Possible Silly question, Too much room in coop

[woogiedaddy]

I am planning on getting some guinea fowl and in the process of designing the coop. I have read that it is ok to just leave them free range, but some posts that I have read suggest that a coop may help keep them healthy (will need it for winter any way). I am planning on starting with about 7 birds. (is that a decent amount or should I have more)

I have read that you should have 3 - 4 square feet for each bird.

That looks like I am going to start with a 4x7 or 4x8 coop for them. I am in NC, so it doesn't get a real bad winter like some, but could the coop be too large for that many birds to maintain their temps in the winter? Sorry if it is a silly question, but I find that if you ask a silly question that turns out to be not silly, it can pay off by preventing you from making a silly mistake.

Does the 3 to 4 square feet per bird sound right? I am planning on allowing them to free roam a fenced in yard, so they would only be sleeping in there (fingers crossed). I want to do what is right for the birds to start to avoid issues. Any advice / experience would be welcome.

 

[R2elk]

I am planning on getting some guinea fowl and in the process of designing the coop. I have read that it is ok to just leave them free range, but some posts that I have read suggest that a coop may help keep them healthy (will need it for winter any way). I am planning on starting with about 7 birds. (is that a decent amount or should I have more)

I have read that you should have 3 - 4 square feet for each bird.

That looks like I am going to start with a 4x7 or 4x8 coop for them. I am in NC, so it doesn't get a real bad winter like some, but could the coop be too large for that many birds to maintain their temps in the winter? Sorry if it is a silly question, but I find that if you ask a silly question that turns out to be not silly, it can pay off by preventing you from making a silly mistake.

Does the 3 to 4 square feet per bird sound right? I am planning on allowing them to free roam a fenced in yard, so they would only be sleeping in there (fingers crossed). I want to do what is right for the birds to start to avoid issues. Any advice / experience would be welcome.

Build the coop as big as you can. I consider 4 sq. ft. of clear floor area (does not include area taken up by feeder, waterer, hiding places, nesting area/box) as the minimum. The more free space you can give them the better off they will be.

The reason for a coop and why they should be trained to be shut up in the coop at night is for protection from predators.

I recommend a minimum of ten guineas as the larger the flock is the better they do. They are guineas and there will be losses.

Good luck.

 

[woogiedaddy]

Thanks for the fast reply. What do you mean hiding places? I haven't read anything about that. I was planning on hanging the nesting boxes off the side that they can access from inside.

Having them return to the coop at night for their protection was the plan I had. Not sure if they will be ok with that plan or not. I know we have owls near. I have heard them

 

[R2elk]

Thanks for the fast reply. What do you mean hiding places? I haven't read anything about that. I was planning on hanging the nesting boxes off the side that they can access from inside.

Having them return to the coop at night for their protection was the plan I had. Not sure if they will be ok with that plan or not. I know we have owls near. I have heard them

Guineas can be very mean and there always seems to be at least one bird that is the low one on the totem pole. If there are hiding places where they can dart into they can avoid being picked on too severely. The hiding places need to have a separate entrance and exit so they can avoid being trapped.

Don't count on guineas using nesting boxes like a chicken. They may or they may not. They are typically ground nesting birds. They also do not like their nests being messed with. There are some members that build nesting sites by arranging bales of hay or straw in such a fashion that there are hidden cubby holes for the hens to build their nests. There is at least one poster that uses wheelbarrows as nesting sites.

Guineas can be trained to go into a coop at night. Some people use treats and a call or sound to get the guineas to come to them. I have trained my guineas to go in their coop at night by using a long stick to guide them where I want them to go.

Good luck.

 

[Leaguinea]

I totally second @R2elk on all points.

- get plenty of birds (there will be losses) (I started with 10 and lost 5 within a couple of months of free ranging. Only one was killed during the night while broody on her nest, the others met there demise during the day while i was at work)
- coop can never be too big.
- don't worry about them getting cold just make sure the roosts are a minimum of 4" wide so they can cover their feet when roosting. (I don't know how cold your winters are but I have a couple males that roost in an old barn, they are not locked in a coop and I live in southwestern ontario where the winters are severe. one of the boys did get a bit of frostbite on his toe last winter but healed fine and is healthy and fit now.) (the reason they are not in the coop is that they are too aggressive and mean to the other guineas.)

Have fun, guineas is how my journey to bird addiction began

 

[woogiedaddy]

Have fun, guineas is how my journey to bird addiction began

My neighbor started with chickens this year. It has been really fun watching them grow. There is so much learning to do with this. I started with bees this year and am really enjoying them. The Guinea fowl are to help control ticks and small hive beetles (with the bees) I am trying to find a nice coop design to start out with. I have enough wood to do a small one, looks like I will be buying more lumber now.

Winters in northern NC aren't awful compared to northern states, but it does get cold, so I really want to have something for them to stay in

Any thoughts on a coop on the ground with a dirt \grass floor for them versus a raised one? I am considering the DLM for the base. It sounds like it would be the most healthy for them, but haven't seen posts about folks using it on coops with dirt floors. This is all so new, so any advice is welcome.

 

[R2elk]

My neighbor started with chickens this year. It has been really fun watching them grow. There is so much learning to do with this. I started with bees this year and am really enjoying them. The Guinea fowl are to help control ticks and small hive beetles (with the bees) I am trying to find a nice coop design to start out with. I have enough wood to do a small one, looks like I will be buying more lumber now.

Winters in northern NC aren't awful compared to northern states, but it does get cold, so I really want to have something for them to stay in

Any thoughts on a coop on the ground with a dirt \grass floor for them versus a raised one? I am considering the DLM for the base. It sounds like it would be the most healthy for them, but haven't seen posts about folks using it on coops with dirt floors. This is all so new, so any advice is welcome.

My current coop is 8'x12' with a "ground" floor. I live on a sand dune so the floor is actually sand. I house 13 guineas in this coop but there are only a few days that they don't get out to roam so they are mostly in there only at night. The ceiling joists are open so the guineas spend most of their time using the ceiling joist as roosts.

The only problem you will need to deal with in NC is making sure that your coop is well ventilated even in the winter. My guineas do fine even when it gets down to -30°F but I have read of frostbite occurring in much warmer temperatures because of high humidity and poor ventilation.

I don't do deep litter but many do. There is no reason that it could not work on a ground floor.

You want to be careful with the guineas around the beehives. The guineas will gladly snack on the bees. I would not count on them to control the small hive beetles.

Good luck.

 

[woogiedaddy]

You want to be careful with the guineas around the beehives.

I may have to put some netting to help protect the bees LOL They are fenced in and I imagine that they would be safe from a chicken, but I keep hearing about the flying abilities of Guinea fowl, so I think I will need to do something.

 

[perchie.girl]

I wouldnt worry unless it becomes a problem.... about the bees that is...

I have heard stories both ways bee wise...

deb

 

[woogiedaddy]

I wouldnt worry unless it becomes a problem.... about the bees that is...

I have heard stories both ways bee wise...

deb

I am going to have a talk with them and see what we can work out. I figure that there are enough other bugs for them to eat. If they to go after them, I do have an alternative place I can take my bees to if need be.