Guinea Hen: PLEASE HELP NEED ADVICE

[Yuki]

Hi.
I have a female guinea hen who was raised alone by me with no other keets she was raised around olderr hens she is the top hen of the coop but at night in the winters she makes everyone roost onto of the chicken coop recently i have been putting everyone in the nesting box but she keeps pecking them in the rears or face with enough force to pluck feathers and take some skin off of waddles she often periodcally darts at them but one things is she was raised in a 10-10 dog kennel and has never free ranaged what do i do PLEASE HELP
They are like my own kids to me i am not willing to kill, get rid of her and i am school still i dont have money to get another coop to seperate her and she cant free range becuase of preditors. Rehoming her is not an option for me I time with when she was a chick I'll think about free ranging but it's risky because of the open fields and almost zero coverage in our yard s and the Hawks who took 4 of my first generation of guinea hens I may build a portable run for the yard for her and move it around maybe or I know this might be wierd but try a harness and leash with her people take cats for walks do why not guineas I'll keep an eye out for people to re-home a female guinea because I can't take makes because of my mother or I'll have to raise another baby guinea I will admit I sometimes try and call back to her as a guinea hen so she isn't lonely I also did that when she was a baby so we are like momma guinea and baby thank you so much for your suggestions I just want to do the best for my baby girl best of luck to you guys and if you know anything about guinea behavior at meaning let me know because I could use all the info I can get thank you guys

 

[famerzellman]

It might be an over crowding issue? I would try expanding your coop and maybe make an inclosed run out of dog kennel fencing with some nice perch bars for them? It might help with the behavior if they are able to move and forage. I don’t know much about guine hens I only own chickens and I know they can’t act aggressively if there isn’t enough room. Good luck!!

 

[Yuki]

Thank you so much! i have 2 10 by 10 square feet of dog kenneling and 2 kennels with 4 on each side of the pens. Thanks for at least replying! Any suggestion helps.

 

[Samannemm]

I don’t know about guineas specifically but if a chicken hen is becoming aggressive with her flock mates it’s best to separate her in a fenced off area in which she can see and hear the others carrying on their days without her. You can use a dog crate as a temporary coop for a couple of nights and then reintroduce her to the flock when you feel ready. I would definitely separate her though before you wind up with a dead chicken.

 

[Yuki]

Okay ill see what i can do about that but i dont have a dog crate she luckly hasnt take out any feathers at all and thank you

 

[Samannemm]

Oh I thought you said she plucked feathers and took skin off? I wouldn’t intervene if it’s just pecking unless it’s constant and/or drawing blood.

 

[Yuki]

well she does hard enough to take off feather but she hasnt i saw scabs on one of the hens face but i could possibely be from the other hens it been constantly before bed in the nesting box

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Hi.
I have a female guinea hen who was raised alone by me with no other keets she was raised around olderr hens she is the top hen of the coop but at night in the winters she makes everyone roost onto of the chicken coop recently i have been putting everyone in the nesting box but she keeps pecking them in the rears or face with enough force to pluck feathers and take some skin off of waddles she often periodcally darts at them but one things is she was raised in a 10-10 dog kennel and has never free ranaged what do i do PLEASE HELP
They are like my own kids to me i am not willing to kill, get rid of her and i am school still i dont have money to get another coop to seperate her and she cant free range becuase of preditors. Rehoming her is not an option for me I time with when she was a chick I'll think about free ranging but it's risky because of the open fields and almost zero coverage in our yard s and the Hawks who took 4 of my first generation of guinea hens I may build a portable run for the yard for her and move it around maybe or I know this might be wierd but try a harness and leash with her people take cats for walks do why not guineas I'll keep an eye out for people to re-home a female guinea because I can't take makes because of my mother or I'll have to raise another baby guinea I will admit I sometimes try and call back to her as a guinea hen so she isn't lonely I also did that when she was a baby so we are like momma guinea and baby thank you so much for your suggestions I just want to do the best for my baby girl best of luck to you guys and if you know anything about guinea behavior at meaning let me know because I could use all the info I can get thank you guys

I would kennel her at night. The first year I had 4 guineas. They free ranged for the day and we kenneled them at night in a secure, closed kennel for their safety. When we amalgamated everyone in the coop, things were ok until they got older. Then they got to be too much for the hens. So I started kenneling them at night and releasing them in the day. They would walk into their own kennel by themselves at night. We'd just have to close the door. The hens had peace and the guineas were fine. They had access to the water beside and the had a dish of feed until they were released in the morning.

This could be a solution until more space/or a proper secure run and coop could be established. I currently have 24 guineas.

 

[Yuki]

Alright mine dont free range the coop is in the kennel what do i do then? and thanks for at least trying to come up with suggestions sorry im not explaining things well

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I don’t know about guineas specifically but if a chicken hen is becoming aggressive with her flock mates it’s best to separate her in a fenced off area in which she can see and hear the others carrying on their days without her. You can use a dog crate as a temporary coop for a couple of nights and then reintroduce her to the flock when you feel ready. I would definitely separate her though before you wind up with a dead chicken.

This is a part of the guinea fowl's genetic makeup. They differ from an aggressive hen. They assert themselves and aim aggression towards chickens indefinitely. The aggression doesn't stop. I've never had them pull actual feathers out, but they delight in finding subordinate guineas and chickens and they bully them mercilessly.