Questions on mixing Guineas with chickens

[GracePoultry]

I'm ordering a batch of 15 chicks to add to my flock in spring. I also plan on adding a guinea or 2. Would it be fine to get just one guinea or would it rather have another guinea friend.

I have never owned guinea fowl before. I plan on getting them as chicks/keets. Is it fine to raise them in the same brooder as the chicks?

What do I feed them? I have seen some sources say you can feed them chick starter/grower when they are young and layer pellets when they're older. But I have also seen many online sources say they need game feed.

TIA

 

[R2elk]

I'm ordering a batch of 15 chicks to add to my flock in spring. I also plan on adding a guinea or 2. Would it be fine to get just one guinea or would it rather have another guinea friend.

I have never owned guinea fowl before. I plan on getting them as chicks/keets. Is it fine to raise them in the same brooder as the chicks?

What do I feed them? I have seen some sources say you can feed them chick starter/grower when they are young and layer pellets when they're older. But I have also seen many online sources say they need game feed.

TIA

Read the thread Raising Guinea Fowl 101 and pay particular attention to posts made by @PeepsCA.

Guineas are a flock bird and do best in large groups. No chickens do not satisfy the flock requirements. I do not recommend having fewer than 10 guineas.

I will not brood keets and chicks together. For one thing the keets need a high protein turkey or game bird starter that has the higher levels of lysine, methionine and niacin that the keets need for proper growth and development.

The other problem that happens is that the keets become imprinted by the chicks. Once the guineas are adults they do not understand that chickens are not the same as guineas and they treat the chickens the same way they treat each other.

Guiineas have entirely different instincts than any other poultry have. The chickens will not understand the racing and chasing that happens during guinea breeding season. They also do not understand the attacks from behind with the feather pulling and breaking. Worse yet is that the chickens do not know how to submit in a fashion that the guineas understand which causes the attacks to continue. The chickens can become very stressed.

 

[GracePoultry]

Read the thread Raising Guinea Fowl 101 and pay particular attention to posts made by @PeepsCA.

Guineas are a flock bird and do best in large groups. No chickens do not satisfy the flock requirements. I do not recommend having fewer than 10 guineas.

I will not brood keets and chicks together. For one thing the keets need a high protein turkey or game bird starter that has the higher levels of lysine, methionine and niacin that the keets need for proper growth and development.

The other problem that happens is that the keets become imprinted by the chicks. Once the guineas are adults they do not understand that chickens are not the same as guineas and they treat the chickens the same way they treat each other.

Guiineas have entirely different instincts than any other poultry have. The chickens will not understand the racing and chasing that happens during guinea breeding season. They also do not understand the attacks from behind with the feather pulling and breaking. Worse yet is that the chickens do not know how to submit in a fashion that the guineas understand which causes the attacks to continue. The chickens can become very stressed.

Thank you! I really don't know much about guineas but someone recommended i get them as added protection for my flock because a free-range at least twice a week. Unfortunately I don't have room for that many Guineas so I'll have to figure something else out but I'm glad I was told this!

 

[R2elk]

Thank you! I really don't know much about guineas but someone recommended i get them as added protection for my flock because a free-range at least twice a week. Unfortunately I don't have room for that many Guineas so I'll have to figure something else out but I'm glad I was told this!

Guineas will not protect your flock especially if you only get two.

The protection that some people think they get is from guinea flock behavior which does need a guinea flock to get this behavior.

Guineas will alert to what they perceive as danger but as individuals cannot protect themselves.

Good luck.

 

[SamLockwood]

The only area I disagree with R2elk on mixing guineas and chickens is where he talks about it being an automatic disaster if you raise them together.

My mixed flock gets along well, and most of them were raised together, but I will admit it's complicated.

That being said, he's absolutely right about guineas needing to be in a large group for the proper flock dynamic. You might be able to get away with 5 or 6, bit they really thrive when there's at least 10 of them.

 

[R2elk]

The only area I disagree with R2elk on mixing guineas and chickens is where he talks about it being an automatic disaster if you raise them together.

My mixed flock gets along well, and most of them were raised together, but I will admit it's complicated.

That being said, he's absolutely right about guineas needing to be in a large group for the proper flock dynamic. You might be able to get away with 5 or 6, bit they really thrive when there's at least 10 of them.

The thing you need to remember is that

1. You have Jumbo guineas which are more mellow than the regular ones.

2. You are giving your guineas much more room than the majority of people who try to cram a couple of guineas into an already full coop of chickens.

3. Guineas need much more "personal space" than chickens need.

 

[Bengala-Tom]

Excellent insights, thank you all!

 

[ChickenRaunchy]

Excellent insights, thank you all!

Hi all,
Although I am pretty new to the forum, I did want to comment on the issue of Guineas and Chickens. I have a young flock(6 months) and we have 11 hens, 2 female Guineas and 1 female turkey (the boss) and 1 5 year old rooster. Everyone gets along. They were all raised together, other than the Rooster who was added when the ladies were around 4 months. The Guinea's do sound the alarm, but mostly there is just no threat. They sound the alarm for no reason at all, really. They are not a problem with the chicks. Once in a while one of the G's will run at a chick, but not actually contact them. They all eat, sleep and range together. I understand that the Guinea's I presently have will outlive all my chickens, so I don't know how middle-aged Guinea's would be with baby chicks.

 

[R2elk]

Hi all,
Although I am pretty new to the forum, I did want to comment on the issue of Guineas and Chickens. I have a young flock(6 months) and we have 11 hens, 2 female Guineas and 1 female turkey (the boss) and 1 5 year old rooster. Everyone gets along. They were all raised together, other than the Rooster who was added when the ladies were around 4 months. The Guinea's do sound the alarm, but mostly there is just no threat. They sound the alarm for no reason at all, really. They are not a problem with the chicks. Once in a while one of the G's will run at a chick, but not actually contact them. They all eat, sleep and range together. I understand that the Guinea's I presently have will outlive all my chickens, so I don't know how middle-aged Guinea's would be with baby chicks.

Your results are common for young guineas. The problems typically start showing up around the first breeding season.

1. Guineas are a flock bird and do best in large groups of other guineas. They do tend to pair up, so the recommended ratio of males to females is 1:1.

2. Turkeys are very social birds and should have other turkeys for companions.

 

[Gill-b]

Welcome to the forum @ChickenRaunchy
Happy to have you participating.