Guinea fowl and chickens pairing up

[KatM41]

Hey folks,

I bought a few guinea hens to put in my chicken coop... turns out they are guinea boys! Now I bought some more guineas in hopes that they would mate. Upon reading this morning it turns out Guineas will mate with chickens? What?? Ok fine. Well I was in the midst of about to do a flock combining with my other chickens and stick everyone in the same pen. Now I'm not so sure my rooster will be able to handle the competition. Hes just now not being mean to our bantam rooster.

So while all this was going through my mind and google this morning, I also read, guineas are monogamous. Two of my older chickens seem to have paired up with the male guineas. Am I allowed to bring them new hens that they could actually mate with or am I now stuck with these two chickens being my male guineas ladies?

 

[R2elk]

So while all this was going through my mind and google this morning, I also read, guineas are monogamous.

Some guinea hens give the appearance of being monogamous. Guinea cocks are not monogamous.

I do not recommend putting guineas in with a flock of chickens. Guineas need a lot more personal space than do chickens. They also have much different mannerisms and breeding season behaviors in addition to not speaking the same language.

Chickens do not understand guinea behavior and can become extremely stressed when cooped in a small area that is suitable for chickens but no large enough for guineas.

I recommend that you increase your guinea flock size and house them separately from the chickens.

 

[KatM41]

Thanks for the heads up. I've purchased more guineas, but I need to wait. They all free range together and get along great. But we are considering moving them to their own pen. They are great with predators and being alarm calls. They can still do that during free range times. I will say I don't know how well seperating them will work, the guineas follow the chickens and lead the chickens around all day and the chickens seem to enjoy it.

 

[blackfishfin]

Thanks for the heads up. I've purchased more guineas, but I need to wait. They all free range together and get along great. But we are considering moving them to their own pen. They are great with predators and being alarm calls. They can still do that during free range times. I will say I don't know how well seperating them will work, the guineas follow the chickens and lead the chickens around all day and the chickens seem to enjoy it.

Personally, I have had great luck with Free Range guineas and chickens. They seem to have learned what the other is saying? Our guineas start to panic if a chicken goes missing and always run to Fire when she is separated from the flock. They run to the rooster when it calls, and have protected one of our hens from a snake before. It's almost like they've been tricked into thinking that they're family.

 

[red horse ranch]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that male guineas are built differently than roosters. A male guinea has a penis and a rooster doesn't. A rooster will just give a cloacae kiss and while it is rare he can fertilize a female guinea. I've not heard of a male guinea crossing with a female chicken but I would worry about a male guinea trying to breed a chicken hen.

 

[R2elk]

I've not heard of a male guinea crossing with a female chicken but I would worry about a male guinea trying to breed a chicken hen.

I would not worry about it. A male guinea does have a penis but it is not big enough to harm a chicken.

The problem with guineas mating with chicken hens is that the act is different. Roosters mount chickens and do the cloacal kiss while mounted on the back of the chicken.

The male guinea may initiate breeding by briefly mounting the guinea hen but the ones I have witnessed finish the breeding act from ground level and not from the back of the hen.