New to Guinea hens!

[Rkland]

Just looking for info on guinea hens. New adventure.

 

[QueenMisha]

Do you have any guineas yet or just looking into them?

I love my guineas. Pearls are definitely the prettiest, although most of mine are Lavender. I only have 2 Pearls and 2 Whites, a 1 Pied I'm getting next month.

They are so so so loud. I have only 1 male so far, about 1 year old, the rest are either female or too young to tell. They make noise all day long. I'm trying to get more males so I can eat the females, they make a VERY tasty dinner.

Haven't seen any ticks on the dogs since we got the guineas. Not sure how this works, since they seem content not to hop the fence and I rarely see them free-ranging.

If you don't clip them or herd them in before nightfall they will roost in trees! I allow mine to because they aren't pets and can fly quite high, they roost maybe 25 ft. up a tree or sometimes on the wooden support beams of my gamefowl pen, 12 ft. up!

They are great egg layers too. I get 2-3 eggs per day from my 3 adult hens, and soon I should have loads more of the hens beginning to lay!

Plus they are incredibly disease resistant... Mycoplasma, Marek's, Fowl Pox... not one of my guineas has ever fallen prey to a contagious disease! The only deaths occur from predators or because they really like to eat STRING... never leave feed bag string or other kinds in or around the pen, they will search high and low and eat it... it will hurt them!

 

[Rkland]

Have 12 at approximately 8 weeks of age . Getting most of their feathers now.

 

[Rkland]

Hoping to get some info on care and what to expect as they grow older.

 

[QueenMisha]

I care for them the same way as my chickens. They're a very interesting bird, and their dynamic among other species is fascinating. They have a very-care free attitude, and all the other birds accept it without question. They'll crowd around the turkeys, the roosters, the peafowl, pick at their heads and eyes, the male will mock-dive them, but they are never attacked for this behavior. The other birds seem to consider them untouchable - they don't have a place in the pecking order, because they're practically above the entire affair.

The females should start making noise very, very soon. And within a month or two they will all start attempting to roost outdoors. The males seem to start growing large helmets and curved wattles around 4-5 months, but the females will have distinguished themselves by then. They start laying around 6 months - they're very good layers, up there with most mid-production chicken breeds, although IIRC winter production is poor.

If you're into meat birds, they're absolutely delicious, and ready for the table around 5 months of age.

The males will dive at each other and other birds. Sometimes a problem male will begin diving chicken hens and pulling out their tail feathers, peepers cure this easily. They move as a group, and don't tend to go places alone except to lay. Hens will frequently share nests, and they will happily hide their eggs in any nearby bushes. But they make terrible, terrible mothers - don't let them hatch keets, give the eggs to a broody chicken instead.

 

[Rkland]

Thankyou for the info.

 

[FrogRaku]

I'm new to guineas this year, too. I started out with 4 adults (3 females and a male) and bought the book, Gardening with Guineas, to get the basic information. (I don't think it's a comprehensive guide to raising guineas, but it gave me a good place to start. (There's another thread here on people's thoughts on the book.))

After 2 weeks, with a fenced area around their coop, my guineas understood where home was. (During those 2 weeks, we had to lure them into the coop with a bright light at first, then a little solar nightlight. They're attracted to light at night and will not enter a dark coop/building probably because their night vision is horrible.)

Things I've learned:

Do not let them roost outside at night. Even if you don't think you have owls around - you probably do. You'll lose your guineas. It's pretty easy to herd them back to the coop if they decide they want to stay out - with a couple long sticks held low, you can nudge them towards the light. Just try to keep an eye out for them around dusk to make sure you get them before they fly up to a branch- otherwise, it's not easy to get a night blind bird off a high branch!

They love, love, love dried mealworms. It's the easiest way to get them to go anywhere.

They're not necessarily bad mothers. Two of my females shared a nest box in the coop. The keets are 2 1/2 weeks old now. The mamas don't know to keep them off the dew or out of the rain, so we just keep them all in the coop if it's wet out. Besides that - they're great - very attentive and protective. Today, they taught the keets to roost. So, I think the "bad mothers" reputation isn't always true.

They love dust baths. Make sure you have a dry or sandy spot for them, or they will dig a hole for a bath. (Mine like a spot under an evergreen. I add some play sand to the hole every once in a while, so they don't dig deeper or start a new bath spot.)

A cheap solar light or two for the coop are great. They're enough light for them to be comfortable going in at night and will gradually dim as they go out. No abrupt switch off and a night blind guinea bumping around in the dark trying to find a roost. If you have a barn/shed for them with a light - just leave it on until you're sure they're all settled in.

I think those are the biggest things I've learned. Like the other posters said - they get along with chickens. Plus, they're bug eating machines. They don't scratch up your flowerbeds/garden like a chicken would. Oh! And if you have a garden, never feed them tomatoes. Apparently, they will love them, and if you teach them about tomatoes, you can kiss the ones in your garden goodbye.

Good luck with your guineas!!!

 

[Rkland]

Thank you . Much appreciated.