Guinea Habits

[flyingdragon]

Is it normal for guineas to sit down a lot? Mine seem to be so lazy. They just want to stay inside and eat. I have to shoo them out of their house and close the door or they'll go right back and eat some more. I even have to herd them out of the run so they will range unlike my chicks who are pacing back and forth and running out as soon as I open the door. They are eight week old french guineas. Is this strain less active than others(which from reading other posts may be a good thing)? And if I want to breed successive generations how can I maintain genetic diversity. I got all 30 from J&M. I can't tell male from female but some of them have begun to start fighting (not too rough) and I guess these must be the males. Also I have abarred rock roo that is trying to mate the guineas. Has anyone seen this before? I've been reading about worming. Should I be doing this and with what? Is apple cider vinegar good for anything? I' e got Dr. Bragg's which I have read is the best for animal use.

 

[houndit]

I have never had French Guineas. My guineas are extremely active. Since the French are a hybrid they probably are not as active and eat more. I have never wormed guineas so I can not help with that. Chickens and guineas do sometimes cross breed. Here is a thread about that. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=263053

 

[cw]

dont shoo them from there coop, let them come out on there own, as they will leave, i have frech guineas and they will become more active, as they get more comforatable witht there surroundings, and you will be able to tell them apart by noise but in a few months the wattles will be differnt

 

[Guinea Goonie]

I have a few Frenchies. I noticed that when they were young, they ate a WHOLE lot. You will more than likely HAVE TO up their protein in their feed and separate them from your flock.

They REQUIRE 22 to 24 percent protein and I had to buy "game bird" feed for them and feed them separately. The chickens will eat this feed over anything they have.

After they get to be about 20 weeks, you can take them gradually off this feed and they WILL free range with the other birds.

They DO get to be fairly large birds, but they act and mingle just like any other Guinea.

This year I am getting 5 more French Guineas (from Ideal) and 10 "Jumbo" Guineas from the "Guinea Farm" or McMurray. You can Google the Guinea Farm for more information. The Jumbos apparently can reproduce with out artificial insemination.

 

[flyingdragon]

Thanks everyone. Well, today they are eight weeks old and they surprised me by coming out on their own and finding their way to the yard. It was nice watching them scrathing and pecking amongst the shrubbery. Not soon thereafter, it began to rain and they retreated, posthaste, to the coop. I fed them gamebird starter (30%) for the first six weeks. Then I switched to gamebird maintenane (20%) and when it put them in with the chicks a switched to flockraiser (20%) for everybody free choice along with a flock block.