Feeding/care Guinea Fowl that are in a coop

[Seeing Spots Farm]

I have 15 Guineas and I am keeping them until my dad get's his place fixed up for them. I have dogs so I have them in a 15x15x8 coop. Half is covered to keep them dry and they have a roost. It has been raining for days and they insist on sitting on the ground in the rain! They aren't on the roost and they aren't under the shelter. They do roost at night but for a week one had not been roosting. And then today I heard them going crazy and went outside and saw the coop door open and half of them were out and one was dead in the pen. My dogs are confined to the front yard so they didn't do it. I saw no marks on it so I am wondering now if they are sick or I am not feeding them right.I raised them from Keets at 3 days hatched and fed them chick starter, but now they are 9 months old and I am feeding them cracked corn. I am worried I am not giving them what they need and I don't want to loose anymore. I guess I can let them out of their coop for a few hours a day but I am worried the hawks will get some and so on, Plus it has been cold! I mean 25-30 deg. high for the day. I am hoping they can handle the weather as well. So I guess I am pretty much asking for the whole 411 on Guineas as a whole.

 

[greathorse]

guinea fowl are cool birds but not real bright. At 9 months they are certainly old enough to sustain themselves in inclement weather. You could probably feed them something in addition to cracked corn for more protein but they are not going to starve on corn and plenty of fresh water. If you heard a ruckus and a dead bird I am guessing hawk or someone else's dog.

Guinea do a pretty good job of surviving on their own. You have enough coop space for 15 that is not an issue. You will likely never know what killed that guinea.

When they free range are they able to get under trees etc? They are very wary of hawks so if they have cover and can get away they should be fine from the hawk standoint.

If they have been in that coop for some time they should sure be coop trained and will return when it gets dark. Drving them back into the coop would be quite a challenge. They as almost all fowl have a very strong instinct to return to their roost at dark. HOpe this helps

 

[greathorse]

ONe more thing if you say you have a covered area I am assuming it is protected from the wind as well. They can take a lot of cold it has been near zeroe here a couple of times and they are in a dry wind proof coop at night without any issues., Wet and wind will hurt them

 

[NYREDS]

One year I was unable to entice some of thr Guinea fowl into the barn for the winter. I fed them cracked corn outside every day & they slept 60 feet up in the top of a maple tree. When the winter winds howled they swayed back & forth but there they stayed. Every one made it through the winter just fine.
BTW I'm in upstate NY & temps well below zero are common here.

 

[txchickie]

I am sure it was not the weather or anything like that. Ours free range 100% of the time, rain, snow sleet, storms, etc...and haven't lost one yet. They get at the tops of the trees and do just fine. They have the option of coming into the coop, but they flat out refuse and I haven't been able to get them in.


I would definently start adding some protien to their diet, cracked corn is not enough. They won't starve on corn alone, but they will not be healthy.
I feed mine regular 'ol layer crumbles (16%, I believe), but only during the winter months when bugs are not so plentiful. During the spring/summer/fall when we're over-run with bugs (we're in the country in Texas, enough said LOL), I only supplement with some scratch or corn...they're on their own the rest of the time.

 

[Seeing Spots Farm]

Thanks guys. I am going to get some layer crumbles and mix it in with their cracked corn. I was just worried he may have had a deficiency b/c I wasn't feeding them right. I am also not knowledgeable on diseases they get . I checked the dead one for mites and his feathers looked good.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

You should go and get some "game bird" feed and mix this in with your corn. I used 50/60 of game vs. poultry grain and they absolutely thrived in the nursery. I would think you could get away with 30/70 game vs. poultry or cracked corm. They really do need some protein as they are not free ranging. Make absolutely sure that you are getting them CLEAN water EVERYDAY, this is imperative. Water will harbor alot of bacteria.

 

[ooptec]

Hey,

I live in Saskatchewan, Canada and the guinea's do the winter thing n.p. and 0°F is a balmy day w/a week or so of -30 to -40°F thrown in for good measure. Tho mine are coop trained in a non heated or insulated coop. They don't care to free range much as they aren't fussy walking on snow or find anything to eat. so they mostly hang in the pen walking around or there are some perches too.

Their summer diet is 80% protein stuff like bugs and grubs and 20% seeds m.o.l. Don't feed them at all in summer but they do eat some of the free range chicken's feed.

So in winter there are no bugs etc so they get some 38% layer supplement mixed w/some wild bird seed and then what ever the chickens are getting as they are all in the same pen, which would add wheat, peas, barley, oats, corn, weed seed screenings, kelp.

Rain doesn't really bother them a bit in summer, and the chickens take their cue from the guinea's when any kind of hawk, raven, owl whatever big bird is airborne.

Really like chickens and they make $$, guinea's however I adore and return is all satisfaction. But then again they are 0 maintenance.

cheers