Guinea fowl research!!

[Emk806]

Hello all,

I’m currently researching how to keep and care for guinea fowl and would love some advice. I have read a few articles posted here but I’m having a hard time figure out how to keep them.
Can they be kept with chickens? If not can they at least be nice from afar?
Ive read that they do not do well with being in a coop but that you should obviously try and persuade them for their safety.
Should I just try and keep them in the coop while their young and then let them be free? I don’t want them to be stressed.
I have plenty of space for them to roam and roost where they’d like, I just also have plenty of predators. Should I lean towards letting them be wild?
Thanks!!

 

[R2elk]

Hello all,

I’m currently researching how to keep and care for guinea fowl and would love some advice. I have read a few articles posted here but I’m having a hard time figure out how to keep them.
Can they be kept with chickens? If not can they at least be nice from afar?
Ive read that they do not do well with being in a coop but that you should obviously try and persuade them for their safety.
Should I just try and keep them in the coop while their young and then let them be free? I don’t want them to be stressed.
I have plenty of space for them to roam and roost where they’d like, I just also have plenty of predators. Should I lean towards letting them be wild?
Thanks!!

I haven't seen any articles on here that I trust about guineas.

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

I recommend brooding, raising and housing guineas separate from any other poultry. My guineas are brooded, raised and housed separate and can be free ranged in the same area and at the same time as other poultry without any problems.

Some people get away with housing them in the same building with chickens but in those cases they typically have much bigger than normal "coops". Guineas require much more "personal space" than chickens need.

Some people let their guineas be "wild". These people are usually replacing their guineas on an annual basis. I did not coop my first flock of guineas at night. I lost every single one of them to Great Horned Owls.

I herd my current flock of guineas into their secure coop every evening. I have not lost any of them to predators in 7 years. I do keep their food and water in their coop.

I am proactive in removing predators in the areas where my poultry live.

 

[Unicornlife3316]

Just tagging on to R2elk because he’s the guinea expert.
I’ve had guineas for about 3 years now.

Like R2elk - I do not raise, brood, coop my guineas with the chickens. They’re much more aggressive than any rooster when they want to mate/eat/chase whatever - so I’ve always raised my keets separate and it’s worked well for us. They free range together and the guineas basically leave the chickens alone. They’ve also alerted me several times to predators (this isn’t the case for everyone but it has been my experience)

Coop - I absolutely 100% put my guineas up every single night, I leave them in the place I expect them to sleep for at least 4 weeks so they know where “home” is. I also have not lost a single guineas to predators in almost 2 years. This is the safest for them as they’re completely blind at night and can not defend themselves. If you leave them to their own devices over night and have a high predator population - you’re basically just feeding them and not giving your birds a fair life. Just my opinion. Why gets birds or any animal, you’re not willing to protect to the best of your capabilities.

‘My guineas free range on 38 acres, thankfully not close to a road or neighbors to cause disturbances.

they’re a lot of fun but research the food needed (game bird starter at 28% protein is what I use) but they need higher level of nyacin, lysine and something else I can’t remember the name of.

 

[R2elk]

they need higher level of niacin, lysine and something else I can’t remember the name of.

Lysine, methionine and niacin

 

[Unicornlife3316]

Lysine, methionine and niacin

thank you! My pregnancy brain just couldn’t come up with it!!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

thank you! My pregnancy brain just couldn’t come up with it!!

Very exciting! When are you due, Unicorn? Is this your first?

 

[Unicornlife3316]

Very exciting! When are you due, Unicorn? Is this your first?

oh I guess I hadn’t told y’all over here yet! I announced on my chicken Instagram page but forgot y’all!
I am currently 30 weeks pregnant with a little boy, he’s our second. We have a 4.5 year old daughter. I am due November 13 but I expect him to come a little earlier as he’s a bit bigger than my daughter was and I only have half a uterus, so I’m expecting him around the end of October.

if y’all are on Instagram - find my page
@_cluckin_around_

 

[My2butterflies]

oh I guess I hadn’t told y’all over here yet! I announced on my chicken Instagram page but forgot y’all!
I am currently 30 weeks pregnant with a little boy, he’s our second. We have a 4.5 year old daughter. I am due November 13 but I expect him to come a little earlier as he’s a bit bigger than my daughter was and I only have half a uterus, so I’m expecting him around the end of October.

if y’all are on Instagram - find my page
@_cluckin_around_

Awe, congratulations!

 

[Unicornlife3316]

Awe, congratulations!

Thank you

 

[Gypsi]

My neighborhood guinea appeared in August of 2019, with his mate I think. Never found out where they came from. They just kinda moved in and started hunting grasshoppers. I put out scratch for them and I have ponds so they learned to eat and drink at my house but were still their own birds.

Loose dogs in the neighborhood killed her at Thanksgiving. I had a couple of people volunteer to take him if I could catch him but I have not been able to so I put his scratch out on my front sidewalk and he goes where he wishes. He roosts on top of the old bird pen sometimes, or on a tree, and shows up for breakfast. He tried to take on my rooster and I grabbed the roo and saved his life, he now gives the rooster space. The old birds have a pen but free range on a little fenced 1/12th acre lot. Meals are regular, it's just 2 old hens and a rooster.

He learned to stay out of my back yard when we had a close call with one of my dogs, and I range my laying hens in the back yard in the afternoon when my dogs are inside. Don't need trouble with them.

Congratulations to the expecting mom