I really don't know what the right thing to do is?

[TyrannosaurusChix]

I recently bought a bunch of newly hatched polish chicks and 2 guinea. my plans are to have the two guineas roam my land( i have over an acre) with a small coopish building with food and water set out for them. I read that 2 guinea is about right for my size acreage( im surrounded by state land , a swamp and a farmed field with one neighbor across the road kitty corner that has livestock of their own)

My question: At what age would i put these guineas out to sort of fend for themselves so to speak( im over protective and feel scared about it) But i honestly do not wish to house them with my existing chickens, which the polish will join when big enough.

will they be upset that they arent with the chicks/ chickens they are being raised with right now( they are 2 1/2 weeks now)
will they try to fly into the run i have now? or will they be happy with themselves and eat mosquitoes and bugs and such?


Thanks for any help

 

[noodleroo]

Guineas are just about grown at 4 months. In the winter (very mild winters here) I made sure they had plenty of food and water at home because there is not enough for them to eat while free ranging the neighborhood. In the summer, they probably won't eat as much food (gamebird crumbles) but will of course need plenty of water. They will eat lots of bugs in the summer.

Your guineas are going to go where ever they want and most likely, where you DON'T want so if they want in the chicken run, they'll fly up and in there. Remember, guineas are wild birds in Africa and fly huge distances. With that said, the trick is to make a special place that they want to be that has food and water, a mirror (they like to look at themselves because they are so pretty) with enough cover for them to feel safe.

Good luck. I think guineas are really fun to have...little stinkers....

 

[Bunnylady]

How busy is that road? Years ago, a guy near a plant nursery where I worked had a flock of guineas. Every once in a while, the birds would wander up the hill onto the nursery property, but their favorite place to hang out was the shoulder of the road. Need I say, the flock got thinned regularly?

 

[IggiMom]

My Guineas drove me about nuts. I will never raise any in the chicken coop again if I can avoid it. We had to go in every night and catch them and throw them out of the chicken coop so the chickens could eat in peace.

They would come back in, which would have been ok, but they ate the chicken's food, which again would have been ok, but they would NOT let the chickens eat. They would stay in there and drive the sweet little hens and even the big strong roos away from their food.

They kind of redemed themselves by eating lots and lots of ticks. I almost never see a tick now. Bless their little Guinea hearts. They also on at least one occasion warned everyone about a sneaky fox thereby saving some chicken lives.

And when my English Shepherd learned the difference between Guineas and chickens, he did drive them out of the hen house for me.

But they were really a pain and I sold quite a number of them. I now have only three and they are not too pesky. I probably need a few more, so perhaps the three will raise a few more. They are two hens and a rooster Guinea.

Catherine

 

[TyrannosaurusChix]

probably 50 cars a day? im not sure. its rural but this road comes into the hamlet and intersects on the route that runs through here. thats my main concern, cars and predators, but for the purpose i bought them for, free range was in mind for them.

Thanks for replying... i guess ill have to feel it out. ill probably knkow within a month after they are old enough to put out what it will be like