Ding Dong - the Guineys are Gone - and the chickens are much happier

[N. Virginia]

Hi All:
I'm sorry to report that we had to eat our 3 guineys. They were just terrorizing the 8 chickens - just randomly bopping them on their heads and biting them. So unfortunately I have no more antics to watch - will have to go over to the neighbors where they still have a few left, along with hundreds of chickens.
Cheers,
N. Virginia

 

[sawmane1]

yah i was thinking about guinea fowl but then i would need a new coop and more feed and yada yada too much

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Mine had to go after they went after my 16 year old cat!! and my red sexlinks. They thought one of my Black sexies was his mother so they left those ones alone

 

[N. Virginia]

I read somewhere that if one has 10 or more guineas then they will just fight with eachother and leave chickens alone ... I don't have room for that. Many.
cheers,
v.

 

[jack & mommy's duckies]

I have a pair of white Guineas.....and last week they started chasing the ducks and chickens away I'd love to behead them and put them in freezer camp.....but they like ticks.... So if the darn snow would ever go away (Ontario, Canada) i'll move them over to a smaller pen with their own house...... But the deep snow makes it hard to move anything around

 

[perchie.girl]

N. Virginia :

Hi All:
I'm sorry to report that we had to eat our 3 guineys. They were just terrorizing the 8 chickens - just randomly bopping them on their heads and biting them. So unfortunately I have no more antics to watch - will have to go over to the neighbors where they still have a few left, along with hundreds of chickens.
Cheers,
N. Virginia

Just curious.... howd they taste?

Guines are not for everyone

I totally understand.

FWIW I have had guineas before in a mixed free range flock and outside of having to make sure there were more than a couple of feeders out there they pretty much left my chickens alone. I also provided separate perching areas giving the guineas perches that only they could get up to. Though they ususally had one or two hens that would sit up with them. Never knew a determined hen could get up to an eight foot high perch without an intermediate landing spot...LOL. I Had 7 Guineas and about thirty chickens.​

 

[2many2count]

My DH had to have guineas last year so we went to get 2 maybe 4...we came home with 7. When we added them to the coop they went nuts and thought we might not keep them alive but soon they calmed down and all was well. They are now full grown and stay with the chickens..they are watch birds that help let me know if something isn't right in the coop/pen. I have to say the noise they make drives me nuts when the windows are open and I'm watching tv but worth it in the end to keep them. I have even seen them chase off a farrel cat that thought it was gonna have supper. And we had hawk issues last year thanks to them I only lost 2 chickens they gave out warning noise and the chickens all ran into the house to be safe but ya know have to have few that don't listen. So I think guineas with my chickens are a good thing...they eat together & sleep together.

 

[shelleyd2008]

N. Virginia :

I read somewhere that if one has 10 or more guineas then they will just fight with eachother and leave chickens alone ... I don't have room for that. Many.
cheers,
v.

I have a flock of 15 guineas and they still pick on the chickens. During the warmer months they pretty much ignore them but in the winter I guess they have nothing better to do. If they weren't so good at keeping the tick population down I'd probably get rid of mine, but I like being able to step off the porch in the summer time without worrying about how many ticks are crawling up my legs

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

We gave ours away. They actually caused our hens to STOP laying. Once they were gone, we started getting eggs again about a week later.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
I think the trouble people have with Guineas in a mixed flock is that they dont have enough guineas. My little guinea flock was about seven as well and outside of the occasional peck toward one of the chickens over food everything was peaciful. They would even occasionally break up a scuffle between roosters. Unfortunately the noise level and furtive movements of the Guineas are not for everyone. Im actually planning on doing the Rooster bachelor pen with the guineas. Though I have planned space for the roosters on their own just incase this doesnt work.