Questions

[thekid]

Hi guys! How many sq ft do you need per guinea? And what is a good male to female ratio? Thankyou! - Brian

 

[PeepsCA]

4 sq ft of floor space per adult Guinea is what's recommended, but if you can afford it, more is always better. And lots of roosting space too. I try to provide twice that sq ft of floor space in the covered pens/runs, but I also try to free range them during the day as much as possible... really helps to keep a much happier flock.

Supposedly 1 male to 5-6 Hens will work for breeding. I have never tried that ratio tho, In my most productive breeding flock I have 1 male to 2-3 Hens, and fertility rates are great. You can also do a 1 to 1 ratio, but the more males, the more aggression there is during breeding season.

Hope that helps

 

[tomingreeneco]

I have also found that the more roosting area the better. I have put many 2x2's up as high has I could in the rafters of my coop. They seem to really appreciate the extra roosts. Strange birds like to move around a lot before they get settled in for the night.

 

[thekid]

For the 1 male to 6 hens, is that what everybody says or is that just a guess?

 

[PeepsCA]

It's not my guess, but it is what I've read in quite a few places over the years. The 6 to 1 ratio just happens to be the magic number established from others that were speaking from their own personal experiences. As I said, I never tried that high of a ratio, so I can't speak from my own personal experiences as to if that really works or not. Typically, regardless of the male to female ratio, fertility rates are going to depend on the size of the coop and covered pen, the dynamics of the flock & pecking order, and the health & diets of the birds. Plus some males are opportunistics and will breed every Hen he can lol, and some males will pick 1 or 2 Hens and ostracize the rest

So there are a lot of factors that go into figuring out what the magic number is