Questions about guinea fowl

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Sherri1990 said:
The more I learn about these birds the more I understand how much they need coop training. The coop I will be using is hardwire and surrounded by paver stones. We are going to add an electric fence. I have not seen any coyotes but I have seen bobcat prints. I do have a Great Pyrenees so maybe that helps to keep the big predators away,
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Is your Pyrenees a livestock guardian dog? I would so love to have one! Yes, I’m sure your dog will be super helpful at keeping predators away, as long as it doesn’t try to eat the birds like my dog does! 🤦‍♀️ My Doberman dreams of a Guinea fowl dinner. As far as a night time coop, yes I really think they are a great idea. We have farms near me that buy my keets every year, brood them and release the young adults outside, then buy another set the next year because those released guineas have all been eaten. A coop is a lot more work, but I am way too attached to just watch them all get picked off. I also live on a small acreage (10 acres) so I need a coop and run to limit their wandering and keep them on the property. Our Guineas are much less adventurous when they are only allowed out for half the day.
 
Mixed flock enthusiast said:
Is your Pyrenees a livestock guardian dog? I would so love to have one! Yes, I’m sure your dog will be super helpful at keeping predators away, as long as it doesn’t try to eat the birds like my dog does! 🤦‍♀️ My Doberman dreams of a Guinea fowl dinner. As far as a night time coop, yes I really think they are a great idea. We have farms near me that buy my keets every year, brood them and release the young adults outside, then buy another set the next year because those released guineas have all been eaten. A coop is a lot more work, but I am way too attached to just watch them all get picked off. I also live on a small acreage (10 acres) so I need a coop and run to limit their wandering and keep them on the property. Our Guineas are much less adventurous when they are only allowed out for half the day.
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My dog is. She is wonderful. She was born to working parents with goats and chickens. The only thing is we are just starting our farm and she seems to have a 1am bed time. I hope she gets over that! We are getting chickens in 2 weeks and goats in 4!!! Thank you for sharing about your birds. What is the best set up in the coop for them?
 
Sherri1990 said:
My dog is. She is wonderful. She was born to working parents with goats and chickens. The only thing is we are just starting our farm and she seems to have a 1am bed time. I hope she gets over that! We are getting chickens in 2 weeks and goats in 4!!! Thank you for sharing about your birds. What is the best set up in the coop for them?
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There several threads in this forum that discuss Guinea fowl coops. I’m pasting a few of them. We use a cattle panel hoop coop that’s described in the first thread. Most people on this forum seem to keep them in nighttime coops of all sorts!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/23033298

https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/25016895
 
You're going to love every minute you spend with them! We have opossums & raccoons, both are nocturnal.
Raccoons will kill if they gain access to your flock. Oppossums mainly want the eggs. We put out live traps when they come around & then euthanize per state law.
We have been very successful with our 1st coop. The only change I would make is going to smaller hardware cloth- as it is, only small/young mice have managed to get in, and those the guineas kill immediately.
They will notice coyotes, bobcats etc before you do. Atleast one will always be on look out- and they will let you know that there's "stranger danger" (mine hate it everytime my dtr brings a new interest over to meet us & send out alerts. It's fun telling the suitor that obviously they don't approve of him....come to think of it, they've been right so far...😁)-so adds a level of protection for your chickens.
Have you spent any time around a group of teenage girls? That's what it would be like to have all guinea hens-they'd never be quiet, constantly whining for a male to come for them. Once they've grouped into couples, the rest of the summer is reasonably quiet.
As @R2elk said, if you get keets, you won't know what you have for a few months.
I thought I had 3 females left out there; now I scratch my head bc they are so aggressive w/each other at times that if Mama hadn't already raised a brood, she'd be top contender as a male.
I agree that they are flock birds...I don't fit with max quantities. But I do feel that there needs to be both genders for homeostasis.
I don't have chickens, just goons. But I trust what the others have said regarding separate housing. Infact, I'm preparing a new coop for this spring's incoming keets, bc Mama is so territorial about her coop that it'll be safer for the newcomers to have separate housing.
 
I found the coop training both easy and frustrating. I started letting them out of the coop at six week, they were 14. The first week I only let a couple at a time out for the second part of the day and kept all food only in the coop. The first time they all got to walk was nerve racking. They disappeared for the day and came back at dusk. Then on the second day only 13 came back. On the day five they did not comeback. On the day six they returned and I locked them up for another week.

All summer they had days when they would not return for two or three nights. Mine did not try to roost in the trees, but they did attempt to roost in my arbors. For about a month I had to force them into the coop from the arbors after the dark - if I tried at dusk they caused ruckus and once took off and did not return for three days.

By August I had 7 guineas and they are still 7

The winter made them like the coop (for now). They go in on their own and I only have to close the door.

They were afraid of snow, so most of snow they stayed in the coop - I gave up letting them out as they were sitting in the shrubs refusing to come down.
 
Guinea Hens said:
I found the coop training both easy and frustrating. I started letting them out of the coop at six week, they were 14. The first week I only let a couple at a time out for the second part of the day and kept all food only in the coop. The first time they all got to walk was nerve racking. They disappeared for the day and came back at dusk. Then on the second day only 13 came back. On the day five they did not comeback. On the day six they returned and I locked them up for another week.

All summer they had days when they would not return for two or three nights. Mine did not try to roost in the trees, but they did attempt to roost in my arbors. For about a month I had to force them into the coop from the arbors after the dark - if I tried at dusk they caused ruckus and once took off and did not return for three days.

By August I had 7 guineas and they are still 7

The winter made them like the coop (for now). They go in on their own and I only have to close the door.

They were afraid of snow, so most of snow they stayed in the coop - I gave up letting them out as they were sitting in the shrubs refusing to come down.
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& now spring has sprung, so the second you know they're laying, you keep the hens inside until you're sure they've dropped an egg in the coop. Otherwise, hens will lead everyone on a wild goose chase for the perfect nest local, & you'll lose more to predators or vehicles.
 
Sherri1990 said:
Hello everyone.

I am thinking about getting 4 guinea fowl to add to my growing farm. I do have some questions.

It is my intention to free range these birds. I would like to get them while my baby chicks are still young (they arrive march 24th).

1. Is it better to get only female? (dont want any boys going after my buff orphingtons when they are at age).
2. Do I need to provide feed or will they live off the grub on the land?
3. Do they need a coop at night? ( i read they sleep in trees....)
4. Is four enough or should i get more? ( I own 16 acres of land).
5. will they keep possums and coons away.....or attract them?
6. Does any one know a local person in the savannah area that breeds them so I dont have to order a bunch and have them mailed to me.

any other info or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Sherri
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There is a place in Hawkinsville GA called “The Mad Hatcher” you can find them on the internet. They have Guineas. I think they will ship but I’m not sure.
 

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