Just wanted to share this story here because it isn't something I could have predicted.
So, my husband surprised the girls with two guinea pigs. After a couple of days of having them at home, the smell really started getting to me. "What's the problem?" says my husband. "I'll fix a closed corner for them in the chicken coop."
In the chicken coop the guinea pigs went - not on the floor with the chickens, but in a built-in elevated cage of their own - and for some days all seemed well... until I noticed the chickens are refusing to sleep in the coop (they free-range during the day). They all moved to sleep right next to the house, and the amount of chicken poop all around was incredible! And even if I would pick them up at night and return them to the coop, they'd still come back here. I couldn't figure out what was wrong and why they are suddenly refusing the coop, until my husband said - "it must be the guinea pigs."
It was a little disappointing for our girls, but we really had nowhere else to keep them. We passed them on to a friend. And last night, some of the chickens have already returned to their coop. Hopefully the rest will follow suit.
My husband's theory is that guinea pigs smell like mice or rats, and mice can eat chicken's eggs and rats can eat young chicks, so the chickens perceived the smell of the guinea pigs as something threatening. I'm not sure it's true but it seems chickens and guinea pigs don't mix.
So, my husband surprised the girls with two guinea pigs. After a couple of days of having them at home, the smell really started getting to me. "What's the problem?" says my husband. "I'll fix a closed corner for them in the chicken coop."
In the chicken coop the guinea pigs went - not on the floor with the chickens, but in a built-in elevated cage of their own - and for some days all seemed well... until I noticed the chickens are refusing to sleep in the coop (they free-range during the day). They all moved to sleep right next to the house, and the amount of chicken poop all around was incredible! And even if I would pick them up at night and return them to the coop, they'd still come back here. I couldn't figure out what was wrong and why they are suddenly refusing the coop, until my husband said - "it must be the guinea pigs."
It was a little disappointing for our girls, but we really had nowhere else to keep them. We passed them on to a friend. And last night, some of the chickens have already returned to their coop. Hopefully the rest will follow suit.
My husband's theory is that guinea pigs smell like mice or rats, and mice can eat chicken's eggs and rats can eat young chicks, so the chickens perceived the smell of the guinea pigs as something threatening. I'm not sure it's true but it seems chickens and guinea pigs don't mix.
