Getting guineas

[Lyndzie]

Hi all.

I have a small flock of chickens (10-ish, plus chicks) on a standard city lot in an urban area. I was thinking of getting guinea keets for my two broody ladies to raise. Minimum order from the hatcheries is 15. I plan to keep a few, and rehome most.

I need your advice about whether this plan is completely stupid or not.

How many/few guineas can I keep with the chickens? Is two ok?

How far away will they go? I have neighbors on either side that are fine with my birds (we have a short 3’ fence dividing us), and a 6’ high privacy fence all around. If they roam a bit, that is probably not an issue, but if they end up blocks away that would not work.

My neighbors hav already been warned about noise, and are very good about letting me know if it’s not working for them.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Isadora]

With you having such a small piece of property I highly doubt it will work out. My guineas free range and roam quite a bit. I'm very rural, and have a bit of property so it's no big deal, but I wouldn't have them if I was in a neighborhood or suburban setting.

 

[R2elk]

Hi all.

I have a small flock of chickens (10-ish, plus chicks) on a standard city lot in an urban area. I was thinking of getting guinea keets for my two broody ladies to raise. Minimum order from the hatcheries is 15. I plan to keep a few, and rehome most.

I need your advice about whether this plan is completely stupid or not.

How many/few guineas can I keep with the chickens? Is two ok?

How far away will they go? I have neighbors on either side that are fine with my birds (we have a short 3’ fence dividing us), and a 6’ high privacy fence all around. If they roam a bit, that is probably not an issue, but if they end up blocks away that would not work.

My neighbors hav already been warned about noise, and are very good about letting me know if it’s not working for them.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Read the thread Raising Guinea Fowl 101 and pay close attention to posts by @PeepsCA .

I do not recommend having fewer than 10 guineas. They are a flock bird and do best in large groups. They have their own unique traits that other fowl cannot understand.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Hi all.

I have a small flock of chickens (10-ish, plus chicks) on a standard city lot in an urban area. I was thinking of getting guinea keets for my two broody ladies to raise. Minimum order from the hatcheries is 15. I plan to keep a few, and rehome most.

I need your advice about whether this plan is completely stupid or not.

How many/few guineas can I keep with the chickens? Is two ok?

How far away will they go? I have neighbors on either side that are fine with my birds (we have a short 3’ fence dividing us), and a 6’ high privacy fence all around. If they roam a bit, that is probably not an issue, but if they end up blocks away that would not work.

My neighbors hav already been warned about noise, and are very good about letting me know if it’s not working for them.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Guinea fowl are difficult to keep in a small area and take noise to a whole new level. Two males might be quieter most of the time but might terrorize your chickens. Two female guineas would be loud enough to drown out a few roosters. And if they can get to your fence, they will fly over it and get caught on the other side. We are on 10 acres and that’s barely enough for Guinea fowl. If you would like to add another species to your flock, maybe ducks would work? You can get ducklings sexed as you only want females. They are also quite the PIA with their messiness and water requirements, but they are fun, super cute, and much better for an urban environment. Their eggs are amazing. Ducks do quack and make noise but are nowhere near as loud as guineas and won’t fly over a fence (depending on breed).

 

[Lyndzie]

Thanks all. I was interested in guineas because they eat insects, and we have a ton of flies and mosquitos here, plus rats.

 

[R2elk]

Thanks all. I was interested in guineas because they eat insects, and we have a ton of flies and mosquitos here, plus rats.

I wouldn't count on guineas to take care of your mosquito problem. I have 15 guineas and see no dent in my mosquito population.

You would need a lot more than 2 guineas to put a dent in your flies.

 

[The Chick Addict]

Guinea can be super loud and alot of them harrass chickens!