Questions on mixing Guineas with chickens

[SamLockwood]

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.

All quite true, although #1 is hard to believe given the antics by the little maniacs. They've tried to take everything on from hawks to a forklift..

This is why I say when it comes to mixed flock dynamics I say "it's complicated."

 

[R2elk]

All quite true, although #1 is hard to believe given the antics by the little maniacs. They've tried to take everything on from hawks to a forklift..

This is why I say when it comes to mixed flock dynamics I say "it's complicated."

There are old threads in this forum from people who have had both regular and jumbo guineas at the same time. The jumbos are much more mellow than the standards. They are also not as flight able as the standards.

 

[SamLockwood]

There are old threads in this forum from people who have had both regular and jumbo guineas at the same time. The jumbos are much more mellow than the standards. They are also not as flight able as the standards.

Not as flight able, but on the plus side they scare the hell out of the local birds of prey.

 

[smicara]

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!

I have one Guinea hen, 5 chicken hens and one rooster in a 9x12x8’ high run. The Guinea and the chickens get along fine without any problems including where to lay.

 

[GodLovesU]

I wondered the same thing, so I made a thread.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/guineas-with-hens.1627577/

 

[R2elk]

I wondered the same thing, so I made a thread.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/guineas-with-hens.1627577/

You should have made your thread in this forum where the people that know guineas would be likely to see it and reply.

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. Keeping one or just a couple of guineas will not provide the benefits that a flock of guineas can give.

Guineas tend to pair off so the preferred ratio of males to females is 1:1.

Guineas have entirely different instincts and behaviors than any other poultry have. When breeding season starts, chickens do not understand the races and chases. They do not understand the attacks from behind with the feather pulling and feather breaking. Guineas do understand how to submit in guinea, chickens do not know how to submit in a manner that guineas understand so the guineas will continue to attack and harass the chickens causing them great stress.

Many people have posted how well their chickens and guineas that were raised together get along. If you go back through these threads the common ground you will find is that the people posting have not had their guineas long enough to go through a breeding season.

Many of those people have posted follow up threads asking why their guineas are attacking their chickens. Keets raised with chicks become imprinted. When they are adults they do not have the ability to understand that there is a difference between them and chickens. They treat the chickens the same way they treat each other causing the chickens stress.

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

 

[AGstudy]

I have have owned guineas two years come March. Raised most of them from day one with my chickens. The males do chase the chickens and pull tail feathers. They live for the chase. They love when I chase them around the yard. The female guineas, for the most part, are mellow, but loud. There is one ornery one who likes to walk around picking fights with my more agressive rooster. He is very gentle with her. My run is multileveled, so the guineas patrol the ground and the chickens stay higher up. That is until afternoon, then the guinea males calm down and everyone is on the ground.

One thing that was annoying about raising them together is that the guinea keets like to peck toenails, especially on birds that have blue legs. Though they will peck eachothers toenails too. They may even peck them till the bleed. Also, I constantly had to wash the guinea keets' feet because they were not as good at cleaning them of any fecal matter they stepped in. It would harden around their toes. (I'm talking about the first few weeks of life)

As for feed. I did one round of 2 guineas with high protein feed. They grew very very fast. I've never grown turkeys, but I imagine that it would have been similar growth.
The second round I raised on organic chicken feed. They have had very slow gradual growth and are still small like my chickens.
Now I have noticed that the ones from my first batch were of poorer health than my second batch. I lost one to sudden death (I think a mushroom accident, though she was way more docile than any I have had since, so maybe there was something else going on.) The other one, male, has had pain in his feet and has grown calluses between his back toe and pad. I called a vet out for it, but no suggestions. He also developed a breast blister over time.
The second batch raised on the chicken feed are very energetic, fly often, have no feet trouble, no breast blisters and make life look easy. My personal opinion is that the higher protein made a better meat bird and the chicken feed made a healthier bird.

However, despite the problems of having the two species so closely tied, I am happy that I did it.


The guineas appear to see hawks when they are far higher up in the sky than the chickens normally detect. One of my female guineas will give the warning cry and I have to stare at the sky for a while before the hawk circles low enough for me to see it. The chickens heed the signal and the guineas heed the chicken warning signals.

My guineas and chickens are drawn to different bugs and different weeds. However, since they cohabitat they have taught eachother to eat foods that the other would normally not eat. For instance, there is a wild grass that grows along the side of my house and puts up seed heads. The chickens learned how to eat the seeds like a corn cob. The guineas watched and started eating them this way too. The guineas learned how to thresh the wheat growing in my yard and taught the chickens. The guineas prefer sow thistle and the chickens collards. Now they both eat both. Just a couple examples.

This year I let a chicken hen sit on a small clutch of chicken eggs and a guinea hen on a clutch of guinea eggs. They were too young to be moms, but they were both desperately broody. So I let them.

When the first chicken egg did an external pip the chick inside started peeping, the hen abandoned the nest and sat on a different nest. I tried to put the egg under her but she would immediately leave and wanted nothing to do with it. At a certain point my dominant male guinea came over to me and started making concerned unhappy noises.

I took the chicken egg and put it under the broody guinea hen. I check it after a half hour. She had it completely hatched and was very protective. They bonded. The next day the chicken hen realized what had happened and wanted her chick back. She squeezed herself into the guinea nest. Both the guinea hen and chicken hen have been coparents ever since.

That chick unfortunately was the only one to make it through hatch (nest accident caused by chicken hen), so he (my new little cockerel) has been spoiled rotten by his two mommies. Neither species would mess with him.

I'm curious how it will turn out long term. I haven't seen any posts from someone who let a guinea hen raise a chicken. He is 5moths old now. Handsome young man just learning to crow. His guinea mom still tucks him under a bush when there is a hawk in the sky... He is twice her size.

 

[GracePoultry]

I have have owned guineas two years come March. Raised most of them from day one with my chickens. The males do chase the chickens and pull tail feathers. They live for the chase. They love when I chase them around the yard. The female guineas, for the most part, are mellow, but loud. There is one ornery one who likes to walk around picking fights with my more agressive rooster. He is very gentle with her. My run is multileveled, so the guineas patrol the ground and the chickens stay higher up. That is until afternoon, then the guinea males calm down and everyone is on the ground.

One thing that was annoying about raising them together is that the guinea keets like to peck toenails, especially on birds that have blue legs. Though they will peck eachothers toenails too. They may even peck them till the bleed. Also, I constantly had to wash the guinea keets' feet because they were not as good at cleaning them of any fecal matter they stepped in. It would harden around their toes. (I'm talking about the first few weeks of life)

As for feed. I did one round of 2 guineas with high protein feed. They grew very very fast. I've never grown turkeys, but I imagine that it would have been similar growth.
The second round I raised on organic chicken feed. They have had very slow gradual growth and are still small like my chickens.
Now I have noticed that the ones from my first batch were of poorer health than my second batch. I lost one to sudden death (I think a mushroom accident, though she was way more docile than any I have had since, so maybe there was something else going on.) The other one, male, has had pain in his feet and has grown calluses between his back toe and pad. I called a vet out for it, but no suggestions. He also developed a breast blister over time.
The second batch raised on the chicken feed are very energetic, fly often, have no feet trouble, no breast blisters and make life look easy. My personal opinion is that the higher protein made a better meat bird and the chicken feed made a healthier bird.

However, despite the problems of having the two species so closely tied, I am happy that I did it.


The guineas appear to see hawks when they are far higher up in the sky than the chickens normally detect. One of my female guineas will give the warning cry and I have to stare at the sky for a while before the hawk circles low enough for me to see it. The chickens heed the signal and the guineas heed the chicken warning signals.

My guineas and chickens are drawn to different bugs and different weeds. However, since they cohabitat they have taught eachother to eat foods that the other would normally not eat. For instance, there is a wild grass that grows along the side of my house and puts up seed heads. The chickens learned how to eat the seeds like a corn cob. The guineas watched and started eating them this way too. The guineas learned how to thresh the wheat growing in my yard and taught the chickens. The guineas prefer sow thistle and the chickens collards. Now they both eat both. Just a couple examples.

This year I let a chicken hen sit on a small clutch of chicken eggs and a guinea hen on a clutch of guinea eggs. They were too young to be moms, but they were both desperately broody. So I let them.

When the first chicken egg did an external pip the chick inside started peeping, the hen abandoned the nest and sat on a different nest. I tried to put the egg under her but she would immediately leave and wanted nothing to do with it. At a certain point my dominant male guinea came over to me and started making concerned unhappy noises.

I took the chicken egg and put it under the broody guinea hen. I check it after a half hour. She had it completely hatched and was very protective. They bonded. The next day the chicken hen realized what had happened and wanted her chick back. She squeezed herself into the guinea nest. Both the guinea hen and chicken hen have been coparents ever since.

That chick unfortunately was the only one to make it through hatch (nest accident caused by chicken hen), so he (my new little cockerel) has been spoiled rotten by his two mommies. Neither species would mess with him.

I'm curious how it will turn out long term. I haven't seen any posts from someone who let a guinea hen raise a chicken. He is 5moths old now. Handsome young man just learning to crow. His guinea mom still tucks him under a bush when there is a hawk in the sky... He is twice her size.

wow, you really went in depth with this, I appreciate it and it was very helpful!! thanku!

 

[GodLovesU]

My run is multileveled

Can you post a picture?

 

[GracePoultry]

@R2elk is it ok to have an all female group of guineas?