New member hello and a ?

[Gracieanne]

Hi, I am new with this chicken thing and absolutely love my little family. I've had a male guinea(George) in the mix the last couple of months. The hens have learned to deal with his "herding" them and running around keeping track of them.
Recently a young polish roo wandered onto one of my friend 's farm. She could not find where he belonged so I ended up with him. He is darling and I wonder if he wasn't someone's pet as he was so terrified of the hens that he would put his face/beak into the corner of the coop and "hide". Another friend took him to let him get stronger as he was pretty beat up and thin when I got him.2 weeks later, Einstein, the polish roo found his voice and announced to all he is a rooster. My friend brought him back and I am trying to integrate him. He is better with the hens and they are cutting him a break but I think George is going to kill him. The Polish guy is so terrified when George goes after him, he runs into the pasture and about got trampled by horses.
Einstein seems not to know what to do. He will let George run him into chicken wire, hay bales...etc... Poor Einstein
We have him in his own large cage inside the run. George actually gets into a nesting box in the coop at night
We began putting hens in with Einstein, they are getting along. Now we have put George in the pen with a hen he likes and hopefully Einstein will start to feel more secure and will stand up to George.
Any ideas? I really want to keep the guinea around as he is a good watch dog and he is....George...and I really love Einstein, he is sooo sweet. but we can't be having all this family dysfunction.

Thanks.

 

[M.sue]

Good evening & Hello from Michigan. I love Polish Roosters. Sound like your guy found a good home!

 

[The Red Rooster]

Hello!! And....

! Nice to have you abord!

 

[redsoxs]

from Kansas, Gracieanne! Glad you joined us.

I'm afraid I won't be much help - I know nothing of chicken-guinea relationship dynamics.

Best of luck - I hope George cuts Einstein some slack!

 

[4-H chicken mom]

and

from Ohio. So glad you joined. Hopefully they will learn to get along.

 

[JulieNKC]

 

[dawg53]

Welcome to BYC.

 

[dianaross77]

This is the second time in the last day or two I've heard about bullying at the "hands" of a guinea. Polish are usually the first to get picked on. Part of the problem is their crests. They get picked at and it makes it hard for the polish to see. Could you try trimming the crest so he can see clearer? It might give him the confidence to defend himself against the guinea.

 

[openheartnp]

Welcome to this awesome forum!

I have 2 roos, an alpha and a beta. The beta gets chased and pecked at times, but at the end of the day, they sleep side by side in the coop. Go figure. I'm not sure about guinea, but your alpha roo takes his flock-job seriously. Which means he's not going to change. So, what to do with your beta? Sounds like he is still young. He may have had a bad experience at his last address, too. Do you think you can pasture them side by side during the day for a while? Run some fencing to separate them? Give Einstein his own space to get comfortable in, since he thinks he is in George's space. Getting beat up is not going to make him any braver. Maybe he needs to get used to George charging and being stopped by the fence for a while.

Just some thoughts....good luck!

 

[kidcody]

from WA. glad you joined us