Prospects for a lone guinea?

[Shiloh Acres]

I bought 6 guinea keets, all female normal colored, early last summer. One died of unknown cause in the coop a few months ago. Of the remaining 5, one has become almost a total outcast. She cries because she is alone, but the others attack her if she gets too close. She refuses to go in the coop with them so she sleeps in a wire cage.

Anyone experienced with guineas have any suggestions? I don't think she can live a decent life alone. At this point she may end up on the table, if I can't make her life suitable.

Thanks!

 

[sben451]

Do you have chickens? Maybe she would integrate better with some chickens??

 

[robin416]

If the bird is a female this is one time I can say it would be OK for her to live with the chickens and not have any problems.

If that is not possible one thing I would do is see if you can identify the bird that starts the trouble. Try to isolate that bird from the others for two or three days. It might be enough to reset her nastiness button and allow the one to assimilate in to the group.

Or the other possibility is go on the hunt for two or three males. That should reset the flock dynamic enough to get them to leave her alone.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Thanks very much. Any of those choices is an option.

I do have chickens. The guineas are sometimes in with them by choice but don't usually stay long. The first day a few roos chased the guineas but they generally coexist very peacefully in short doses.

I think my first move will be to put her cage in the chicken coop at night and see if I can get them used to each other.

I DO plan (hopefully) to get a couple of males. Just haven't found them from anyone local lately and I wasn't sure if male keets could be raised and put in with them.

The first two days I think there was an instigator. The others quickly jumped on the bandwagon of picking on this one so I'm thinking that would be least likely to be successful. Though it would be my first choice if I thought it would be most likely to work.

I appreciate the suggestions. They aren't pets per se, but I didn't intend them for table. They did a fine job of pest control for me all summer, and seem to be getting a bit wiser about not getting trapped, raising an alarm, and putting themselves in the coop, so I'd rather keep these over and add to them later if possible.

I would've gotten males too but the feed store ordered all females. I was hoping they'd made a mistake on a couple, but judging by the voices they are all girls.

Thanks again!

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

I have 3 male guineas and 2 females...one of the females ( Pearl hen ) is an outcast. All the guineas run her away.