Guinea talk.

[GlennLee]

Since I posted photo above I have had 18 hatch. In the past I’ve only hated one or two at a time. When I put the babies out (about 6 weeks old) the oldie Guineas (less than a year old) really attacked and tormented them. (I introduced 3). They are now separated from the rest of the flock. The 3 won’t come out of the coop. Is there a better way to do this?

I'm sure you will get different responses to your question, but I'll share what I have experienced. I do not have good luck adding new members to an existing flock; others have had better luck, given time. Any new additions are NOT welcomed by my existing flock and I don't just dump them in together. I start with hearing, not seeing; seeing not interacting, then full interaction after at least a month.

I have large flocks that are keets together and they really bond. They create one social unit and do NOT welcome others in. I tried to add 4 to an existing flock of 12, they free ranged together, but the existing flock tormented them, even though most were female and the flock was low in females. This year, I've had two large flocks of keets, a month apart and again, they free range together, but do not roost together or really mix. Occasionally, I'll have a female leave the older (dominant flock) and join in with the younger (less dominant flock).

In general, and to start with, I would say your older Guineas will be the dominant flock. If you can wait until the younger ones are about the same size, that would help. I'd say until 12 weeks. Then if you can have them see each other, but not interact for a month, that would help as well. I'd introduce ALL of the young ones to the old ones, because any new addition is going to be low in the pecking order and there will be safety in numbers.

Mine continue to air peck and chase each other, but there's no blood drawn. That's when I intervene. In general they are more aggressive with each other than the rest of the poultry here, but many will tell you they rule chickens, not here - my Rhode Island Reds keep the guineas in line.

Please keep asking questions here. You many get a variety of answers based on our experiences, but then you can pick and chose what will work best for you. Sometimes it's more of a matter of matching an idea with your situation and philosophy than being absolutely right or wrong. There are times when it gets down to what's right or wrong for the birds, but other times when you can be more flexible.

Good luck! Maybe others with a better track record of flock integration will post and give you more ideas. One thing's for sure, it takes time....

 

[BoogieBug]

Yes, they lay many eggs before going broody, and as mentioned before, they can lay in a communal nest. I found one hidden communal nest that had 48 eggs in it before the hen went broody!

I try to number or date the eggs and then I'll leave about 5 or 6 for them to start, but will keep pulling out the older eggs every few days, leaving the most recent eggs in the nest. Mine usually lay for about a month, before going broody and I will only let around 20 eggs accumulate in the nest for hatching. Even if more than one hen decides to sit on the nest, it's hard for them to physically handle covering and hatching more than 20 eggs.

On the other hand, I have a red English Orpington hen who has gone broody on only ONE egg!

Very excited for you! Good luck!

That's kind of what I've been doing. It's supposed to go down to 34° tonight so I took all except two eggs in. I wish I would have marked them. Dang it!! Anyway, I've been storing this week's eggs in an egg carton and a friend of mine, who raises chickens, is lending me his incubator. I was planning on putting them into the incubator tomorrow. I asked him if there was even a chance that they would hatch since they've not been kept warm and he told me to keep them in the house and as long as they are around 60-70°, they should be fine. Is that true? If not, I'll just wait till the guineas go broody.

 

[BoogieBug]

fox got a guinea on the nest, now down to seven in my flock.

I feel your pain. I started out with four guineas that I raised from two days old and a opossum got three of them when they were seven weeks!! It ripped a whole in the side of the "chicken tractor" that I was keeping them in temporarily. I was devastated I picked up three more that were about the same age and then proceeded to build a fortress for them complete with hot wire. See my Guinea Coop Saga article ... https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/our-guinea-coop-saga.73737/

The one thing I've learned with guineas. Get LOTS of them and don't get attached to them because, beside the opossum, we had a hawk try to get them, a cat, a raccoon, and an owl. They are definitely a predator's happy meal!!! HUGS!!!

 

[BoogieBug]

Sorry. This is why I will not let any of my guinea hens set on a hidden nest that is outside. All of my guineas are in a secure coop at night no matter how much they protest and resist.

Mine are locked up in a secure "Fort Knox" day and night. They don't get to free-range at all, sadly, because if they did, they'd be gone in a heartbeat. I leaned a piece of plywood up against the wall in a corner of the coop for a place for them to nest, and they did. I was so surprised! yay!!

 

[Dany12]

What's the name of this color ?

 

[R2elk]

What's the name of this color ?

View attachment 1340058 View attachment 1340059

Take the pictures from farther away so the whole bird can be seen from the side, from above and from the front. It also helps to have the pics in focus.

 

[Dmontgomery]

My female started laying this past week. She is up to 6 eggs in the nest as of this morning. The overnight temps have dipped down into the low 40’s the past 2 days. Will these eggs be okay or is that too cold to expect them to still be good? The temps for the next week are going to be much warmer.
I ask because one of my Golden Comet hens just went broody and I want to try to place some guinea eggs under her.

 

[R2elk]

My female started laying this past week. She is up to 6 eggs in the nest as of this morning. The overnight temps have dipped down into the low 40’s the past 2 days. Will these eggs be okay or is that too cold to expect them to still be good? The temps for the next week are going to be much warmer.
I ask because one of my Golden Comet hens just went broody and I want to try to place some guinea eggs under her.

The information that I researched shows that 27°F is the temperature that embryos will not survive. Temperatures in the 40°s are not a problem.

 

[Dmontgomery]

The information that I researched shows that 27°F is the temperature that embryos will not survive. Temperatures in the 40°s are not a problem.

Thank you

 

[Mraya]

How can you tell if a Guinea is broody? My Guinea laid he first egg 2 days ago on the floor of the coop and I just left it there, she keeps moving it around. Today she laid another egg in a different spot. I picked up both eggs I will put them in my incubator. There is a nesting box in the house/coop I can tell she has been in it but she lays the eggs on the floor. If I leave the eggs alone long enough will she move them to one spot and then sit?