Ostracized guinea

[Sydney65]

I keep seeing reports of "abandoned" lone guineas,even young ones. Reading this reminds me of my ponderance if they were really left behind or they ran away. There are days I think Willow considers it.when I let them out of the run, she'd rather stay in,take the opportunity to eat,drink and explore w/o being chased. She races to be the 1st in the coop so she can get perched before getting blocked from entry,and stays close to me when out bc she knows I'll block the others. "Don't hate me bc I'm beautiful!"
Zuri bulled his way in; "you can peck me, challenge me or squawk at me, but I'm coming, too."
Mockie stays quiet and just follows at a distance,always prepared to take flight if they notice her and standing behind objects trying to be invisible. The most she says most days is a quiet, "cocoa."
Willow likes being in my lap, it's the one place she can close her eyes, I think. Mockie uses it as a staging area to see where everyone is and the best place to be. Zuri bites.
Anyway, I don't think there's a hard fast rule for guineas. Sometimes we forget there's a species behavior, but every animal has it's quirks.You just have to fig out what works for yours.
Logic would say get another male. I've had 2 males,1 hen at times, without dust ups. Actually when I added a hen, it was the 2 hens that didn't get along.Now that I'v restocked, as noted, it's 2 of the new hens and 1 of the males that get the cold shoulder-and you see their personal reactions to it are quite different. 1 uses force,1 avoids conflict,and 1 tries to find her best advantage.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

It's interesting that the two males weren't antagonistic in the presence of females. My Mr. Guinea is antagonistic to the chickens now that he has a mate but particularly antagonistic to Violet. He was a real sweetheart before, hanging out with the chickens peacefully, though he would sometimes go after the rooster. You all are right that a male is more likely to pair up with Violet than a female. My current female is cool with Violet but they came from the same "family." My housemate thinks I should get rid of the male because he's such a bully. But good luck finding a home for a rooster. I couldn't find one for Ms. Violet.

What do you get out of having the guineas? Are they a cool addition to your chicken flock, a needed alarm system, bug eating machines, special pets, etc? You might consider whether you really want to keep them and whether they would do better in a larger flock. Adding one or two more probably won’t be enough to make the flock dynamics more functional, and may just make it harder for you to keep the peace since the change in flock dynamics will be a gamble. Many unpleasant Guinea behaviors get dampened by living in a larger flock. If you can find someone with a Guinea flock that would take (and integrate) the trio, things might work out better for them. Best of luck and keep us updated!

 

[mary14889]

What do you get out of having the guineas? Are they a cool addition to your chicken flock, a needed alarm system, bug eating machines, special pets, etc? You might consider whether you really want to keep them and whether they would do better in a larger flock. Adding one or two more probably won’t be enough to make the flock dynamics more functional, and may just make it harder for you to keep the peace since the change in flock dynamics will be a gamble. Many unpleasant Guinea behaviors get dampened by living in a larger flock. If you can find someone with a Guinea flock that would take (and integrate) the trio, things might work out better for them. Best of luck and keep us updated!

Good question. I really do enjoy the guineas. Plus ticks and Lyme disease are a problem in my area- that is the reason I got started with them. I've only ever had two at a time. A pair of guineas is quite happy. My current Mr. Guinea got along just fine with the chickens after his mate was killed, but it was clear that he was lonely though not always a loner. He spent a lot of time looking at his reflection in the glass storm doors, basement windows, etc. It's a joy to see a pair wandering around together, enjoying each other's company. I mistakenly thought the male would enjoy having a second female. I have tried rehoming but have gotten no takers so am trying to figure out how best to go forward. Now I am heading towards a second male, as that seems to be the consensus here. I will report back.

 

[mary14889]

They are just so unpredictable! You might get another male and he might love your lone girl and they’ll be happy! Or you might get a cock that only likes the same hen as your current cock and fights him. Or you might get a cock that likes to pick on chickens and you would despise that, let me tell you! It’s strange that this hen hasn’t laid - could you be missing her nest? There could be something wrong with her but guineas often have a bullied, low man out so not necessarily. Also, my flock is done pairing for the year which means a whole reshuffle of dominance for winter.

Well, it looks like there's a good outcome to this story. Today after seeing Violet interacting peacefully in the pen, and because we were working outside, I let the chooks out into the yard and all three Guineas hung out together. Violet was usually hanging back a little, but tracking with them. I saw Mr. Guinea charge at the chicken hens a couple of times, but not at Violet. It looks like he has accepted her and hopefully they'll live happily ever after.

 

[Fcarter]

Poultry in general are hard on each other, and guineas are especially rough. When I had a flock of nine guinea fowl, with only one cock, there were several ostracized females. They were still part of the flock, but they were driven off if they got too close to the dominant birds (which makes roosting in the coop all kinds of fun…).

Now that my flock is bigger, there are several hens that are designated by the flock as low ranking, fringe girls. They seem to have a job as sentries, as all are very watchful, hanging out on the periphery. I also have two cocks that are “fringe birds”, but not as low ranked as those three fringe girls. So, that makes five birds out of 19 adults that stay in the edges of the flock, somewhat more spread out and always seem to be looking out for danger.

Based on my experiences, I’m guessing it’s a flock mechanism for designating sentries. These sentries do change somewhat year to year, though my current three gals have been in this role for two years. Two other fringe girls go back and forth as main vs fringe group. Right now both are in the main group, but are still more sentries than the other main flock birds.

A whole different category for me is a shunned bird. These are birds that the flock seems to want rid of completely. They are very cruel to the shunned bird and may attack it as a group or attack any time they can see the bird, even from a distance. These are the birds that I worry will be killed by the flock. Shunned birds are very nervous about going in the coop and may try to roost in a tree nearby instead. I do see some overlap between shunned and fringe birds. So far, my shunned birds have somehow gotten accepted back into the flock with time, usually over a few weeks, but I’ve had to offer them separate and secret food and work hard to get them into the coop at night until that happens.

Thanks. She didn't want to go into the pen and the others didn't want her in there. They finally settled down with her up high and the others lower. I see what you are saying in their behavior. She seems to be of the group but not part of group. Hopefully, this will resolve soon. Thanks.

 

[mary14889]

Poultry in general are hard on each other, and guineas are especially rough. When I had a flock of nine guinea fowl, with only one cock, there were several ostracized females. They were still part of the flock, but they were driven off if they got too close to the dominant birds (which makes roosting in the coop all kinds of fun…).

Now that my flock is bigger, there are several hens that are designated by the flock as low ranking, fringe girls. They seem to have a job as sentries, as all are very watchful, hanging out on the periphery. I also have two cocks that are “fringe birds”, but not as low ranked as those three fringe girls. So, that makes five birds out of 19 adults that stay in the edges of the flock, somewhat more spread out and always seem to be looking out for danger.

Based on my experiences, I’m guessing it’s a flock mechanism for designating sentries. These sentries do change somewhat year to year, though my current three gals have been in this role for two years. Two other fringe girls go back and forth as main vs fringe group. Right now both are in the main group, but are still more sentries than the other main flock birds.

A whole different category for me is a shunned bird. These are birds that the flock seems to want rid of completely. They are very cruel to the shunned bird and may attack it as a group or attack any time they can see the bird, even from a distance. These are the birds that I worry will be killed by the flock. Shunned birds are very nervous about going in the coop and may try to roost in a tree nearby instead. I do see some overlap between shunned and fringe birds. So far, my shunned birds have somehow gotten accepted back into the flock with time, usually over a few weeks, but I’ve had to offer them separate and secret food and work hard to get them into the coop at night until that happens.

Thank you for your story. I've only ever had two guineas, male and female, at a time. After my last hen was killed by a predator, I got two hens b/c I thought it would make Mr Guinea happy and I'd have a spare in case of losing one. To my surprise and dismay, Mr Guinea paired up strongly with one but is hostile to the other. I tried advertising her to find her a happier home but no takers. So I've been hoping that she will eventually be accepted. The chicken hens are usually OK with her but sometimes pick on her, too. She is very lonely and unhappy. I've been keeping everyone penned up for fear she'll run off and to help them get used to her. At dusk, she has to wait until Mr. Guinea roosts before going into the coop because he is like the troll on the bridge- whenever she approaches the door, he runs out and runs her off. I've been thinking of getting another female for her to pal around with. Do you think that would work?

 

[mary14889]

It would be better to get another male rather than a female. Guineas tend to pair up, one hen to one male. Not all males will accept more than one hen.

You do not have nearly enough guineas for them to have proper flock dynamics. They are flock birds and their behavior does not match that of any other poultry.

I'm surprised that you think another male would be better. I'd think my current Mr. Guinea would be even more combative with another male. I had two male guineas once, albeit only two males (I got started with them for free). They were holy terrors and I said never again! It sounds like there's no predicting how these birds will get along, that they have personalities and traits that we don't understand. I know that guineas are flock birds but I'm testing the good will of my housemate already and I have a flock of 10 chickens so can't add too many more to the coop. I did try to rehome the outsider but had no luck. Thanks for your advice.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I'm surprised that you think another male would be better. I'd think my current Mr. Guinea would be even more combative with another male. I had two male guineas once, albeit only two males (I got started with them for free). They were holy terrors and I said never again! It sounds like there's no predicting how these birds will get along, that they have personalities and traits that we don't understand. I know that guineas are flock birds but I'm testing the good will of my housemate already and I have a flock of 10 chickens so can't add too many more to the coop. I did try to rehome the outsider but had no luck. Thanks for your advice.

Sounds like it’s a tough situation. It’s hard to make things work with a small Guinea flock. Adding chickens makes it more difficult. Do they free range?

 

[mary14889]

Funny you should ask. Yes, I normally let my flock free range, when the weather is nice. But the first two days I let the new guinea hen (Violet) out into the pen, she "flew the coop." The first time up on the roof, but she finally jumped back in the pen. The second time, she flew out of the coop and took off down the field and I had to run down past her and get her to turn around. She overshot the pen and took off in the other direction, ending up on the other side of my other neighbor's fence. She did find her way back to the coop at night. I've been cautious since then. We had a long stretch of rain so some days I kept them cooped up or penned up. But today was a nice day so I let them free range. I was working in the garden so I could keep watch. Besides again going through the neighbor's fence, it went well except that she was wandering around by herself and when she got too close to the guinea rooster, he would charge her. Again, she found her way back home and again was the last to go into the coop, only when the other guineas were roosting. I wish I had found this thread before getting two hens. All I knew was that they are gregarious, not that they sometimes ostracize one of their own.

 

[mary14889]

I keep seeing reports of "abandoned" lone guineas,even young ones. Reading this reminds me of my ponderance if they were really left behind or they ran away. There are days I think Willow considers it.when I let them out of the run, she'd rather stay in,take the opportunity to eat,drink and explore w/o being chased. She races to be the 1st in the coop so she can get perched before getting blocked from entry,and stays close to me when out bc she knows I'll block the others. "Don't hate me bc I'm beautiful!"
Zuri bulled his way in; "you can peck me, challenge me or squawk at me, but I'm coming, too."
Mockie stays quiet and just follows at a distance,always prepared to take flight if they notice her and standing behind objects trying to be invisible. The most she says most days is a quiet, "cocoa."
Willow likes being in my lap, it's the one place she can close her eyes, I think. Mockie uses it as a staging area to see where everyone is and the best place to be. Zuri bites.
Anyway, I don't think there's a hard fast rule for guineas. Sometimes we forget there's a species behavior, but every animal has it's quirks.You just have to fig out what works for yours.
Logic would say get another male. I've had 2 males,1 hen at times, without dust ups. Actually when I added a hen, it was the 2 hens that didn't get along.Now that I'v restocked, as noted, it's 2 of the new hens and 1 of the males that get the cold shoulder-and you see their personal reactions to it are quite different. 1 uses force,1 avoids conflict,and 1 tries to find her best advantage.

It's interesting that the two males weren't antagonistic in the presence of females. My Mr. Guinea is antagonistic to the chickens now that he has a mate but particularly antagonistic to Violet. He was a real sweetheart before, hanging out with the chickens peacefully, though he would sometimes go after the rooster. You all are right that a male is more likely to pair up with Violet than a female. My current female is cool with Violet but they came from the same "family." My housemate thinks I should get rid of the male because he's such a bully. But good luck finding a home for a rooster. I couldn't find one for Ms. Violet.