I just got four 3 week Guinea fowl as a gift, already have chickens....??

sodinedia

In the Brooder
6 Years
Jun 2, 2013
22
2
32
What is the best way to introduce these guineas? I have 3 chicken hens (Orpington, Barred Rock, and a Americauna) ranging from 2 months to 3 months.
The chickens are very tame and established in our coop, our Orpington who is the alpha hen, attacked the guineas mercilessly. I have separated them for now and will be putting the guineas in a brooder for the next 3 weeks. I know that with chickens you introduce new birds to the hen in the lowest pecking order first. is it the same with the guineas? Should I introduce them one at a time or all at once to our gentle chicken and for how long? This gift of guineas was a total surprise and I am not planning on keeping them as layers, but instead butchering them at 12 weeks or so. We do not have the space to let them be free ranging, so they will be pinioned and kept in the coop with chickens at night and when we are not home, which will be for up to 6 - 7 hours a day and let out to scratch with the chickens 30 minutes or so at a time at least twice a day, more on the weekends.

TL;DR
4 young guinea fowl + 3 older chicken hens = ?????
 
They need to be separated through a fence for a few weeks at the minimum. So that cab be through a dog kennel or a thing of chicken wire. The idea to let them see each other but not be able to attack. After the meet and great period, they will fight for a week and that'll be the end of it with the new pecking order.
 

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