Guinea fowl are not laying

[DoeAndGander]

I’m not sure this would help for a quick solution for the time being or not but could you split the outside run? Keep the ducks on one side and the guineas on the other? And maybe some sort of solid barrier between them to prevent imprinting

 

[peterinhungary]

I have let the guineas out into the Muscovy area and so far there is peace in the coop. It took the guineas one day to come out, (I was half expecting a rush to exit) and now they do not returned to their old place for the night but rather roost on the ground in a group. I will get around to dividing the coop permanently - but what would be the best housing / shelter to provide for them?

 

[R2elk]

I have let the guineas out into the Muscovy area and so far there is peace in the coop. It took the guineas one day to come out, (I was half expecting a rush to exit) and now they do not returned to their old place for the night but rather roost on the ground in a group. I will get around to dividing the coop permanently - but what would be the best housing / shelter to provide for them?

As a secure coop, your current coop is not bad in area but it needs to be taller. Bigger floor area would not hurt but you could get by with what you have. They do need to have as much run area as possible to go along with the secure coop. You also cannot trust them to go in the coop for the night without providing them with a reason such as treats or in my case, I herd mine into their coop.
This is my 8'x12' coop that houses 12 guineas at night. They have access to a huge run all day but are kept in the coop at night for their protection from predators.

 

[peterinhungary]

I can't give such a luxury house as above. The coop is about 600sq ft divided in 2, half for the muscovys and half for the chickens. The guineas share with the muscovys - However

SUCCESS - today 2 guinea eggs in the middle of the ground in their part of the coop. Thanks for the help and advice!!

Where to go next? Their original housing is at high level (4 ft off the ground) and they are ignoring it. I can allow them access to a 4ft x 4ft coop, 3 ft high that was used for chicken nesting / night time otherwise there are 4 1/4 oil barrels that the muscovys use as their preferred nesting sites (1 currently occupied)

What are the guineas going to prefer as a nest site?

Can they be encouraged to do something sensible (to me) or will they just lay anywhere until they pick a spot for some unfathomable reason

By the way the whole coop is fully wired, over the top and into the ground because of predators - and for the same reason my poultry can't free range.

 

[JuliB]

Guineas love to hide their eggs, preferring tall grass. Mine lay in a 4’x4’ open box, piled with loose hay, or on the weeds at the edge of the pasture if I let them out before 10 am.

The chickens return to the coop by 5pm, or if it’s cloudy or rainy or a hawk is in the trees. The Guineas stand out in the rain, stare down the hawk, and have to be herded into the coop every night... and then there is that one who doesn’t want to go in, and calls everyone else out, but they’re entertaining.

 

[R2elk]

I can't give such a luxury house as above. The coop is about 600sq ft divided in 2, half for the muscovys and half for the chickens. The guineas share with the muscovys - However

SUCCESS - today 2 guinea eggs in the middle of the ground in their part of the coop. Thanks for the help and advice!!

Where to go next? Their original housing is at high level (4 ft off the ground) and they are ignoring it. I can allow them access to a 4ft x 4ft coop, 3 ft high that was used for chicken nesting / night time otherwise there are 4 1/4 oil barrels that the muscovys use as their preferred nesting sites (1 currently occupied)

What are the guineas going to prefer as a nest site?

Can they be encouraged to do something sensible (to me) or will they just lay anywhere until they pick a spot for some unfathomable reason

By the way the whole coop is fully wired, over the top and into the ground because of predators - and for the same reason my poultry can't free range.

I assume that you mean 60 sq. ft. since a 600 sq. ft. coop would be huge or is it the run that is 600 sq. ft. A coop is a building with a roof while a run is a fenced in area that may or may not covered with wire or flight netting. I don't know how things in Hungary are but here it is very easy to find used pallets for free. Many have built coops and other stuff for minimal cost using the pallets either whole or broken down into their component parts.

First time layers tend to drop their eggs wherever they happen to be when the urge hits them. Once they figure out what is going on, they tend to prefer hidden nests. They can be encouraged to lay in specific sites if the nest is made attractive to guineas. Some people build little cave like areas using hay or straw bales. One woman built nest boxes and used evergreen trimmings to around the entrance to make the nest look secluded. A desirable nest site can also have its attractiveness increased by leaving fake eggs in the nest.

 

[peterinhungary]

Sorry about the terminology.....what is it they say, friends separated by a common language! (Originally I'm a Brit!)
Yes it is the run that is 600sq ft
I can easily give access to the old chicken house which has 4ft x 4ft floor area and 3ft high with 4 nest boxes at the back and I can stuff loose straw in it .
The eggs laid out in the run I presume have to be consigned to omelets or is there a point in putting them in the chicken house to give them a clue?