Guinea Fowl

[LivingFate]

I have had my Guineas in the coop for about 1 mth now, I opened up the door to the coop yesterday so they can get used to the run. I am so nervous about actually letting them out for the fear of them flying away. Should I clip one of there wings to be on the safe side? If so is it just like cutting parrots/birds wings?

 

[MissPrissy]

What age are they?

I never let my guineas out until they are 3 - 4 months old - meaning after they come out of the baby brooder (2 - 3 weeks) they are put in a small coop brooder then moved to a growing pen. Guineas are wilder than chickens and are best left to be on the wild side. It takes them longer to learn where home is and they are notorious for straying. They are not always easy to catch either. They like high places.

Only feed them in their pen so you can have some assurance they will come back at some point to eat.

 

[LivingFate]

I have had them since June- day old keets-almost 4 mths..

They have been in the coop since 3 mths, seperate from the chickens, and a few days ago I opened up there little door so they could go out to the run which is all enclosed, and mingle with the chickens. I also feed them inside the coop.

My chickens are good I've been letting them free range since Sept and they behave but I know I've read that the guineas are wilder and harder to "tame" and I never thought I'd say this ( I used to be a city girl)

I love my guineas and would be crushed after all this work and bonding if I opened the door and they took off.

 

[MissPrissy]

They may take off and explore much farther than your chickens. You will even hear them off in the distance sqawking and doing their "kee kee kee" machine gun call. If you keep the coop door open and the feed inside and no where else for them to get to they should come back at the same time every evening to roost. You can almost count on that - when it starts to get dark they go to roost ASAP.

 

[LivingFate]

That I have noticed that the chickens AND guineas are inside the coop roosting once it starts to get dark out. Before I had the run door always open so the chickens would free randge all day and go back into the coop at night and I would go shut all doors etc when I got home from work..Since the guineas have access to the run now I will put the chickens into the run before I go to work and when I get home there both inside the coop already so hopefully thats a good sign..

 

[kinnip]

I've been "crushed" already. My two big guineas were too old to be tamed when I got them, but the day olds I spent lots of time handling. A couple of times a day they would sit in my hand while I stroked them. I really thought we had something, then I put them in with the big guineas. They are no longer tame, nor are they tolerant of me touching them. I had let the big ones out, but one decided to roost in a tree overnight, so back in the coop they went. I'm very concerned that they'll teach the little ones to roost outdoors too. Right now they're all cooling their toes in the lockdown. The big ones really do need to go out soon, but I'm scared!

 

[MissPrissy]

When I let my first batch out after 3 days they stopped going back to the coop. They are 100% free range now. They roost with the goats. I put out a tiny bit of feed at the barn door daily so they know to come home to eat - which they do like clockwork.

Since they refused to come back to the coop I fill the coop with more chickens.

The guineas I hatched this spring I just turned out. They are slowly becoming 1 flock with the other guineas. For a fairly long time they were 2 flocks that faught alot!

 

[Run-A-Muck Ranch]

Our guinea was raised with chickens. got both as day old hatches. Raised in the house together. Then moved to the porch together. When they FINALLY made it to the barn they went together.
Into the coop together. Around that time is was late fall/early winter. The bigger chickens didn't venture outside to often after the snow fell. So the younger chickens and guineas stuck with the bigger ones.
They pretty much stayed very very close to the barn. By the time spring came around and they were ready to venture again they are still together.
The guinea roosts, eats, walks, explores, dust baths, EVERYTHING with the chickens. Once in a blue moon will they be walking ontop the run or barn...But very seldom are the guinea NOT with the chickens. It's been about a year now, and so far so good. We also have a farm up the road that has guineas. They will come down here and visit every once in awhile. Before we had chickens (2 years ago) the other farms guineas would roost in the trees in our front yard over night.