I am thinking of getting Guinea fowl

[Rosebud28]

I have been doing research on keeping Guinea fowl but have not been able to find and answer to one question. Can Guinea fowl roost in an old chicken coop?
I have an old hen run that is not in use. It is 25x30 feet. The chicken coop is 5x7feet. I was thinking of getting Guinea fowl. But I cannot find anywhere if they would be happy in this run. It is full of grass and other weeds and plants. It is almost like they would be free range.
Also I was wondering how many Guinea fowl could I keep in this run and house.
I was also wondering is it best to by Guinea fowl as keets or adults as I would want them to roost in the house every night.
Thank you, please could I get relevant answers.

 

[SueT]

Welcome to BYC!
I think they'll be okay. Maybe 6 guineas in that size coop....
Raise from keets, and they weill be used to their home and to you from a young age.
Good luck!

 

[50-45-1]

If you have never had guineas before, you should know that they are Loud. Not a problem If you do not have close neighbors and you dont mind lots of noise.
Mine are great alarms when preditors are sighted or when something is disturbing to them.
Also know guineas are great flyers. Inless your run has a covered run they will likely not stay in it.
I free range mine and they are great tick control. Mine roost with my chickens most of the time, but sometimes in summer choose the large tree that stands next to the coop. I loose some of those to owls.
You dont lost your location but i would not get less than six. They do best as a group.
It would be helpfull to see a photo of your coop before sugesting how many to purchase or if they will like it.
What is your reason for choosing guineas?
Guineas are not as tame as chickens. More wild, flighty and independent.
I love them as they are very fun to watch and entertining.
Welcome to the backyard!

 

[Rosebud28]

I am on a farm so I don't have problems with neighbours. My run is covered and I will try to get a picture of the coop.

My real for choosing Guinea fowl is because they are a beautiful bird. They are Hardy and act as watch out. They will hopefully act as an alarm for my chickens

 

[R2elk]

I have been doing research on keeping Guinea fowl but have not been able to find and answer to one question. Can Guinea fowl roost in an old chicken coop?
I have an old hen run that is not in use. It is 25x30 feet. The chicken coop is 5x7feet. I was thinking of getting Guinea fowl. But I cannot find anywhere if they would be happy in this run. It is full of grass and other weeds and plants. It is almost like they would be free range.
Also I was wondering how many Guinea fowl could I keep in this run and house.
I was also wondering is it best to by Guinea fowl as keets or adults as I would want them to roost in the house every night.
Thank you, please could I get relevant answers.

Read Raising Guinea Fowl 101 and pay particular attention to posts made by @PeepsCA

One of the main reasons that people keep guineas is to control tick populations. They can only control the ticks where they can range. No free ranging = no tick control.

A 25'x30' run may be a big run to you but it is not a big run to guineas. What the inside of the coop is like determines whether it is suitable for guineas. Guineas like to roost high so the height of the coop matters as well as the placement of the roosts. How much of the floor space is clear and not taken over by feeders and waterers also matters. The recommended minimum clear floor space is 4 sq. ft. per guinea. The more area available, the better.

While many make the claim that guineas are good watch dogs, they really aren't. They make so many false alarms and continue with their alarms long after the perceived danger has passed by that their alarms often get ignored. One reason for an alarm is because you wore a different color of shirt or jacket than you normally wear.

If your run is covered and you keep the guineas locked in all the time, you can start with adult guineas. For your set up, i recommend no more than two pair. If planning on free ranging them, it is better to start with keets so they can easily learn where home is.

 

[gander007]

My guinea roost with the chickens and have the run of the yard .

• gander007
• Feb 15, 2014

 

[Brahmachicken240]

The best way to get guineas to sleep in their coop is to start with keets. Mine sleep happily in a tree beside my chicken coop and free range around the fields all day, There are no predators where I am that are capable of getting at them in the trees though.