Do guineas need a coop?

[gobbles!]

I decided this morning: I'm definitely going to have to invest in guineas to at least experiment with their watch-dog capabilities. Too many of my guys are getting eaten.

 

[MissPrissy]

I had mine in a coop when they were small. As they got bigger we decided to let them out in the day to free range and would lock them back up at night. This lasted about 3 days with a few of the guineas left out all night roosting in trees. After that they decided they would rather sleep with the goats. And so they do. It freed up a coop and they are happy and fat and have full run of the place. They roost high, make a lot of noise and are best if left to be wild.

 

[cgjsmith]

My guineas stay in the barn in the winter at night and out and about the yard in the summer. but they almost always sleep in the rafters. Crystal

 

[patandchickens]

no personal experience here, but everything I've ever read about guineas is that they most certainly do need a coop in northern winters, and furthermore it needs to be kept rather distinctly warmer than what's tolerated by chickens.


Pat

 

[mdbucks]

Quote:
I didnt read that part of the keeping guineas manual(its a guy thing until something is wrong why read the instructions), but mine have been with the chickens and I have got no complaints yet.

 

[gobbles!]

Quote:
I didnt read that part of the keeping guineas manual(its a guy thing until something is wrong why read the instructions), but mine have been with the chickens and I have got no complaints yet.

Are you in New England, what part?

 

[MissPrissy]

Quote:
You do know they can cross breed with your chickens, don't you?

If you plan on hatching eggs with that bator you borrowed you should make sure the hens are completely separate from the guineas or you will get some very ugly hatchlings -buckeyed-guineas.

 

[mdbucks]

Quote:
You do know they can cross breed with your chickens, don't you?

If you plan on hatching eggs with that bator you borrowed you should make sure the hens are completely separate from the guineas or you will get some very ugly hatchlings -buckeyed-guineas.

I didnt know that and I will have to be carefull, someone told me not to have alligators in the duckpond and I thought they were just worried that the ducks would get eaten, now what am I gonna do???

 

[Cathlina]

I have 40 guineas and they all run free. This is my third year with them and they do fine.
But the one thing I would consider is if you want to raise some you may want to pen them up when they start to lay. I lost most all my females that tried to sit eggs because they are such devoted mothers and they are sitting targets. Last year I penned them up and did fine.

 

[chickenlisa]

That "alliguck" is so funny!!!

Lisa
PS- We're thinking of getting guineas too this Spring-how does one teach them to stay in their own yard? I don't have a seperate pen for them...they'd be outside all the time after they are fully fledged.