Raising Guinea Fowl 101

[guineapeeps]

Key word is MUCH, hence gangsters!

Mine mostly just chase each other around (and around....and around...and around!)) but they don't draw blood or rip each others feathers out. I've had horses which have a definite pecking order and can be brutal to each other so didnt think much about chasing each other and establishing dominance. I figured this is typical with a lot of animals but not sure about other poultry because I've never had anything but guineas, so I may be ignorant in that regard. Maybe I dont notice the thuggery as much because they have no one less thug-like to beat up on.

 

[Vermont Poultry]

I currently have 6 guineas, which are not allowed to go near the chickens cause they try to murder them (raised together as chicks). And the weird thing is they bonded so much with the rooster that the rooster will abandon his hens to mate with the guineas. I was thinking of culling our 6 we have now, and get new ones this coming spring and raised them with the chickens, and since the chickens will be bigger they will not be attacked by the guineas. The chickens are terrified of the guineas and will run away at the sight of them. It all started when the males got a little aggressive then it turned dangerous, they do it for kicks to, unprovoked fun. I would also like to have somewhat tame guineas, maybe hatch a couple and spend lots of time handling them, would that work? My guineas I have now will occasionally follow me but wont let me come within 3 feet of them, and when I handle some of them they screeeeech and hiss and peck and flap around. I wouldn't mind not having guineas at all but I hear so many stories of people with super tame guineas, and I get super jealous. (Guineas screeching super loud as I write this).

 

[GlennLee]

Mine mostly just chase each other around (and around....and around...and around!)) but they don't draw blood or rip each others feathers out. I've had horses which have a definite pecking order and can be brutal to each other so didnt think much about chasing each other and establishing dominance. I figured this is typical with a lot of animals but not sure about other poultry because I've never had anything but guineas, so I may be ignorant in that regard. Maybe I dont notice the thuggery as much because they have no one less thug-like to beat up on.

How do yours act when they roost? I'm having trouble with 3 of the big ones not wanting to let the little ones up to roost with them. Of course, the little ones don't "get it" because there's plenty of room if they would be content to slide down to the end, but they keep wanting to roost in the middle of the big guys and the big guys won't let them.

I may have found a way to solve the problem - I put up a divider on the top roost so the big guys can't walk the roost and peck down at the little ones. Once they are up on the roost, there's no room anymore to walk and torture.

Just wondering if yours exhibit some of these same problems of trying to establish dominance when they go to roost.

 

[GlennLee]

I currently have 6 guineas, which are not allowed to go near the chickens cause they try to murder them (raised together as chicks). And the weird thing is they bonded so much with the rooster that the rooster will abandon his hens to mate with the guineas. I was thinking of culling our 6 we have now, and get new ones this coming spring and raised them with the chickens, and since the chickens will be bigger they will not be attacked by the guineas. The chickens are terrified of the guineas and will run away at the sight of them. It all started when the males got a little aggressive then it turned dangerous, they do it for kicks to, unprovoked fun. I would also like to have somewhat tame guineas, maybe hatch a couple and spend lots of time handling them, would that work? My guineas I have now will occasionally follow me but wont let me come within 3 feet of them, and when I handle some of them they screeeeech and hiss and peck and flap around. I wouldn't mind not having guineas at all but I hear so many stories of people with super tame guineas, and I get super jealous. (Guineas screeching super loud as I write this).

I have a flock of 12 - 8 of them are French Jumbos and 4 are "regular" Pearls. The 8 I raised as keets, the 4 I got when they were a couple of months old. I love my Jumbos, I like my regulars. The Jumbos are just calmer, they are quieter and they don't fly - they just hop and glide. However, because I have so many, nobody gets one-on-one time and they are all a bit more on the wild side than tame. They have a 2-4 feet rule about getting close and when I need to catch them, I have to net them first. They usually struggle then calm down, but sometimes they hiss and peck too. If you want really tame ones, then the fewer the better and lots and lots of handling will get you there.

 

[duluthralphie]

@ Vermont Poultry (Hmm I guess that thingy is not working)..\


Do not be jealous of people saying they have super friendly guineas. These people are the same ones that have Sasquatch for a next door neighbor and have been taken hostage and had "experiments" conducted on them by little green men in flying saucers....

Guineas are gangsters. They do not care who raised them, who their friends were or who they double cross.

They have a homicide rate slightly higher than the inner city of Chicago. The rooster most likely has no choice but to mate with the guinea hens or he will be murdered himself. In some states that is called rape.

Do not get me wrong, I love my guineas, but then I bet Charles Manson's Mother loved him too. I have learned to not expect too much from the guineas and I find I will not be disappointed in them.

If your Guineas come within three feet of you, you are one lucky person. However, check them for knifes and guns if they are behind you.


I had one of my guineas let me walk right under her on her roost the other night. She crapped on me. It stunk. My cap and jacket had to be washed and I needed a shower. It was not even Saturday night and I had to shower! Imagine how upset I was!

Last April I had 13 adult Guineas that I tested for NPIP. I am down to 3 of those adult. I have 30 young locked up in the Guinea Gulag. When I get 500 eggs they will be allowed to free range. Between court mandated prison time and gangland style murders, and highway robberies that go wrong, I assume next year at this time I will be down to 3 again.

Enjoy them while you can. I do.

 

[perchie.girl]

Thanks Ralphie for the giggle this morning.....

deb

 

[BantyChooks]

I currently have 6 guineas, which are not allowed to go near the chickens cause they try to murder them (raised together as chicks). And the weird thing is they bonded so much with the rooster that the rooster will abandon his hens to mate with the guineas. I was thinking of culling our 6 we have now, and get new ones this coming spring and raised them with the chickens, and since the chickens will be bigger they will not be attacked by the guineas. The chickens are terrified of the guineas and will run away at the sight of them. It all started when the males got a little aggressive then it turned dangerous, they do it for kicks to, unprovoked fun. I would also like to have somewhat tame guineas, maybe hatch a couple and spend lots of time handling them, would that work? My guineas I have now will occasionally follow me but wont let me come within 3 feet of them, and when I handle some of them they screeeeech and hiss and peck and flap around. I wouldn't mind not having guineas at all but I hear so many stories of people with super tame guineas, and I get super jealous. (Guineas screeching super loud as I write this).

​

Agree with all that. I raised mine with chicks, and handled them all the same amount- Chicks turned out quite sweet, but the keets would murder me for a buck.

 

[BantyChooks]

BTW.... Thought I'd ask here... How do I get my guineas to free range?? They refuse to step foot outside the run unless the chooks get let out too, which negates the very reason they were purchased in the first place. They are literally terrified of the outdoors. No idea why- They were raied same as my chooks and ducks, which escape the run at every opportunity.

I'd leave them in the run, which is plenty spacious, but they won't let me integrate the chicks I've hatched out. With winter coming, I have to find a solution ASAP..... Thanks.

 

[guineapeeps]

How do yours act when they roost?  I'm having trouble with 3 of the big ones not wanting to let the little ones up to roost with them.  Of course, the little ones don't "get it" because there's plenty of room if they would be content to slide down to the end, but they keep wanting to roost in the middle of the big guys and the big guys won't let them.  

I may have found a way to solve the problem - I put up a divider on the top roost so the big guys can't walk the roost and peck down at the little ones.  Once they are up on the roost, there's no room anymore to walk and torture.  

Just wondering if yours exhibit some of these same problems of trying to establish dominance when they go to roost.

How old are your "little ones"? I had a similar problem when my younger Guineas were a month or two old, but it resolved once they've gotten older and more wise about the guinea pecking order. My young ones wanted to snuggle up to the older Guineas on the roost at night but a few of the older ones would get after them. For a few weeks, there was a lot of screeching coming from the little guys, but now they are over their snuggling stage and keep their distance, so peace has returned to the coop....for the time being, anyway!

 

[guineapeeps]

BTW.... Thought I'd ask here... How do I get my guineas to free range?? They refuse to step foot outside the run unless the chooks get let out too, which negates the very reason they were purchased in the first place. They are literally terrified of the outdoors. No idea why- They were raied same as my chooks and ducks, which escape the run at every opportunity.

I'd leave them in the run, which is plenty spacious, but they won't let me integrate the chicks I've hatched out. With winter coming, I have to find a solution ASAP..... Thanks.

How old are your Guineas? My first Guineas were scared to death to go out of the coop for months when they were young and first introduced to free ranging, but with increased exposure and time, they came around. Now, I usually let my hens hatch their own so the young keets free range from just a few days old and I don't have any problems with it. It sounds like yours may be adults, though. In that case, you may have to force them to go outside each day and gradually increase the time they are out each day till they are not so freaky about it. Hopefully others on here have more to add as far as advice goes!