guinea questions!

[birdbrain5]

i am thinking about getting some guineas, not sure if i will get adults or get keets to start with. before i get them, i have tried to read alot about them but still want to ask these questions:
how much of a difference are having guineas to having chickens?
are they really that loud? if so, what time of day do they usually get loud?
can they be kept in the same coop as chickens?
will they free range with the chickens and then put themselves up at night?
do guinea hens lay eggs the way chickens do, and do you eat them? do they taste different?
i dont plan to eat my birds, really just have my chickens as pets, i like to watch them peck around and whatnot

eggs are a bonus!
thanks!

 

[ColbyNTX]

I would start with keets if you want them to get along with wour chickens. They are pretty loud anytime of day and it bothers some but I don't care. They are more fun to watch than chickens. If they are raised in a coop with the chickens then they will go back with them in the evening or roost on top of the coop. They are seasonal layers from spring until it gets really hot in summer and then a few in the fall. The eggs are eaten by people but the shells can flip your egg bowl if your not holding the other side. Very hard! They are alot of fun but start with babies.

 

[birdbrain5]

thanks!
anyone else want to chime in on your experience with guineas?

 

[cracking up]

Mine aren't usually loud but if something sets them off (usually a couple of times a day) they really can be loud. They don't usually lay in the nest boxes so it's hard to collect their eggs. If you do get them a lot of people use them for camping trips because they don't break like chicken eggs. They taste the same. I would get keets because they're more likely to stay around. They stick together, put their selves away a little later then chickens and seem more independent than chickens. They'll let you know if anything is out of order or the neighbors dogs are out.

I really enjoy everything about them = except when they get stuck on the wrong side of the fence.

 

[emvickrey]

Do people eat the guinnea? How old are they when they start to lay. I have some that are 4 weeks old. I'm sure it will be around spring. And how do you tell the sex of them?

 

[Shiloh Acres]

LOL on the wrong side of the fence.

Mine are in a vinyl mesh fence on t-posts, garden staples holding it to the ground, and hawk netting over the top, secured every few inches. When they want to get out and hunt grasshoppers, they get out. ALL of them. I still don't know how.

When they want to go in to get their water (the mesh is now open in the last 3-foot section and hanging down to allow access back IN -- my "gate") ... Well, then all but one will usually make it in while the last one runs up and down the fence calling madly and trying to go THROUGH the mesh. This often happens when I open the gate to allow them out. They just don't "get it". They also go through the pasture fence to get in then run madly back and forth, unable to figure out how to come back through.

Fun to watch, but where fences are concerned, I think sometimes dumb as rocks. (And other times geniuses!)

 

[oliviad51]

Guineas are not very bright at all..they lay eggs all over the yard. Im lucky if I find the nest. If you collect the eggs, replace it with a golfball of something. They will not keep laying in the same spot if they see their eggs are missing. They are not the best broodys. Mine are always loud, but I don't mind. My guineas do roost with my chickens, they won't go in their coop. They kind of travel in 'packs'. They go all around the neighborhood and and very hardy. Mine are very skiddish when people get near them. They are excellent watch dogs. A lot of people say their eggs are great for baking cakes. Very hard egg shells.

 

[EdistoChicks]

I have 7 guineas, 2 adults and 5 juveniles. I was worried that they would be loud, and they really aren't. They do tend to get in fights when the roosters try to mate with the hens. They break it up and have beaten a roo pretty badly. They usually start screaming when they see a rooster fight break out if some are caged and the others are "free". I love them! They free range all day, eat tons of bugs. They seem unable to be "tamed". I have had the juveniles since they hatched but they won't let me hold them. Each night to get them in a coop I have to chase them and catch them with a bird net. Other than the nightly run around my yard they are the greatest!

 

[Crazyland]

I love mine too.

They certainly are entertainment seeing where they go. Mine are only a couple of months old, got them in the spring.
The fence thing... SO TRUE! They fly over to the other side but then can't get back!
I wouldn't say they are loud, my roosters are louder.
The chickens and the guineas all roost together at our house and free range during the day.
The guineas are certainly a pack, as are my ducks and geese. But they all get along.
If I hatch any guinea eggs next year it will be interesting to see if any are mixes with the roosters. I haven't figured out if I have any male guineas yet but I know I have some girls! lol
I haven't eaten them and don't intend to either.

 

[cracking up]

EdistoChicks -Is the door low enough to chase them in. It'll make your life so much easier if you don't have to use the net. You might just need to wait a little later, they put their selves away later than the chickens.