Guinea Fowl questions

[Zehmazoo]

Hi there,
In new to this site and to keeping Guinea fowl. I got my 4 sweet little fur keets when they were only 1 day hatched. Having no idea if I was getting male or female.... I kept them inside my livingroom in a large wooden box (yes yes I know my husband kept telling me not to spoil them.)
Until finally they wanted to fly out of the box more than they wanted to be in in. I moved them to a large coop and we had a pretty good summer and fall. I have decided that we have 3 very verbal males and 1 sweet female named Hazel.
Winter has been ok too I keep a light on for heat and check them everyday. Sit and talk to them and feed them mealworms By hand. Today I went to visit and 2 of the males we flying into each other smashing their chest. I. So glad I found this site you all seem to know so much more than I do and I appreciate the info.
I think from reading on here that this is a fight for Hazel's attention.
I also read that it would be wise to have 10 birds in a small flock which is perfect because I want more. BUT is there a way to distinguish male from female at an early age?
Thanks so much

 

[Shadowfire]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens- glad to have you with us! How much space are the guineas allowed to have? More room and more visual blocks can help to ease the offenses until you can find a permanent cure. Best of luck!

 

[nchls school]

I had guineas years ago. No, I don't think there's any way to sex them as chicks.

 

[Ms.tiamaria]

Hi there,
In new to this site and to keeping Guinea fowl. I got my 4 sweet little fur keets when they were only 1 day hatched. Having no idea if I was getting male or female.... I kept them inside my livingroom in a large wooden box (yes yes I know my husband kept telling me not to spoil them.)
Until finally they wanted to fly out of the box more than they wanted to be in in. I moved them to a large coop and we had a pretty good summer and fall. I have decided that we have 3 very verbal males and 1 sweet female named Hazel.
Winter has been ok too I keep a light on for heat and check them everyday. Sit and talk to them and feed them mealworms By hand. Today I went to visit and 2 of the males we flying into each other smashing their chest. I. So glad I found this site you all seem to know so much more than I do and I appreciate the info.
I think from reading on here that this is a fight for Hazel's attention.
I also read that it would be wise to have 10 birds in a small flock which is perfect because I want more. BUT is there a way to distinguish male from female at an early age?
Thanks so much

Sounds like they are competing for dominance. If they are anything like chickens, it’s advised that in order to maintain a healthy equilibrium and balance in the flock, there should be as many as 10 hens for each rooster. With chickens, there is more likelihood that roosters won’t get along, and hens will be over-mated if there are too many roosters and too few hens for them.

 

[Cindy in PA]

Females will constantly call "Come Back, Come Back" etc. When I had a full flock the females talked constantly. The males can get quite physical & are much happier when they free range or have lots of room. My males never were brutal, but they chased each other from April until October!

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC!
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[Zehmazoo]

Females will constantly call "Come Back, Come Back" etc. When I had a full flock the females talked constantly. The males can get quite physical & are much happier when they free range or have lots of room. My males never were brutal, but they chased each other from April until October!

Cindy I love the "come back, come back" it seriously makes me smile

 

[R2elk]

Sounds like they are competing for dominance. If they are anything like chickens, it’s advised that in order to maintain a healthy equilibrium and balance in the flock, there should be as many as 10 hens for each rooster. With chickens, there is more likelihood that roosters won’t get along, and hens will be over-mated if there are too many roosters and too few hens for them.

Guineas are not chickens and they do not behave like chickens. Guineas do best as pairs. Trying to have one guinea cock with 10 guinea hens will lead to lots of infertile eggs. It is possible to have more males than hens and still be okay. The extra males will form a bachelor flock. It can get interesting during breeding season as the males compete for the hens but in the end all of the males aid in protecting the flock.

Another difference between guineas and chickens is that guineas are seasonal layers and therefore have a breeding season.

 

[R2elk]

Hi there,
In new to this site and to keeping Guinea fowl. I got my 4 sweet little fur keets when they were only 1 day hatched. Having no idea if I was getting male or female.... I kept them inside my livingroom in a large wooden box (yes yes I know my husband kept telling me not to spoil them.)
Until finally they wanted to fly out of the box more than they wanted to be in in. I moved them to a large coop and we had a pretty good summer and fall. I have decided that we have 3 very verbal males and 1 sweet female named Hazel.
Winter has been ok too I keep a light on for heat and check them everyday. Sit and talk to them and feed them mealworms By hand. Today I went to visit and 2 of the males we flying into each other smashing their chest. I. So glad I found this site you all seem to know so much more than I do and I appreciate the info.
I think from reading on here that this is a fight for Hazel's attention.
I also read that it would be wise to have 10 birds in a small flock which is perfect because I want more. BUT is there a way to distinguish male from female at an early age?
Thanks so much

If you haven't already done so, read Raising Guinea Fowl 101 and pay particular attention to posts made by @PeepsCA

The guineas should not have needed heated through the winter. It can get down to -30°F here during the winter and I do not provide my guineas with any supplemental heat. My guineas have free access to the outdoors all winter and it is common to see them outside on frigid days. Mine do not like windy days but now that they have become accustomed to it they even run around in the snow on sunny days.

Do not give them too many mealworms or other treats as it can be harmful to their health. The rule of thumb is to limit all combined treats to a maximum of 10% of their total feed.

It must be coming up to springtime where you are since you males are exhibiting the signs of breeding season. There will be plenty of running and chasing too.

I never recommend that anyone keep fewer than ten guineas as they are a flock bird and they do best in large groups.

There have been a number of people over the years that have claimed various methods for sexing keets. None of the methods that I have checked have any merit. I was able to vent sex keets at about 4 to 6 weeks old but by six weeks you can start sexing the hens by their "buckwheat" calls anyway.

 

[aart]

Raising Guinea Fowl 101

This?:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...beginners-guide-to-raising-guinea-fowl.74737/