I really want guineas but before I make the jump a couple questions.

[cupman]

I have a 120 square foot chicken coop and it will house 27 chickens when I'm done. The weather is pretty mild here, summers aren't too hot and winters never get that cold. Maybe ranges from 20-100 degrees with few exceptions. I want to get about 5-8 more birds for my coop and I need to narrow it down to guineas or a few more chickens from breeds I don't have. So my questions are:

1) Will my rooster try and mate with guinea hens? Will guinea males and my rooster fight?

2) Will guineas use nesting boxes like my chickens?

3) My run is going to be 5 foot tall(not covered) but have hot wire fencing around the outside of it to keep raccoons out, will my guineas just fly away? will they come back? any tips to force them to perch next to my chickens?

I'm a little afraid of them maybe flying into my hot wire fencing trying to get back into the run. I don't know if it could potentially be fatal to them or not.

Thanks.

 

[PeepsCA]

Quote:

 

[Fenika]

The amps and... technical stuff... will determine if your electric is lethal for poultry. Some chargers are safe if you run them over two miles (not for a chicken pen of course!), and some are safe no matter how few feet you run them over.

And of course, a fence that is weak enough to only scare a guinea or chicken is not strong enough to deter a predator. So I would do as Peeps suggests and permanently close them in the run with the chickens, and only let them out for supervised 'walks' with the charger OFF.

Is your run extra big? Guineas and chickens sharing space will want extra room in the run (a little more than 10ft per bird, since 10ft per bird is the typical standard (Peeps gave 8ft/bird, but I like 10 for a flock that gets along. More the merrier, as she said).)

 

[cupman]

Yeah it just isn't practical to cover a 1500 sq foot run. I have neighbors who have ran hot wire fencing behind their normal fence and they haven't had problems with predators in years. The only predators I face are raccoons. Too thick for hawks and coyotes tend to stay away. If the guineas aren't smart enough to find their way back in the run it could be a problem, though.

 

[chickathon]

Save yourself some trouble. Don't house them together. Mine were fine until about 5 months old. The guineas turned into bullies and wouldn't leave my chickens alone. Constantly grabbing a beakfull of feathers and basically hanging on until they got tired of it. My poor chickens were nervous and wouldn't forage well. They were constantly watching their backs. I have heard it is just a fase but I couldn't stand it. I house them seperately and it is alot more pleasant. I love my guineas. They are beautiful birds when they have just each other for company. I don't even mind the noise they make.

 

[sourland]

Guineas frequently exhibit a 'mob' behavior targeting a particular bird and making life miserable for that bird causing stress and frequently death. It will be nearly impossible to keep them in a non covered pen - their instinct to fly and roost outside is very strong. They can be very vocal and the constant calling especially in the breeding season can be irritating.

Life is never boring with guineas around - they are always creating excitement of one sort or another. My last guinea adopted us about 6 years ago. I have no idea where he came from. Every morning at daybreak he would fly to the railing on our deck and vocalize until I came out and chased him away. He was finally caught by a fox. I miss his presence.

 

[StevenW.]

Be careful what you say Sour because I will be more than happy to send you a guinea... or 3!

 

[cupman]

Oh man what a dream killer you guys are... that or a headache saver. I fell in love with guineas probably the day my first batch of chickens went outside. If I could go back I would have done strictly guineas but I didn't and my faith lies with my chickens. You guys may have helped answer my question... Guineas, quail or turkeys? I would love to have just a couple guineas... do females get aggressive? If I had 3 female guineas it would satisfy my guinea urge. Well whatever, this has been informative. The fact I can't cover my run, can't find a hatchery that does guineas in less than 15 at a time, and guineas form a mob mentality..... I might have to pass on the strange creatures until a later day.

One last question... what if I had 2-3 female guineas... could life go on? I'd love to have a male for breeding sake but I could go without them if the girls could be cordial.

 

[Fenika]

Guineas can be a total headache! Years ago I almost missed my HS graduation because the guineas wouldn't go in the coop early that afternoon. My parents said they'd lock them up while I got dressed. Then they said 'oh, we couldn't get them all in'. So out I went, in my gown, chasing guineas and cussing under my breath

Luckily my birds weren't freaked out by yellow, but they sure hated my purple raincoat!

Most females are pretty good, but you do get bossy ones. Other folks can share their experiences though. I've only ever had one chicken with guineas.

And if you want females only, keep your eyes and ears open. Post ads on Craigslist, check your feed store. Eventually you'll find someone who is sick of so much BuckWheating. They'd be happy as a girls only club, even if you put them in their own pen.

A friend of mine got sick of guineas so I suggested he post an ad at the feedstore. His birds were gone the next day to another country home.

 

[ozguineafowl]

I would recommend you work on 6-8 sq ft per GF because they are more active than chickens and the more room the better