Guinea Male harassing my chicken hens!

[elevan]

Since I've seen that they occasionally cross, I'm guessing that the fact that one of my guinea males is trying to mate several of my chicken hens won't harm the hens?

He annoys them mostly and a few of the girls will give him a what for. He's probably gonna head to the freezer...lone man out where as the rest of the guineas are paired up.

 

[speckledhen]

Not necessarily. They can become quite aggressive toward hens and the rooster in charge. My alpha male started in on one particular RIR hen, not trying to mate, but bodyslamming her/attacking her. She ended up always hiding from him in the nests. Then the other three guineas would attack the other two RIR hens. It was ONLY the red hens, none of the others. Later, they started in on my new BR rooster, ran him into the woods more than once. Dang goonie-birds. They can cross and sometimes do, it's true. I never had anything but trouble between the red hens and the guineas.

Eventually, I had to choose between my chickens and my guineas. If I get them again, I won't house them with the chickens and I'll have a larger number of guineas--they seem to do better forming their own society. Here is a picture of Dodger attacking Hawkeye. Dodger, Radar and their two hens went to live in Asheville with another BYC member and got his goose cooked by a goose, LOL.

 

[elevan]

He's definitely trying to mate the girls. And he's a loner of my guinea flock...he'll wander off by himself even.

 

[Guinea and Chicken raiser]

woah! I never had this prob. My guinea male starved my chicken rooster a little. he got bigger after the male guinea got ran over. but the female guineas like hanging around chickens. male guinea doesn't mind the chicken girls I think though.

Not necessarily. They can become quite aggressive toward hens and the rooster in charge. My alpha male started in on one particular RIR hen, not trying to mate, but bodyslamming her/attacking her. She ended up always hiding from him in the nests. Then the other three guineas would attack the other two RIR hens. It was ONLY the red hens, none of the others. Later, they started in on my new BR rooster, ran him into the woods more than once. Dang goonie-birds. They can cross and sometimes do, it's true. I never had anything but trouble between the red hens and the guineas.

Eventually, I had to choose between my chickens and my guineas. If I get them again, I won't house them with the chickens and I'll have a larger number of guineas--they seem to do better forming their own society. Here is a picture of Dodger attacking Hawkeye. Dodger, Radar and their two hens went to live in Asheville with another BYC member and got his goose cooked by a goose, LOL.

 

[speckledhen]

He's definitely trying to mate the girls. And he's a loner of my guinea flock...he'll wander off by himself even.

Interesting. My males never tried to mate my chicken hens at all. That would have been preferable to what they did do, for sure.



Yeah, I tried everything, locking the guineas in a separate coop for two weeks away from the chickens even. Nothing worked. The violence escalated and I had to make a choice. The problem was that there were four guineas (two male, two female) and ten hens, then the rooster was added later on, while the guineas were in their two week lockdown period. When the rooster was integrated into the flock and handling his new responsibilities well, we released the guineas.

Dodger, the alpha male, would run at the rooster, who could handle him one-on-one just fine. It was when the other three ganged up on him that he ran for the woods and ended up waiting for me to come get him. After that, I sold the guineas. I miss them, though. I like guineas and mine were very tame. If I get them again, they won't be raised in the same coop and I'll have a larger group of guineas, which seems to work better for people, as they form their own separate society away from the chickens.

 

[elevan]

We call him "Chicken" because he spends a lot of the time with the chickens. He's also the tamest of all the guineas. The chicken hens definitely don't want his "advances" though...

I guess I'll have to monitor the situation and if need be then he'll be dealt with.

 

[terrilhb]

I need to send you all my RIR hen Moon. She chases my guineas all over. She is the boss. And she lets them know it. They run from her. Now she has the other chickens chase them if they get to pushy. It is so funny to watch. I have 4 RIR hens, 1 NN hen and 1 NN rooster living with my 9 guinea's and 2 bucks. For the most part they all get along. The guinea's were raised with the other flock. Good luck I hope it works out for you.

 

[speckledhen]

What was funny about my hens and guineas was that the Barred Rocks, the Buff Orps and the Wyandottes could bully all the guineas, but the guineas had it in for my three RIR hens, especially little Rosemary. She'd come fly-running across the yard with Dodger, the alpha male, in hot pursuit and launch herself at me for protection. Once, she flew right in my face, knocked off my glasses, without which I can barely see a thing, and the big pearl guinea hen, Mousse, found them for me, LOL. I saw her peering intently at something nearby on the ground. Sure enough, she'd found my glasses.

Poor Rosemary took to hiding in the nests most of the day. Dodger was relentless and then, the others started in on both Ruby and Reba. It was war around here. Couldn't take it anymore when they beat up on Hawkeye as a team.

 

[perchie.girl]

From what I have read a Guinea Cock will mate with a hen but their ""equipment"" isn't sufficient enough to finish the deed. But A Rooster does and can mate with a Guinea Hen.

Hes probably Lowest man on the totem pole Spring is coming and he knows he doesn't have a chance with his own.... Unless he starts bullying the hens or being picked on I wouldn't worry about him.

Since I've seen that they occasionally cross, I'm guessing that the fact that one of my guinea males is trying to mate several of my chicken hens won't harm the hens?

He annoys them mostly and a few of the girls will give him a what for. He's probably gonna head to the freezer...lone man out where as the rest of the guineas are paired up.

 

[meadmaker]

This thread is interesting! My male guinea really chases my RIR bantam too. It's horrible too since she's one of the only hens laying right now. He's started in on my big Golden Laced Cochin too, and occassionally, my speckled sussex. He never bothers by Black Star though, and I'm not sure why not. Could it be that the red color gets them going? My black Cochin bantam rooster does nothing, of course.. he's busy kissing up and trying to feed the guineas. uh! I'm thinking of turning the guineas loose in the yard so the hens are safe in their little yard.