Raising Guinea Fowl 101

[MeepBeep]

R2elk hit on a very important part.. DO NOT KEEP  GUINEAS IN COOP with CHICKENS DURIN GBREEDING SEASON!

It's unrealistic for me to have a 2nd coop just for guineas all summer long, so that is not going to happen...

My guineafowl, peafowl, standard and bantam chickens all share a coop together all year long, grand total over 100 birds and for the most part they get along just fine, no real difference during 'breeding season' that I notice... As I said the only ones that get picked on are the pompous and showboating roosters, even my bantam roosters get along with huge standard roosters and the guinea males... Peafowl pretty much keep to themselves but they do interact and roost together with the other birds on occasion...

I'm guessing dynamics is going to be largely based on several factors unique to each location... And I believe available space is going to play a huge part, if the space in small and they different breeds are forced to interact and rub shoulders you will likley have more issues than if they have room to form their own niches in the coop and run and mostly keep to themselves...

 

[duluthralphie]

It's unrealistic for me to have a 2nd coop just for guineas all summer long, so that is not going to happen...

My guineafowl, peafowl, standard and bantam chickens all share a coop together all year long, grand total over 100 birds and for the most part they get along just fine, no real difference during 'breeding season' that I notice... As I said the only ones that get picked on are the pompous and showboating roosters, even my bantam roosters get along with huge standard roosters and the guinea males... Peafowl pretty much keep to themselves but they do interact and roost together with the other birds on occasion...

I'm guessing dynamics is going to be largely based on several factors unique to each location... And I believe available space is going to play a huge part, if the space in small and they different breeds are forced to interact and rub shoulders you will likley have more issues than if they have room to form their own niches in the coop and run and mostly keep to themselves...

I am sure each place is different. I know my guineas are best locked into their own area. I am fortunate to have lots of land so I can build coops and runs/prisons as need be. I free range everything that is not an bird I am keeping strictly for breeding. During breeding season I use breeding huts and runs for everything. Leaving one rooster (EE) for my laying flock.

Before I got into breeding the Guineas were a pain, but to be honest so were some Toms and even a Rooster now and then.

7-8 months a year everyone is happy. 4-5 months a year they are not... Of course, if I could get a few homeless critters to live in their run so they had something to roll and rob they might be happier....

 

[R2elk]

I am sure each place is different. I know my guineas are best locked into their own area. I am fortunate to have lots of land so I can build coops and runs/prisons as need be. I free range everything that is not an bird I am keeping strictly for breeding. During breeding season I use breeding huts and runs for everything. Leaving one rooster (EE) for my laying flock.

Before I got into breeding the Guineas were a pain, but to be honest so were some Toms and even a Rooster now and then.

7-8 months a year everyone is happy. 4-5 months a year they are not... Of course, if I could get a few homeless critters to live in their run so they had something to roll and rob they might be happier....

 

[harley587]

Wow all the questions...


Welcome to BYC.  Enjoy your time here..

2 weeks old and you still consider them darlings!  You must have special guineas.   At two weeks I would have mine on wood chips and nothing covering them. Like all birds, IMHO you need to have them on grit for a day or two before giving them something other than feed. I assume you are giving them game bird starter something around 27% protein.

A lot of the questions depend on where you live and what other birds and animals you have.   I did not know they ate clover, mine seem to prefer eating bugs. But I seldom watch what they eat.  I am too busy protecting life, limb and property from them to watch them eat.

I have never had keets that were not deathly afraid of us. No matter how much we try to be with them. They are always so flighty we find it best to leave ours alone as much as we can.


You are going to train them to go in every day/evening?    Interesting,  mine go in when they want, they stay out when they want. We use to try and force them in every night.  It  was a 2 hour event we normally lost. What they seem to like to do is have all the flock go into the coop except for one or two.  Then while we spend our time chasing the lone wolf guinea around from roof top to roof top, to tree tops and then under something the others sneak out again.  The ones that sneak out will quietly go sit on another roof and watch the excitement of the chase.  I think they like to see if they can get me to swear at them.  Normally they can.

I would never train mine to the sound of a bell, unless the bell was so heavy they could not carry it off and sell it for drugs and alcohol. I really want to hear how this goes. I am sure it can be done. Ours pick up on clues of things we do, if we set a lawn chair up in the areas we normally give out treats, they will come running.  Unless they think we want them to come running. then they won't.

When we throw the kitchen scraps to the birds we just yell "Girls" and they all come running, but I am not sure they are not following the chickens and turkeys so maybe you can train them with the bell.      I read all the nice things people say about their guineas, and to be honest, I do not recognize the behavior as guinea behavior. 

I love my Guineas, but then I am sure Ted Bundy's Mother loved him too. Outlaw motorcycle gangs members are loved by someone normally.  They serve a function, they entertain us with their antics. They keep the ticks at bay, they keep cabbage moths and worms out of my garden.  We have box elder bugs by the billions if we do not have them around. They seldom if ever eat commercial feed for 7 months a year, so they are cheap to raise. They just forage for themselves.


They remind me if I have not opened the coop door early enough, (on the days they go in).  They force my roosters to be better behaved.  They have no remorse about teaching a bird that violates bird etiquette to not do it again.  

I had some eggs that were pipped yesterday, I have not looked at them in 20 hours, I am going to look shortly. I need to get my courage up before opening the hatcher and reaching into it.  I have 5 fingers on each hand this morning, I am hoping to have the same 5 this afternoon. I also have turkey eggs in another drawer on the hatcher and I hate to open it too often during hatching time, So that is part of the reason I have not looked in, there is nothing I can do anyways.  I will get them out either today or tomorrow.  I like to raise them with other birds because they seem to be better behaved.


I wish I could have answered your questions better. Maybe some of the people that own the nicer suburban guineas will be able to help you.

gotta say I'n with ralphie...in fact I think we just found a 357 & a mask on one of ours!

 

[MeepBeep]

I am fortunate to have lots of land so I can build coops and runs/prisons as need be.    I free range everything that is not an bird I am keeping strictly for breeding.  During breeding season I use breeding huts and runs for everything. Leaving one rooster (EE) for my laying flock.

I have the land, that is not the problem, I even actually have the buildings in place that could be converted to coops, but my main coop is a two story 1800 sqft building, dedicated mostly to being all coop... I don't want to split things up and double or whatever everything up, just too much additional work vs focusing on one coop... I do have multiple breeding pens that could be used for isolation, but that has never happened, as I said my birds all get along as best could be expected, so the pens are reserved for breeding trios or chicks...

 

[duluthralphie]

1800 ft coop! Color me jealous!



Ethel has done it! (pictures there)

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1115158/dateline-minnesota-ethel-adopts-at-risk-youth\




and at the same time:

 

[pattyhen]

Way to go Ethel raise them right.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I agree, I have zero issues with guineas unless its breeding season. I changed my coops this year, so free range time is a lot more controlled. My geese have the most freedom and stay in the main pasture. Each flock gets their turn to be out for a few hours. My goat buck and donkey patrol the coops, so there is not issues with areal or ground predators now.

 

[Nizzanlady]

Wow all the questions...


Welcome to BYC.  Enjoy your time here..

2 weeks old and you still consider them darlings!  You must have special guineas.   At two weeks I would have mine on wood chips and nothing covering them. Like all birds, IMHO you need to have them on grit for a day or two before giving them something other than feed. I assume you are giving them game bird starter something around 27% protein.

A lot of the questions depend on where you live and what other birds and animals you have.   I did not know they ate clover, mine seem to prefer eating bugs. But I seldom watch what they eat.  I am too busy protecting life, limb and property from them to watch them eat.

I have never had keets that were not deathly afraid of us. No matter how much we try to be with them. They are always so flighty we find it best to leave ours alone as much as we can.


You are going to train them to go in every day/evening?    Interesting,  mine go in when they want, they stay out when they want. We use to try and force them in every night.  It  was a 2 hour event we normally lost. What they seem to like to do is have all the flock go into the coop except for one or two.  Then while we spend our time chasing the lone wolf guinea around from roof top to roof top, to tree tops and then under something the others sneak out again.  The ones that sneak out will quietly go sit on another roof and watch the excitement of the chase.  I think they like to see if they can get me to swear at them.  Normally they can.

I would never train mine to the sound of a bell, unless the bell was so heavy they could not carry it off and sell it for drugs and alcohol. I really want to hear how this goes. I am sure it can be done. Ours pick up on clues of things we do, if we set a lawn chair up in the areas we normally give out treats, they will come running.  Unless they think we want them to come running. then they won't.

When we throw the kitchen scraps to the birds we just yell "Girls" and they all come running, but I am not sure they are not following the chickens and turkeys so maybe you can train them with the bell.      I read all the nice things people say about their guineas, and to be honest, I do not recognize the behavior as guinea behavior. 

I love my Guineas, but then I am sure Ted Bundy's Mother loved him too. Outlaw motorcycle gangs members are loved by someone normally.  They serve a function, they entertain us with their antics. They keep the ticks at bay, they keep cabbage moths and worms out of my garden.  We have box elder bugs by the billions if we do not have them around. They seldom if ever eat commercial feed for 7 months a year, so they are cheap to raise. They just forage for themselves.


They remind me if I have not opened the coop door early enough, (on the days they go in).  They force my roosters to be better behaved.  They have no remorse about teaching a bird that violates bird etiquette to not do it again.  

I had some eggs that were pipped yesterday, I have not looked at them in 20 hours, I am going to look shortly. I need to get my courage up before opening the hatcher and reaching into it.  I have 5 fingers on each hand this morning, I am hoping to have the same 5 this afternoon. I also have turkey eggs in another drawer on the hatcher and I hate to open it too often during hatching time, So that is part of the reason I have not looked in, there is nothing I can do anyways.  I will get them out either today or tomorrow.  I like to raise them with other birds because they seem to be better behaved.


I wish I could have answered your questions better. Maybe some of the people that own the nicer suburban guineas will be able to help you.

Lol, you got it - I'll let you know how it goes. We are totally new to owning open land, and the guineas were our first animal purchase - mainly to keep pests (insects, rodents and snakes at bay). I've done quite a bit of Internet exploring and some ppl have had luck at conditioning them to go out and come back using treats and sounds....but who knows? As I said in totally new to all this (been a city girl all my life, now we're raising our boys county

). Lol...but I'll check in and let you all know if it works..Wish us luck (fingers crossed)

 

[duluthralphie]

All the guineas went into the Chicken coop again last night. Except for one. (Maybe that one is the well behaved one I have) They would rather go into the chicken coop than go into there own coop. Their own coop is nice. It has a 12ft high ceiling. It has roosts at different heights.

It has high protein game bird breeder feed in it.

The chicken coop has no feed in it. The Guinea Gulag is attached to the Guinea coop, it is a 50x50 covered run with a very high cover.
The chicken coop has a small 20x20 covered run with a low cover.

The guinea run has a pickup topper on posts to crawl under and over. it has straw bales along the topper to make a shelter from sun.

the guinea coop is far nicer than the chicken coop. The guineas refuse to use the guinea coop. The one that did not go in sat on the roof of the chicken coop and screamed for 2 hours at the rest of them. We could not hear each other it was so loud, The others, of course, had to yell back at it.

It did bring a good discussion between the WWD and myself over whether it was saying "Come Back" or "Buck Wheat". This went on until the WWD could no longer stand the guineas noise. ( the chicken coop is only 2 ft from the edge of our deck).. The WWD went and found a long 2x2 and came back to chase the Guinea off the roof. The 2x2 was way too short to reach the peak of the roof. The guinea knew this and made fun of the WWD, laughing and calling her names as she walked around trying to get it off the roof. I was enjoying the show. The WWD would go one way, the guinea would follow and look over the edge of the coop to see what the WWD was doing next. Then scream obscenities at her.. (the Guinea was swearing not the WWD)

I finally went inside as the skeeters were coming out. When the WWD came inside I asked her if she got "it" down. The reply was a "no" but did include a little profanity....


I went out after dark to shut doors and the guinea was down and inside with the rest...

I am not sure why this Guinea decided to act out last night. Maybe it has ADHD and needs meds or something.