Guineas bullying smallest hen

[cityguinea]

I have 4 guineas, I believe 3 are female and 1 male. I have noticed that the larger 3 guineas, 2 females and a male, rentlentlessly have been attacking our smallest guinea hen. We have tried separating the bullies from her but she keeps looking for the bullies and is anxious when the bullies are not around. She seems so anxious she ignores food we put out for her despite being prevented from eating with the bullies around. Does anyone have any solutions for me? We live in the city and cannot separate the guineas through large stretches of land.

 

[GandalfGoose]

Sorry no one has answered you yet, but first welcome to BYC! I don't know if I have a really good answer for you as I am having the same issue with my flock. I have one hen that has a permanent injury and can't keep up with the rest and the rest have recently started bullying her. I think it may be a seasonal thing, since they were all getting along well during spring and summer, but since it has turned to fall they seem to have separated (as best as I can tell) into two groups, one males the other females, and have not been getting along that great, but they all have no problem getting along to pick on the injured one. I feel bad because she tries really hard to get along with them, but they just don't like her at the moment. Sorry that doesn't really answer your question, but at least you aren't alone with this problem!

 

[shortgrass]

Are you absolutely positive that it's a female getting picked on? It sounds like male behavior us why I ask...
Guinea can be relentlessly mean. They are very territorial, so its usually the males causing the chases while the females make the racket

If you are positive that the one getting picked in is a hen, then take a look at the big ones and cull to one male if you can. They don't bond quite like chickens, but they will separate off come mating season, and the males will start being jerks to each other, so one male in a small flock such as yours would be ideal.

It could be puberty lol; they are like teenagers, and when one gets picked in, it becomes the bottom bird and everyone else will follow suit to gang up on the underdog. Time and maturity and pecking order will settle it down by spring

 

[MamaWesley]

Oh lordy... I'm a newbie as well. We got 6 guineas, lost 2... 3 males and 1 female. They had their own house within the chicken and baby ducks run. We got them this past spring, so they are young.... I have 1 chicken that is scared for her life from them, (took me days to figure out who was bullying her) and they pick on the big ducks as well (on the other side of the run, was closed off, now the guineas jump over the gate so it's left open most the time). I know they are territorial but this isn't working for my other scared birds. Could I put their house on the outside of the fence (run) and let them free range? When I'm outside I let the chickens and older ducks free range with the one gate open, the guineas won't go out... I'm at a loss... any thoughts would be appreciated...

 

[R2elk]

Could I put their house on the outside of the fence (run) and let them free range?

Yes. I recommend putting some distance from where they are now but you will need to put them in at night for awhile until they learn where their new home is. You may want to lock them in for several weeks after you move their coop so they can learn where "home" is.

 

[MamaWesley]

Yes. I recommend putting some distance frpm where they are now but you will need to put them in at night for awhile until they learn where their new home is. You may want to lock them in for several weeks after you move their coop so they can learn where "home" is.

Thank you so much for this! You mean to be locked in the coup for weeks, not let outside then at night, right?! Or let them out during the day and then lock them up at night for several weeks? That was my goal to start with, to put them inside at night, but hubby thought to let them free range completely...

 

[R2elk]

Thank you so much for this! You mean to be locked in the coup for weeks, not let outside then at night, right?! Or let them out during the day and then lock them up at night for several weeks? That was my goal to start with, to put them inside at night, but hubby thought to let them free range completely...

I mean, don't let them out at all for the first couple of weeks. If you let them out in the day, they will return to the run that they know as "home".

If you let them free range completely, they will continue to return to the run as it is home. Also you will eventually lose all of them to predators if you go completely free range.

 

[MamaWesley]

I mean, don't let them out at all for the first couple of weeks. If you let them out in the day, they will return to the run that they know as "home".

If you let them free range completely, they will continue to return to the run as it is home. Also you will eventually lose all of them to predators if you go completely free range.

Thanks! I will definitely keep them couped up for 2-3 weeks so they know their house is moved a bit. Thanks for all your help!

 

[LavanderSky]

I am having the same issue with my two males, who are usually best friends, have been fighting relentlessly, especially in the mornings when everyone is feeling frisky during spring. It is their first mating season/egg laying so I know it's new and stressful to them. What I do is take the bully and put him in a small dog crate within the flock - what I now call "bird detention". If he's being a REAL big jerk then I take him away from the flock in that same crate. Yes, he screams his off but it "de-ranks" him upon return - sometimes I will put the crate in my car with me to the gas station or just somewhere off home turf to humble his ass lol. Also, if you have a dog or cat that is pretty well behaved, let them in the run for a little bit - that forces the guineas to work as flock again. I let my older rat terrier in there for a bit and they all suddenly start working as a flock again even though she has ZERO interest in them (but will eat their food lol). Also, space is an issue for them - they need LOTS of it to be happy, unlike chickens that can deal a bit better with the stress of confinement. I don't like mine free ranging all day bc we are in a heavy predator area but I noticed when I let them out in the morning when they are high energy or lock out only the 2 males from the run for a few hours in the morning - they tend to come back to being best friends again. I hope that helps!

 

[Gill-b]

I hope that helps!

The person who started this thread has not been active on BackYard Chickens since Apr 2016, but I enjoyed reading your post, so thank you.