and 1 guinea all in the same indoor outdoor coop. They do free range now. But over the winter they were all indoors and very seldum went into there outdoor area.
All ours get along great. The guinea actually sticks pretty close to the chickens. Once in awhile it will pick at the chickens. But then again they will try and pick at him/her too. Nothing mean about it thank goodness.

Ours all get along great. And all were put together at different ages. The ducks and guinea were actually rasied together since babies. Most of the chickens were a bit older.

We have no problems with them being together. The water dish area gets a little icky once in a while from the ducks but other than that everyone lives happily together.

When they are out free ranging the guinea sticks pretty close to the chickens. They talk back and forth to each other. And all get along great when free ranging...

 

[speckledhen]

I may have guineas again one day, but this time, I will hatch them under a broody hen. Naturally, it won't change their wild nature, but possibly, in some way, they'll think of themselves are more part of the chickens and less a separate group, somehow. Perhaps it's wishful thinking, knowing what I know of their natural tendencies, but I'd like to have them again.

 

[wynedot55]

right now i have 5 turkeys 2 hens an 1 guin running togather.an ive never had a prob with the guins.as far as i know they get along.

 

[speckledhen]

Here is a picture of my Dodger attacking Hawkeye: