Guineas and Chickens together

[pattya]

Looking for observations of folks that have or raise guineas and chickens together Thanks David

 

[CoopCrazy]

I havent done so personally but have heard the Guineas can be kinda mean to the chickens.. I would think if you took your time integrating and maybe did so on Neutral ground they would be fine.. Hopefully some others will pop in soon...

 

[speckledhen]

Well, I had to rehome my four guineas. About breeding age, my alpha male decided he wanted one of the RIR hens dead. He had her hiding in the nests all the time. Then, all four began attacking all of my RIR hens. The other hens could chase them off and bully the guineas, but they had it in for my RIRs. When I got a BR rooster, they started in on him and the second time they chased him into the woods and he refused to come back till I went to get him, they were put up for sale on BYC. I miss them-they were all tame and really funny. They don't fight like chickens do. They bodyslam their victims from all sides and wear them down.

 

[KCNC06]

I had to rehome my 7 guineas a little over a week ago. I've heard that guineas generally get along well with chickens if they're raised together from the start, or maybe if the guineas are introduced after the chickens. From what I read on the guinea sites before and while I had my guineas, male guineas and roosters don't get along well at all and shouldn't be together especially if they're going to be closed up together.

We got our guineas first, our chickens came when the guineas were about 1 1/2-2 months old. The guineas were EVIL and mean to the chickens. The guineas wouldn't allow the chickens into the house, they would beat them up on a regular basis. Eventually the guineas were put out to roost outside of the house at night, they didn't seem to mind. Once our first chicken started laying, the guineas would attack her all the time. When they would find her nest, they would break and eat the eggs and force her to move/hide her nest. I was sad to see the guineas go, they're really funny birds, but I like my chickens more. I don't think it helped matters much that our neighbor didn't like the guineas. For the first few days that the guineas were gone I thought I might want to get another keet in the Spring and let the chickens raise it, now I've gotten used to how quiet it is without them.

 

[cluckychick]

I had 8 guineas with my chicken flock. I had a hen hatch them out for me and when it came time for momma to go back to the flock then the guineas thought they would go along. I had no real issues with the guineas and chickens running together but I wanted guineas for foraging and controlling my bug/insect population. They wouldn't leave the chicken yard or mommas side even when they were twice her size and ready to lay eggs of their own. They also ate me out of house and home on feed so they had to go.

 

[beerman]

Mine have been together for 2 years with no problems.

 

[steveo]

I have guineas and chickens together and they get along fine. The guineas are very very loud sometimes and tend to wander alot more than chickens do.

 

[Mikeeeeeeeeee]

I raised 3 females with a brood of chicks.
very adult now and get along good.
then a few weeks ago 4 others wandered up and took up residence here.

I have about 60 chickens and 7 guineas and they manage fine.

 

[speckledhen]

If I did get guineas again, I would let a broody chicken hen raise them, then I would have them a separate barn to roost in, away from the chickens. I think they tend to do better if the chickens and the guineas have their own separate societies. Here's an action pic of my alpha male, Dodger, attacking my rooster, Hawkeye. Hawkeye did fine when it was only Dodger attacking, but he didn't stand a chance against all four guineas at once.

 

[KCNC06]

Yes, that's another thing that I noticed with our guineas. If one decided it was going to attack one of the chickens (or even another guinea) it was a gang of guineas against whoever. And they do wander, ours had an area of close to a half mile in diameter that they would roam around in. Which included a few neighbor's properties. The week before they left I found them on our neighbor's roof, across the street....WAY across the street.

Our chickens do a fine job of bug/slug/snake eating, possibly even better than the guineas were doing. Our guineas wouldn't eat any bugs that weren't green. Literally green, not like organic. Green grasshoppers, that's it.