I’m new to Guineas

[ChickenWhisperer101]

Hi everyone! I got a goose and 5 guineas on Wednesday. They all seem have and healthy but I don’t know anything about guineas. I don’t know how old they are, but they seem very young and I’m pretty sure they are all pied although they were sold as a pied/pearl assortment. I only have 1 picture right now but I can try to get more if I need to (they all look like the one in the picture). I want to learn more about them. I got them for pest control and to have something new and different on the farm.
Thanks for any help!
-ChickenWhisperer101

 

[R2elk]

Hi everyone! I got a goose and 5 guineas on Wednesday. They all seem have and healthy but I don’t know anything about guineas. I don’t know how old they are, but they seem very young and I’m pretty sure they are all pied although they were sold as a pied/pearl assortment. I only have 1 picture right now but I can try to get more if I need to (they all look like the one in the picture). I want to learn more about them. I got them for pest control and to have something new and different on the farm.
Thanks for any help!
-ChickenWhisperer101

View attachment 2736036

Reasons Why You Shouldn't Keep Just One Goose

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

Reasons Why You Shouldn't Keep Just One Goose

I have 2. Maverick (the one I got with the guineas) is being quarantined. I had 2 before but 1 passed so I got maverick as a replacement. Donald is the other goose. There is a 10 week difference between them though.

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

@My2butterflies
@Mixed flock enthusiast
@R2elk

I saw that y’all know about guineas and was wondering if y’all could tell me anything about them. Thanks!

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

I’ve also seen where some people say you should raise them with chicks and some people say you shouldn’t. What is best? There are 5 guineas and I don’t know age but if I had to guess I would say about a week, but again I’m new to guineas. I really do appreciate any help!

 

[Isadora]

I have seen people post on this forum that guineas should not be raised with chickens because when breeding season comes around, the guineas are horribly nasty to the chickens. I raised my chickens and guineas together since I hadn't read that before (literally every blog post I read about guineas suggested raising them with the chickens!) And I will say that one big positive from raising them with chickens is that they are completely coop trained. (Guineas are notorious for roosting in trees and not coming back in at night). They are usually the first birds in the coop at night, not the chickens. But! They do bully the chickens. Right now it's at a manageable level, meaning a guinea will chase a chicken and pack at a grab a feather, but the chicken can get away. Mine are completely free range, so there's never a chicken trapped anywhere. But my guineas are also pretty young, only about 5 months, so I'm going to have to play it by ear to make sure it doesn't get out of control. Good luck and congratulations on your keets!

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

I have seen people post on this forum that guineas should not be raised with chickens because when breeding season comes around, the guineas are horribly nasty to the chickens. I raised my chickens and guineas together since I hadn't read that before (literally every blog post I read about guineas suggested raising them with the chickens!) And I will say that one big positive from raising them with chickens is that they are completely coop trained. (Guineas are notorious for roosting in trees and not coming back in at night). They are usually the first birds in the coop at night, not the chickens. But! They do bully the chickens. Right now it's at a manageable level, meaning a guinea will chase a chicken and pack at a grab a feather, but the chicken can get away. Mine are completely free range, so there's never a chicken trapped anywhere. But my guineas are also pretty young, only about 5 months, so I'm going to have to play it by ear to make sure it doesn't get out of control. Good luck and congratulations on your keets!

Thanks for responding. I still don’t know if I should keep them with chicks or not. I don’t want any injuries from guineas.

 

[Isadora]

Thanks for responding. I still don’t know if I should keep them with chicks or not. I don’t want any injuries from guineas.

You mentioned they're for pest control. Are they going to free range or be contained somehow? If you're worried about it, don't raise them with the chickens. They'll probably be more work to coop train.

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

Well I did get them for pest control, but if they don’t have a coop how do I introduce them to the outdoors and when? Thanks

 

[R2elk]

I have seen people post on this forum that guineas should not be raised with chickens because when breeding season comes around, the guineas are horribly nasty to the chickens. I raised my chickens and guineas together since I hadn't read that before (literally every blog post I read about guineas suggested raising them with the chickens!) And I will say that one big positive from raising them with chickens is that they are completely coop trained. (Guineas are notorious for roosting in trees and not coming back in at night). They are usually the first birds in the coop at night, not the chickens. But! They do bully the chickens. Right now it's at a manageable level, meaning a guinea will chase a chicken and pack at a grab a feather, but the chicken can get away. Mine are completely free range, so there's never a chicken trapped anywhere. But my guineas are also pretty young, only about 5 months, so I'm going to have to play it by ear to make sure it doesn't get out of control. Good luck and congratulations on your keets!

If you think there is some bullying now, wait until their first breeding season.