Guineas and chickens-do they get along?

[heronz]

I just got 8 guinea chicks and was wondering if they get along with chickens-I am totally new to guineas and chickens.
I got 4 buff cochin,and 6 wyandotte chicks.
The cochins are so sweet.

 

[Munchies]

We raised Rock/Leghorn mix with Guinea Fowl and they get along no problem.

You have to get them used to each other while they are young.

 

[Feathered Landings]

We bought 1 guinea about a week after our 5 chicks and he (I think it's a "he") fit in just fine. They're now 3 1/2 months and the guinea is extremely protective over all the chickens...if you take one out he freaks out until you bring them back. Also, he gets really loud if anything comes by, great alarm systems. The other day he was louder than all get out...I went outside to find a cat sneaking around the pen.

 

[New adventure]

I sure hope so, or my 3 month old chicks are gonna be mighty unhappy to meet the 1 week old keets.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

I have 20 eight week old chicks in the nursery. The ladies in the barn hatched out 7 Guinea keets about 5 weeks ago.

Now, Keets are MUCH hardier than chicks. I threw the KEETS in with the chickies two days ago. At first they were all hudled together and I had to feed them seperately. Now, the WHOLE gang is hudled togeter for the night and eating, drinking and playing as if they have know each other since hatch.

I use a 50/50 mix of starter and game bird feed when I do this.

It is AMAZING how well the keets get along with the chickies. The keets grow SOOOOO much quicker than the chicks.

Last time i did this I put the whole batch in the barn and every one gets along just fine.

Edited to say:

I keep my peeps and keets in the house (a big storage clear plastic bin) for the first 5 weeks.
Yes, it is hard on me and I do not do it very often anymore. Then off to the nursery until they are 8 weeks and often up to 12 weeks before they go out to the barn.
I plan on vaccinating all the babies for a few diseases that are prevalent down here.

The roosters go out to the barn at 10 week (as do the Guinea Cocks). I give the hens a few weeks longer. I have experienced death to the hens when they go out as too young a bird.

Hope this helps.

 

[Kev]

As for adults.. seems to be split between 'get along ok' and 'does NOT get along at all/got rid of the &%^%& guineas'.

Comments along the lines of getting rid/never getting guineas again are not uncommon due to the guineas doing something like constantly ganging up on roosters, all birds of a specific color, being relentlessly obsessive about keeping other species away from food/water.. can be one or more of above or other odd things.

I only have a pair.. the male does like to 'charge' at the chickens, especially roosters.. many roosters are extremely frightened of him(he does a body slamming thing if he can). He also for whatever reason suddenly gets obsessed with making the tom turkey move for an entire day.. if the turkey is too slow or stops, he actually goes under his tail and bites uh you know, his butt.. and hangs on while the turkey drags him around trying to get him off.

Have to say I did hit my tolerance point last week when the male guinea decided that one of my free range peacocks was in need of brutality(again, no apparent reason.. they were seemingly fine with each other and wham!) and he was quite vicious about it- the peacock would try to escape by flying up onto a pen or a tree but the guinea would be right there and he really would not let up, the peacock was getting exhausted and the guinea was using that as a chance to really bite and do his "slamming" thing repeatedly so that was it- grabbed the guinea and clipped both of his wings. It's his last warning..

So there you have it.. may be ok like many will come and tell you but honestly it also could turn out not to work perfectly well. Just won't know until they're all grown up and see.

 

[Debbienmousey]

I agree with Kev.

Luckily we've(Or our chickens) never experienced that kind of harassment from our guinea cocks. The cocks will chase off the rooster/hens/guinea hens sometimes, and will occasionally grab a rooster's tail and chase him for a bit, but our cocks never really hurt our roosters or hen.

I believe chickens and guineas get along best raised together, how ever I do believe it's likely that some guinea cocks will be more possessive and mean than others. (Just like roosters)

And once you get guineas started (I'd honestly say till they get ALL their feathers, around 8 weeks.) Then the guineas are very self-sufficient. But as little babies they need special tending.

 

[txchickie]

We have a big flock of guineas and a big flock of chickens, all live together fine. Chickens avoid the guineas, if chickens happen to get too close to guineas a few guineas will chase the chickens away. Life goes on and they all go about their business.

We did have the guineas about 6 months before we got chickens. They all free range, and have no problems.

 

[marjorie ann]

Well my guineas and chickens were not raised together, they been in the same pin for five days and today I had to pull the guinea of a hen, the guineas ran after her until she just lay down and gave up, that's when I went in and pulled the guineas off her. They may wind up in the yard, I don't wont to do that because of the hawks'.