New to Guineas. Would like Advice. *Pics*

[PeepsCA]

Cute babies LOL @ spot them... yah sure.

Pengu will molt all the brown baby feathers out by 16 wks old (maybe a little sooner), and be a beautiful Pied Pearl Grey when mature (and when they have full sized/developed wattles!).
Aggression, if it's going to happen usually starts when they are sexually mature and feeling their oats... as young as 14-15 wks old. But here in the US the hormones really kick in hard as soon as Spring sets in. Since you only have 3 they may continue to respect your chickens for another season, or even indefinitely. It's hard to say, every Guinea is an individual, as are the flock's dynamics.

Thanks for sharing pics!

 

[mjanderson437]

They are very cute!

Your topic of aggression towards chickens interests me greatly because I know I'm going to have to address it soon. The first site I found said chickens and guineas do fine together, and since my 3 hens are big and pushy and my guineas won't be a year old til summer, so far that's been true. Still, I planned my pen on that premise and now on BYC I see I should anticipate issues. Coupled with the fact that my neighbors dog chased one poor guinea until it swam 70 yards across a pond in self preservation, free ranging in the day is now off the table until I figure out plan b. And quickly, because spring is approaching here in the South. If only I could speak guinea and tell them to range in the donkey pasture... those jennys would keep them safe from the dog.

 

[Colourful]

They are very cute!

Your topic of aggression towards chickens interests me greatly because I know I'm going to have to address it soon. The first site I found said chickens and guineas do fine together, and since my 3 hens are big and pushy and my guineas won't be a year old til summer, so far that's been true. Still, I planned my pen on that premise and now on BYC I see I should anticipate issues. Coupled with the fact that my neighbors dog chased one poor guinea until it swam 70 yards across a pond in self preservation, free ranging in the day is now off the table until I figure out plan b. And quickly, because spring is approaching here in the South. If only I could speak guinea and tell them to range in the donkey pasture... those jennys would keep them safe from the dog.

Poor Guinea!

I wish people would keep their dogs in check. I've had dogs all my life, and they don't cross the boundries into other peoples yards because we've got the proper fences.

On another note, I didn't know Guineas could swim. You learn something new everyday.

I look forward to American spring, because you guys will face the problems first (And I can sneak through the posts to learn from them), though I really do hope your Chickens and Guineas continue to get along well enough.

It'll be Winter here when the start to "feel their oats", so hopefully that will give them some time to get used to the new hormones before spring comes round. Thank you PeepsCA for the information!

 

[PeepsCA]

I don't think mj's Guinea knew it could swim either... lol

 

[TarheelBirdy]

Poor Guinea!

I wish people would keep their dogs in check. I've had dogs all my life, and they don't cross the boundries into other peoples yards because we've got the proper fences.

On another note, I didn't know Guineas could swim. You learn something new everyday.

I look forward to American spring, because you guys will face the problems first (And I can sneak through the posts to learn from them), though I really do hope your Chickens and Guineas continue to get along well enough.

It'll be Winter here when the start to "feel their oats", so hopefully that will give them some time to get used to the new hormones before spring comes round. Thank you PeepsCA for the information!

Oh great....learn from our future misfortunes? LOL

 

[Colourful]

Oh great....learn from our future misfortunes? LOL

I know

. I'll be caught between tears at your hardships and cackling evilly, knowing it's not me facing them. Seriously, I bookmark every page I think might be of use to me at some point.

...Yet... Give me a few months, then it won't be so great...

 

[TarheelBirdy]

I know

. I'll be caught between tears at your hardships and cackling evilly, knowing it's not me facing them. Seriously, I bookmark every page I think might be of use to me at some point.

...Yet... Give me a few months, then it won't be so great...

In the end, I have learned SO MUCH here. Let's keep contributing, all of us.

 

[mjanderson437]

[COLOR=4B0082]I don't think mj's Guinea knew it could swim either... lol[/COLOR]

Lol! You can say that again. Poor thing was determined. It didn't swim well (only it's head was above water) but it never paused, never veered from a straight line. I was afraid it would get turned around and exhaust itself or get so waterlogged half way that it would sink but it just kept on until it felt clay under its claws!

 

[Poinsettia]

Hello everyone! This is my fist post here at BYC, and I have included a photo of my new babies!




Now, I've wanted Guinea Fowl for a little while, and I finally found some 3 month olds. The man I went to buy them from had them and some 5 week olds. As you can see from the photo, I bought some of the latter, because he thought I'd asked for them instead and so he didn't have the 3 month olds any more. So here I am.

I've researched how to look after older keets, but I would love some advise on what to feed these guys and ask if they need any more extra heat. At the moment, I have them in with my Isa Brown chickens, who are a kind and docile lot. The picture above is them in the shed and the run itself is quite large and covered so they wont be flying out. I intend to let them out, free-range, like I do my chooks an about a month. Should I clip wings? At the moment, I'm giving them dandelion leaves, chook scratch mix and chook pellets.

I also have a batch of chook eggs on the incubator. When the new chicken chicks grow a little, would it be bad to have them with the main flock, like I've done in the past, or should I keep them separate from the guinea fowl? I live on a property, and we're building a 1/2 acre chook and duck run (we have a dam for the ducks and water hangers for the chooks so they don't contaminate the water source), so we will have the space.

Sorry, if I'm asking silly questions. I just want some advise from people who know the birds rather than looking through Google for a hundred different answers to the same question.



Edit: Just randomly; one of my Isa Browns has taken to following the keets around and gently nudging them (definitely not pecking them). It's almost like she's grooming them, but I've never seen an Isa go broody before. Is this normal? Or just rediculously adorable?

Beautiful guineas!

Congratulations

 

[Colourful]

Beautiful guineas!

Congratulations

Thank you! They make my chicken pen much more colourful and interesting.

Wow, they've already grown so much

. By now, you can actually tell they are going to grow into guineas.

My fence posts for the big yard will go in on the weekend, and as soon as I have the area safe from sheep I'll be able to start planting. I've been searching around for good trees for the Guineas to rest in (if they don't rest in their coop) but in the end, I think the best thing for them would just be the half dozen eucalyptus that we've built the run around. We're also throwing a good handful of fruit trees and a salt bush. Does anyone have a type of tree that their Guinea's absolutely love?

Oh, and the roots wont be scratched out because we're putting a sheet of wire around the base (cutting a strip through to the middle so we can place it around the trees).