How Many Guinea Fowl Should I Obtain?

[crazy4chickens5]

I am looking in to getting Helmeted Guinea Fowl. How many should I get? I would like them to be very VERY quiet, possibly only making a sound once in a while, not too annoying. Is it possible to only get one? Thank-you for your feedback.

-Kyle​

 

[mnferalkitty]

No just one will be even louder because it will call for others. NO guineas are quiet they are ALL VERY loud

 

[PeepsCA]

Guineas are happiest in flocks, but rarely ever quiet. Quiet and Guinea just don't mesh. 1 Guinea typically won't be happy unless you can raise it up from a keet with a bunch of chicks or poults so it doesn't even know it's a Guinea... and hopefully it turns out to be a Hen and not a male.

If you can deal with the noise and you want Guineas specifically for tick control (which to me they are worth their weight in gold for) then start with a good sized flock, at least a dozen so they knock the ticks down fast and they can look out for one another while out free ranging.

 

[crazy4chickens5]

Well I am planning on raising them with some jersey giants and white leghorns, but thanks for the advice. It really helps!

Anyways, which breed of guineas would you recommend for my needs? The store I am looking into says they have vulturine, french, and helmeted.

 

[PeepsCA]

Vulturines are hundreds and hundreds of dollars per pair, and if you pay that much for 2 or splurge and buy a small flock of them you definitely won't want to raise them with chickens because of the risk of disease, plus they need supplemental heat in the winters and are generally pretty high maintenance compared to the other varieties.

Helmeted Guinea Fowl are your typical Guinea variety and they come in many colors and also assorted colored Pieds. A lot of us that raise Guineas have mixed colors in our flocks.

French are a larger version of the Helmeted Guinea Fowl (but were developed as more of a meat bird and they also lay bigger eggs) but it's common that due to their size they won't breed/reproduce naturally (most breeders artificially inseminate the Hens). They are only available in the original wild Pearl Grey color.

There is also a Jumbo variety, which are close in size to the French, but supposedly will breed naturally fine especially if allowed to free range and keep themselves lean/fit. They are also only available in the Pearl Grey color.

 

[crazy4chickens5]

Okay. Yes! I noticed the vulturine were a little over priced...

So the helmeted is probably the better idea if I want colors? Interesting! I am probably going to look into the helmeted then. Are all of the breeds the same kind of wild level? Like, is there one breed that has less of a chance of attacking the rooster? Or are they all the same?

 

[PeepsCA]

Nope, the Helmeted Guineas are all equally nutty (at least in my flocks), but it's the males that seem to be the biggest issue in mixed flocks (especially during the breeding season). And color makes no difference...it's their hormone/testosterone levels that cause them to go stupid, lol. Might be a good idea to have a separate coop/pen to shove the extreme bullies into when they become a problem. Sometimes a week long "time out" can readjust their attitude (but sometimes not). Lots of coop space and plenty of free range time will definitely help with aggression issues tho. I've noticed that a lot of people that have problem Guineas don't have enough room for them in their coops/pens and the birds don't get to free range enough.

 

[Shayna]

Okay. Yes! I noticed the vulturine were a little over priced...

So the helmeted is probably the better idea if I want colors? Interesting! I am probably going to look into the helmeted then. Are all of the breeds the same kind of wild level? Like, is there one breed that has less of a chance of attacking the rooster? Or are they all the same?

I think helmeted is the best option and there are so many colors to choose from! 6 is a good number, but you will have to be ok with noise if you want them. They're incredibly obnoxious for a good part of their first year, and everything sets off their warning call - like a leaf falling from a tree. Once they get past that, they are quite enjoyable, but the females are noisier than males. You still want to have very few males though, because they tend to compete, like roosters.

If you get them as babies and get them used to living around your chickens, they should grow up around them ok, and consider the chickens part of the flock. Some people haven't had success iwth that, but I've never had a problem. In fact, the young guineas tend to sleep with the chickens, but as they get older they want to be with the big guineas. Some even use a broody chicken to raise the keets, which I haven't done.

I think ALL guineas are wild though. They do get used to you and will follow you to see if you have food or something interesting (because they're nosey), but they're always skittish and that keeps them safe while free ranging, as long as they are trained to come in at night.

When the guineas see something of alarm they sound off and it gets the chickens running back in the coop. I like that, even though we haven't had a real emergency, it's nice to know the chickens pay attention to their warning.

I like having them around. Despite the mild winter, we've had so many less ticks around our property since having the guineas. I also just like watching them around the yard.

 

[crazy4chickens5]

Cool! So six being in all, or just hens?

 

[crazy4chickens5]

PeepsCA, is it okay to let them free range when they are just moving from the brooder, or should they stay in the coop for some time?