Incubating and raising guineas and chickens

[jstlitlome]

I'm going to get some chicken eggs to incubate this week and thought I would get some guinea fowl too. Will the guineas grow up too fast for the chickens and pick on them? I certainly want them to grow up with the chickens so they are used to them. I would like to house them together.

I was thinking of just buying keets a week or two after the chickens are born to give the chickens a bit of a head start.

Is that a good idea?

Leslie!

 

[NBKOC64]

You have a very nice coop there. However, I think it would be a bit small for a mixed flock. Guinea cocks can be aggressive during the mating season and might hurt your chickens. Also, guineas like to roost as high up as they can get. I'm guessing that your guineas would take to roosting in the trees as soon as they were able to fly. They are rather skittish birds and feel safer from predators way up high. I've had some success with letting guineas free range full time. I'm not sure what the hawk/owl/bobcat/coyote population is where you live. We've had some that did just fine for years running loose. Eventually, the predators always win, though. Time is on their side.

 

[jstlitlome]

Thank you! I need to update my coop photo. I now have a full 12x8 shed for a coop for a larger flock. I actually do intend to let the guineas do what they would like as far as night roosting but plan too keep them in the run for the first month to establish home. (mostly am getting them for predator alarms though so can handle what comes with that)

Mostly, I wonder should I get my keets a couple days before or after my chicks hatch? I hear they start smaller than large fowl chickens but grow faster. Want to give everyone as equal ground as I can to start. Chickens will hatch on the 14th (Thursday) but can only get the Guinea keets on weekends, so beforehand or after chicken hatch?

 

[NBKOC64]

We usually keep our keets separated a few days to give them a chance to get used to food and water. They seem to do better in a small area rather than a larger one in the beginning. We turned a bunch loose in our 10X12 shed and lost quite a few of them before we realized they didn't know how to find the water. In a small area, they seem to catch on more quickly. I don't think it really matters on which ones you have first, but I would keep them separated for a few days until everyone is up and around. Once they're all eating and drinking, they should get along just fine. If you don't have space to keep them separated for a couple days, I'd get the guineas first--just my opinion.

 

[jstlitlome]

Thank you! I also should have specified that I have a separate brooding area in my coop, so I was thinking of putting the keets with the chicks, but the adults will not be able to get to them until I let them out in about a month.

So perhaps I'll get the guineas this weekend, then put the new chicks in on Thursday