Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[gonehencrazy]

RIR are supposed to be quite dark in color. Hatcheries don't breed for that so it's hit-or-miss with most RIR.

Is it possible she is broody? Does she stay in there all day too? If not, it's probably that she fell in the "pecking order" and no longer feels welcome on the roosts. Maybe add a new roost a bit lower than the others, but higher than the nestbox.

Hmm I had added my 12 week old group to the run but they were still sleeping in the small coop when she started it. She goes outside all day. The coop has two roosting bars. The younger group huddles on one end with Black star and Gold Star at the other end. The second Gold Star hen is the only one on the other roost. One GS is flock boss and the other is the lowest of my original 4. The BS and RIR hang out together in the run but then don't roost together.

 

[LadyBehir]

Husband asked and I have no clue, why have guinea fowl? Do you use them for meat? eggs? just cause they're cool?

 

[BullChick]

Hmm I had added my 12 week old group to the run but they were still sleeping in the small coop when she started it. She goes outside all day. The coop has two roosting bars. The younger group huddles on one end with Black star and Gold Star at the other end. The second Gold Star hen is the only one on the other roost. One GS is flock boss and the other is the lowest of my original 4. The BS and RIR hang out together in the run but then don't roost together.

Then it is just a bad habit.

Husband asked and I have no clue, why have guinea fowl? Do you use them for meat? eggs? just cause they're cool?

Because you hate your neighbors?

They are good bug control. People do eat them, and they are not all ugly. I have not heard anything about the eggs. But, eggs are eggs.
Good morning.

 

[dheltzel]

Well, they don't have to be show quality, and I would prefer maybe pullets since we may not have time and space for chicks. Plus, we CANNOT have a rooster, and it would break my heart giving it away. I am leaning towards breeds like brahmas, orpingtons, or silkies. Non-flighty docile breeds.

Silkies are "special needs" chickens and don't lay very well at all (but are excellent if you want a broody hen). I love silkies but they are not for everyone. They are the lap dogs of the chicken world, ornamental pets only. With proper care and housing (separate from large breeds), they are close to an ideal pet bird, especially around kids. Another drawback is that they are generally not sexable as chicks, or even young birds. Many a young silkie has broken the hearts of it's owners by crowing (quite loudly for such a small bird). Even the roos are (usually) quite docile, which makes parting with them to an uncertain future even harder.

In my experience, almost every breed becomes non-flighty and docile when they start laying, or if they are socialized with people from a young age. I do see a few differences in the breeds I raise, but when I think about it, the calm breeds are the ones that are my favorites for other reasons -- perhaps I'm giving them more attention than the "production only" breeds? For example, other than the silkied breeds, I would rate the Jill Reese Legbars as the most calm. Coincidentally, they were my most "high value" birds last winter when they started laying. They got the best of everything. Their chicks are extraordinarily easy to handle also, I can grab any random pullet and hold her without her struggling at all.

I'm biased for sure, because I don't have brahmas or orps, but here are my favorites:

high egg production - California Greys and the Blue Egg Sexlinks I create from them
best free ranging - Welsummers and sexlinks, and probably the Cali Greys
calmest - Legbars and Welbars
cutest chicks - Ameracaunas and the Blue Egg Sexlinks (these are also the most intelligent and favorites of my customers when hand raised to be tame, but otherwise go through a wild stage where they are very flighty)
best for small family flock - Legbars, Welbars, Blue Egg Sexlinks

All of these, except the Ameraucanas, are easily sexed as chicks. My personal favorites are the Jill Reese Legbars, Welbars, and various colors of Ameraucanas (which I know are not ideal for you because you want to avoid roos).

I would encourage you to consider starting with chicks. The time and space requirements are minimal, especially this time of year, when you can move them outside without any heat at about 3 or 4 weeks of age. If you have children, that is all the more reason to get chicks and let them socialize them while young.

 

[dheltzel]

Hmm I had added my 12 week old group to the run but they were still sleeping in the small coop when she started it. She goes outside all day. The coop has two roosting bars. The younger group huddles on one end with Black star and Gold Star at the other end. The second Gold Star hen is the only one on the other roost. One GS is flock boss and the other is the lowest of my original 4. The BS and RIR hang out together in the run but then don't roost together.

Sounds like they need couples therapy . . .

 

[dheltzel]

Husband asked and I have no clue, why have guinea fowl? Do you use them for meat? eggs? just cause they're cool?

Guineas are truly the most annoying fowl on our farm. I could make a long list of disadvantages, and the list of advantages has only 2 items:
1) They eat bugs like nothing else I've ever seen, and they "specialize" in ticks. This is clearly the top reason they are around
2) They are eagle-eye watchdogs. No predator has a chance of getting close to the area they are inhabiting without being spotted. I have never seen a hawk around the farm, and I'm pretty sure the only reason is that the guineas make hunting there a frustrating exercise. Stealth is just not possible with the guineas. If the guineas sound as predator alarm, the chickens, turkeys, probably even the wild rabbits, go on high alert.

Other than those 2 things, they are vile, worthless birds, but we will never be without them on the farm.

 

[BullChick]

Guineas are truly the most annoying fowl on our farm. I could make a long list of disadvantages, and the list of advantages has only 2 items:
1) They eat bugs like nothing else I've ever seen, and they "specialize" in ticks. This is clearly the top reason they are around
2) They are eagle-eye watchdogs. No predator has a chance of getting close to the area they are inhabiting without being spotted. I have never seen a hawk around the farm, and I'm pretty sure the only reason is that the guineas make hunting there a frustrating exercise. Stealth is just not possible with the guineas. If the guineas sound as predator alarm, the chickens, turkeys, probably even the wild rabbits, go on high alert.

Other than those 2 things, they are vile, worthless birds, but we will never be without them on the farm.

 

[gonehencrazy]

Sounds like they need couples therapy . . .

Lol. Honestly that problem is pretty the lowest of my flock issues. Something killed one of my leghorn pullets so I started closing the coop up at night. Well someone....my dad...didn't close the door like I asked when he went up one night and the next day there were two more leghorns MIA and feathers from all the young pullets and my rooster everywhere. Now the surviving youngsters won't go in the coop and roost in trees. Every night I get them down and put them in the coop. They should start laying soon as they are 16 weeks and I'm concerned that I can't get them to feel safe in the coop enough to lay on there since they have to be coerced in at night now. I'm really cranky about the whole thing. There is a family of raccoons that has a short life span in their future. They drug my poor babies up the tree and pieces have been coming down

 

[BullChick]

Lol. Honestly that problem is pretty the lowest of my flock issues. Something killed one of my leghorn pullets so I started closing the coop up at night. Well someone....my dad...didn't close the door like I asked when he went up one night and the next day there were two more leghorns MIA and feathers from all the young pullets and my rooster everywhere. Now the surviving youngsters won't go in the coop and roost in trees. Every night I get them down and put them in the coop. They should start laying soon as they are 16 weeks and I'm concerned that I can't get them to feel safe in the coop enough to lay on there since they have to be coerced in at night now. I'm really cranky about the whole thing. There is a family of raccoons that has a short life span in their future. They drug my poor babies up the tree and pieces have been coming down

That is gross.

Sorry you have to deal with all that.

The only solution I can see is to keep the birds confined for another two weeks. They will have to get used to the coop again. And, it means that they will lay in the coop for sure. Well, when they lay.

 

[gonehencrazy]

That is gross.   Sorry you have to deal with all that.
The only solution I can see is to keep the birds confined for another two weeks. They will have to get used to the coop again. And, it means that they will lay in the coop for sure. Well, when they lay.

Do you mean just at night like I have been doing? I have a fenced in run(pasture) but not an enclosed area to keep them on a shorter leash so to speak.