I have two issues open for suggestions! I have two small flocks in separate tractors I would like to combine, basically adding new hens to a pen with a roo & a few hens. The roo and the hens are very mild mannered, and have accepted a hen before, however that pen is also home to two guineas. I don't have means to house the two guineas individually, but they've suddenly taken to picking on one of the hens kept in the same tractor, and attacking every other chicken they can get near when free ranging (except their favorite roo & two hens). For a temporary solution (very temporary) I turned them out to free range. I hated to do that, but it is free range them or watch them kill a chicken. I have a male & a female, it seems to be mostly the male that is the aggressor. If I keep the guineas separately, what is the best way to integrate a few (4) hens into the tractor with the roo & three hens? Allow them to be side by side for a few days, mingle them & watch & hope? Are there any suggestions for what I might be able to do to stop the guinea rampage? I don't know why they 'turned', they've been with the same flock for months and never showed any such behavior before, but there haven't been any changes and suddenly they turned mean.
My guineas did the same thing to my chickens, so we evicted them. They were fine up until a certain age, then turned like a rabid dog, and almost killed my roo that they grew up with! I was in no position to seperate either, as were the folks who gave them to me, who were looking to get rid of their guineas for the same reason....that said..I think guineas just can not get along with chickens. They are too territorial, but that's just one person's experience. Let's see what everyone else says
I had guineas and I loved them, however, they were super-aggressive to my RIR hens (only the RIRs, weird) and my BR rooster. They gang up and bodyslam their victims and there's no way one bird can fight them. I rehomed them, but want to try again. I just will not house them with my chickens.
my 2 guineas were keets when they were introduced to my grown flock, so I didn't have a problem and they were even adopted by a barred rock hen. But I was ignorant as to what a guinea might do for me in a garden and now that I know, I won't be doing guineas and chickens together again. They can be kept together, but there is so much to consider......like guineas hidding their eggs if given the opportunity and that they can survive on so little feed if allowed bugs and free-range.
