Guinea talk.

[pattyhen]

Are you going to put some nesting boxes in the coop? We have a table they can hop up and down on. I don't know if you want to put branches in there. After seeing Spiderman and Mary Jane on the glider so much you might want to put a glider in there.

We don't have any ramps at all I'm sure they would like them if they had any. Hiding places is good that way they can get away from others if they need to. Maybe a tub with sand in it so they can take a dust bath in I think your going to have plenty of room. I hope I gave you some ideas anyway.

Have a great day.

 

[GlennLee]

Yes, we were thinking about putting in some nesting boxes. How many would you think we would need? And what size do the guinea fowl need? Do they need privacy and space between each other? So many questions and few answers -that's why I'm on backyard chicken forum.

I was thinking about coming up with what I'm calling a hop box and we could use that for them to hop up onto the roost and also hide into. I like the idea that Sun used with the lattice. Might try to work some of that into what we do.

Maybe a little chair and table - preschool size made out of plastic would be cute for them to hop around on and hide under. I'll have to see what I can find but keep those ideas coming.

I like the glider idea, but they don't get that close to me... I would have to motorized it for them! LOL

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Every nest my guineas have made have been a depression in the dirt in the center of some tall grass or brush. Once the guineas have the green coop to themselves I think I will put a grass curtain in front of the boxes to somewhat mimic that. I would love it if I could get them to lay in the coop instead of hunting for nests.

 

[pattyhen]

Mary Jane laid her first two eggs in the duck coop and the rest have been in the yard. 12 x 12 nesting boxes is what ours is. One box for every 4 to 5 hens. You might want to put some fake eggs in it to give them an idea of what it is for. I read one article where a woman said her guineas all laid in a wheel barrel she had in the coop. They didn't use the nesting boxes but all of them laid in the wheel barrel.

A little plastic table and chairs would be cute. You would have to hose it down I'm sure they would poop all over it in no time. Are you going to put the poop catcher trays under the perches? My husband has tried that but ours perch up in the rafters in different locations so it's hard to catch it on the trays. The chickens perch in the rafters but so far the guineas are perching a lot lower then that.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

My baby that I had to nurse for the first three days is revealing herself as a serious runt. I don't think she has hardly grown since hatch. She is 1/2 to 1/3 the size of her hatch mates and doesn't even have wing feathers coming in. Its really cute but worries me that she is not going to make it. So far no one picks on her, and she eats and drinks fine. I check her crop every evening and morning to be sure. Maybe she is just delayed a few days and will catch up eventually. Fingers crossed.

 

[pattyhen]

She sure is a cutie. She is tiny and I'll keep my fingers crossed to she makes it.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Maybe she will stay like that and be my pocket guinea lol

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I forgot to mention, I went out and counted and marked the eggs that the lavender hen is sitting on. She has 49 of them!

 

[pattyhen]

Wow that's alot of eggs. I hope you have a bunch of buyers.

I have a question for you Sun since Mary Jane has started laying is it ok to put her on layer food now with oyster shell? I was feeding her all flock food after I switched from the game bird.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I expect when i candle them in about ten days over half will not be any good. I should be able sell any I can catch pretty quickly.

I feed my entire flock "Flock Raiser" with oyster shell on the side. Once I have all adults I think I might switch to "all flock" though the store that has is further away. The extra calcium in layer isn't needed by the males and can be hard on their kidneys, I've read. Do you feed them separately?