Guinea Noise at Night?

[StephJuno]

I keep my guineas (5- 2 males and 3 females, about 9 months old now) in one of our smaller chicken coops and it has seemed to work fine until now. The guineas go up to bed on their own and have always settled down as soon as it gets dark. The coop they are in is very secure and I lock them down tight. They've always been quiet until dawn (except for little chirps or once or twice when something spooked them), but now they've started being noisy late at night and a few hours before dawn. It's mostly the boys and I've almost never heard them make their calls in the coop. I'm not sure what to do or if this is normal since we're going into mating season. This is my first year with guineas.
I'm wondering if it's too dark for them? I close up the windows (though there is plenty of ventilation). I've thought of using a nightlight or opening the shudders. I've also thought maybe they need a bigger coop? Their coop was built to house about 15 chickens. They seem to have a lot of room. We've also thought of making their covered run more secure so that they can sleep in there. They free range all day, but we have an attached run that we keep open for them.
Any thoughts or suggestions as to what is going on with them or how to make them quieter/happier at night? Thanks in advance!

 

[R2elk]

I keep my guineas (5- 2 males and 3 females, about 9 months old now) in one of our smaller chicken coops and it has seemed to work fine until now. The guineas go up to bed on their own and have always settled down as soon as it gets dark. The coop they are in is very secure and I lock them down tight. They've always been quiet until dawn (except for little chirps or once or twice when something spooked them), but now they've started being noisy late at night and a few hours before dawn. It's mostly the boys and I've almost never heard them make their calls in the coop. I'm not sure what to do or if this is normal since we're going into mating season. This is my first year with guineas.
I'm wondering if it's too dark for them? I close up the windows (though there is plenty of ventilation). I've thought of using a nightlight or opening the shudders. I've also thought maybe they need a bigger coop? Their coop was built to house about 15 chickens. They seem to have a lot of room. We've also thought of making their covered run more secure so that they can sleep in there. They free range all day, but we have an attached run that we keep open for them.
Any thoughts or suggestions as to what is going on with them or how to make them quieter/happier at night? Thanks in advance!

If your guineas are making noise at night, something is bothering them. My guineas are in a secure coop. Other than their normal low voiced chatter (practically ongoing constantly) they are never loud in their coop.

 

[StephJuno]

If your guineas are making noise at night, something is bothering them. My guineas are in a secure cop. Other than their normal low voiced chatter (practically ongoing constantly) they are never loud in their coop.

I’m trying to figure out what’s bothering them, though. This night noise just started this week.

 

[SulkyBantam]

If your guineas are making noise at night, something is bothering them. My guineas are in a secure cop. Other than their normal low voiced chatter (practically ongoing constantly) they are never loud in their coop.

^^^ me too. They don't make noise even when the roos do.

I’m trying to figure out what’s bothering them, though. This night noise just started this week.

they are easily bothered unfortunately.

 

[Sydney65]

I’m trying to figure out what’s bothering them, though. This night noise just started this week.

I'm curious of what "the boys' noise" is. My boys are not silent, but quiet - unless they're sounding the alarm.
My juvenile girls never shut up unless they're asleep. My adult female wanders around muttering cocoa, unless something is wrong.
They can't see in the dark, so if they're hearing things they can't see, like scratching, scraping, gnawing, howling,- that'd do it. I'd suggest you investigate to see if you have gnawed areas or scratch marks or go out when they're making a raucous to see if there's a rat,weasel,coon, snake, etc. It's odd that you aren't hearing the females as well, but I can't see your males fighting each other in the dark when they can't see.
We were surrounded by raccoons for about 2 weeks last spring, and my birds were totally silent inside. After we trapped the 1st one,I looked in the window to see if they were ok, and all I heard was a very quiet "cocoa?"
But I will admit, they hate thunder and will yell back at it.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I keep my guineas (5- 2 males and 3 females, about 9 months old now) in one of our smaller chicken coops and it has seemed to work fine until now. The guineas go up to bed on their own and have always settled down as soon as it gets dark. The coop they are in is very secure and I lock them down tight. They've always been quiet until dawn (except for little chirps or once or twice when something spooked them), but now they've started being noisy late at night and a few hours before dawn. It's mostly the boys and I've almost never heard them make their calls in the coop. I'm not sure what to do or if this is normal since we're going into mating season. This is my first year with guineas.
I'm wondering if it's too dark for them? I close up the windows (though there is plenty of ventilation). I've thought of using a nightlight or opening the shudders. I've also thought maybe they need a bigger coop? Their coop was built to house about 15 chickens. They seem to have a lot of room. We've also thought of making their covered run more secure so that they can sleep in there. They free range all day, but we have an attached run that we keep open for them.
Any thoughts or suggestions as to what is going on with them or how to make them quieter/happier at night? Thanks in advance!

They are probably annoyed by something. I think mine were bothered by deer walking by last spring and it was loud! There’s another thread here on this topic that we’ve just been commenting on:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/guineas-screaming-up-a-storm-at-midnight.1409620/

 

[My2butterflies]

Definitely check to see if something is bothering them.
A few nights back I could hear one of my females making her call long after it had gotten dark. I didn’t think much of it, I can hear them all chatter now and then when I take my dogs out.
It was just a little odd she was calling out like that.
I have seen that 2-3 females have for whatever reason started sleeping on the floor at night. I thought maybe the other girls left her to go roost with the flock. So I didn’t bother checking on them.

Well, come morning I found out why....
My big ol farm cat had gone in there, likely to drink from their water since it’s heated. I didn’t notice him when I closed the door for the night. Thankfully he’s a fat and happy farm cat so no guineas were harmed, just very upset that he was in there.

Now I do a cat check before closing the door