Raising Guinea Fowl 101

[bowlinggodess]

I'm looking for advice.. I have 4 guinea and 3 turkeys I just added to my flock of chickens and a few days have gone by and today I just noticed one of the guineas back has all the feathers plucked out and looks bad .. I dont know what to do . do I take him out and put him by his self or remove all 4 guineas or leave him be .

 

[R2elk]

I'm looking for advice.. I have 4 guinea and 3 turkeys I just added to my flock of chickens and a few days have gone by and today I just noticed one of the guineas back has all the feathers plucked out and looks bad .. I dont know what to do . do I take him out and put him by his self or remove all 4 guineas or leave him be .

That is normal for this time of year with guineas. The other guineas did it to the plucked one. It must be the low guinea in the pecking order.

I would watch the other guineas and their behavior toward the plucked guinea. If they are constantly picking on it then put it in a separate pen, cage, etc. while it heals (the feathers won't come back until the molt). Make sure it is somewhere that it and the other guineas can see each other.

 

[bowlinggodess]

OK thank you this is my first year with these animals so I was worried... And I happens to be the one with one odd all white feather on its wing that the rest dont have so it became my favorite and now I am worried , I put him in the yard away from them for today but didnt know if I should put it back . I just didnt want the chickens which is who I though was doing it to kill it

 

[bowlinggodess]

That is normal for this time of year with guineas. The other guineas did it to the plucked one. It must be the low guinea in the pecking order.

I would watch the other guineas and their behavior toward the plucked guinea. If they are constantly picking on it then put it in a separate pen, cage, etc. while it heals (the feathers won't come back until the molt). Make sure it is somewhere that it and the other guineas can see each other.

OK just making sure after I put him back last night I noticed another one the same way so I checked them all , 2 of the 4 are this way and I took a picture this time . also there only a few months old and I didnt know if that would make a difference because I didnt think they would be old enough for it to be breeding and there completely enclosed so I know its not an outside enemy

That is normal for this time of year with guineas. The other guineas did it to the plucked one. It must be the low guinea in the pecking order.

I would watch the other guineas and their behavior toward the plucked guinea. If they are constantly picking on it then put it in a separate pen, cage, etc. while it heals (the feathers won't come back until the molt). Make sure it is somewhere that it and the other guineas can see each other.

OK thank you I'm just checking .. When I went back to put him back last night I noticed another one the same way so I checked them all . 2 of the 4 are this way . also there only a few months old so I thought it was too soon for the breeding to be it also I know it's not an outside enemy cuz they are in a completely enclosed enclosure.. I did take a couple pictures this time though

 

[R2elk]

OK just making sure after I put him back last night I noticed another one the same way so I checked them all , 2 of the 4 are this way and I took a picture this time . also there only a few months old and I didnt know if that would make a difference because I didnt think they would be old enough for it to be breeding and there completely enclosed so I know its not an outside enemy

You may be right about it being caused by your chickens. Chickens that are missing something out of their diet will pull and eat feathers. Sorry I don't remember what the missing part of the diet is. Unfortunately when a chicken learns to be a feather eater, they are nearly impossible to break of the habit. If it was the guineas you would expect to see broken feather shafts.

 

[siamese]

I thought it would be helpful if we could try and make an informative post about the basics of guinea fowl, and address a lot of the frequently asked questions about guinea fowl. Please post any corrections or suggestions that you think should be added.

Raising Guinea Fowl 101

Why Guineas?

Guineas are very interesting and unique creatures. They have many uses. They are kept frequently for a source, of income, meat, watchdogs, and entertainment. They are extremely hardy birds, and forage very well. They are an ideal bird for any farm.

Guinea care.

What do I feed Guineas?
Guineas are amazing foragers and can find almost all that they need outside in warm weather. It is always a good idea to feed them some additional grain. They probably do best on a gamebird feed, but many people, including me feed guineas whatever you feed your chickens.

Where can I get guineas?

Many hatcheries sell at least a few colors of guinea fowl. The largest farm I know of is Winter Guinea Farm http://www.guineafarm.com/ Better still many B.Y.C. ( backyard Chickens ) members sell them as well.

How do I house guineas?
Guineas can be left to roam free, or they can be confined. I think that the absolute best thing for the guineas is to free range during the day, and be locked up at night. This also allows the guineas to forage for a lot of their food. Guinea shelters do not have to be very elaborate. It could just be an old barn. They can live in your chicken house, or in a portable pen. Guineas can stay in trees outside at night, but often this encourages them to become wild and not stay around. I like ours to go in a coop at night so that I can always catch them.

How do I coop train my guineas?
Guineas need anywhere from 6-10 weeks to know where home is. When building a coop and run, plan for one big enough to accomodate your flock for that amount of time. I generally coop mine for 8 weeks and have never had a problem with them returning. To help encourage them to return to the coop, feed them every night at dusk. Once you start free ranging them, they will return for their nightly handout. Some folks don't start out releasing the entire flock at once. They only release half for the first week. Guineas have a strong flock instinct and will return to the calls of their flockmates. After a few days of returning at night, they start releasing the entire flock. Thank you for the information Soccer Mom!

Can I house guineas with my chickens?
Yes. I do it that way. Some people say that they will kill your roosters. I have never had that happen. When I only had one rooster they did sometimes harass him until I was afraid that they would hurt him. Now that I have a lot of roosters I do not worry about it. They do enjoy teasing chickens. They like to run at a group of hens and make them fly up in surprise. They like to bite them at night and knock them off the roost.

Can I free range guineas?
Yes. They can fly up into trees at night and do quite well. They are extremely good fliers, and are hard to catch. However, if allowed to free range they often become wild and are hard for you to catch. Hens will also get eaten on their nests more often. There is always a chance that something clever and devious like a fox might come in and kill them. Keets also have a hard time in the wild. Some people let their guineas run loose, but catch the new keets when they see them and keep them safe until they are older. Guineas can even free range in the winter. I have been told that they can inhale ice and die. Often, when given the choice, they will come in to a barn in the winter.

Managing your guinea flock.

How do I tell males and females apart?
Females usually have smaller wattles when grown than males do. This is not always accurate though. The only accurate way to sex guineas is to listen to their voice. We started raising guineas with 7 guineas we purchased. They were supposed to be straight run. I tried and tried to figure out the difference between their voices. I never could. I was told that the female makes a two syllable call in addition to the one syllable chat chat noise. The male can only make the chat chat noise. I never was able to distinguish the difference. Finally I decided to quit worrying about it and get some more guineas. These new guineas made a sound that I had never heard before. It turns out that all of my first guineas were males. Once you hear the sound it is easy to tell the difference. They all like to go chat chat or chaa chaa chaa. They make that noise with great frequency. Sometimes the females decide to make their call. It is extremely hard to type, but to me it sounds something like ree onsch, ree onsch. It is kind of raspy. Only the females will make this noise. Here is a link provided by MuranoFarms that should lead you to a sound recording of the male and female call of guineas. http://www.guineafowl.com/fritsfarm/guineas/sounds/

Guinea colors?
Winter guinea farm has a lot of nice pictures of guinea colors here

How old are they before they start to breed?
Usually they will breed the spring after they are hatched.

Can you eat guinea?
Yes. I never have, but I have read a lot of posts about people who did. I was once told that when you go to a fancy restaurant and order game bird you think it is pheasant, but it is actually guinea. I do not know whether that is true or not.

Will guineas protect my flock?
I think they help. While they can not actually kill predators, they can sound an alarm. They are supposed to deter hawks. I have seen them sound an alarm and watched every bird run to the henhouse. They have also sounded alarms to alert me to foxes etc. I once saw a picture of them surrounding a fox. I have never had that happen, but it was a neat picture. I have also been told that they are not afraid of cats.


Guinea eggs and keets

How old are they before they start to lay?
Guineas will usually lay the spring after they are hatched. speckledhen informed me that French guineas have a much longer laying season. She said she had a guinea lay its first egg in December. Thank you speckledhen!

What do their eggs look like/ how can I tell them apart from chicken eggs?
Guinea eggs are brown. They are about half the size of a large chicken egg. They are rather rounded on top. Once you see one you will not have trouble telling it apart from chicken eggs. Here is a picture provided by Soccer Mom showing the difference between chicken and guinea eggs. Thanks Soccer Mom!
http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt194/maryrbutler/Poultry/DSCN1340.jpg
On the far left is a standard buff-colored chicken egg (medium-size). Next to that is the guinea egg. Notice that it is just a shade lighter, almost pinkish, and very triangular shaped. Next is a bantam chicken egg. It is roughly the same size as the guinea egg, but rounder. Fourth egg is a medium-size chicken egg.

Will guineas hatch their own eggs?
Yes. They are supposed to be fairly good setters but poor mothers.

How do you incubate guinea eggs?
Guinea eggs are fairly easy to hatch. Here is a chart with some information about incubating them. http://www.shilala.com/Howlongtohatch.html

Can you eat guinea eggs?
Yes.

Guinea keets (young)
Guinea keets are very active young birds. They are rather delicate though. That is why the mother often loses a lot of them if allowed to raise them herself. I brood mine in a simple chicken brooder box. I have raised them with chickens from birth. Some people would probably disagree with that so use your own judgment. You do need to make sure that the keets will not drown in the water. They are smaller than chicks and can more easily. I have heard that you should put rocks or marbles in the bottom of the water container so it is not deep enough for them to drown. rooster0209 said Another important fact! Keets must stay 95F until they are fully feathered or they die.
Thank you rooster0209 for your information!

Anyone notice that Guineas when stressed smell just like Grouse. We have hunted grouse and when we clipped the Guineas' wings to put them outside in the coop, that smell really hit us. LOL These guys were in my kitchen in our old parrot's cage for the first 3 weeks we had them. That was were I did my bonding with them, and no they are not food, only pets!!

 

[Humpty Doo chicken family]

I call my little guinea fowl family "The Guinsbergs". They're a family of 6 and live quite happily in a mixed flock with 6 hens and 2 roosters. One of my females has recently gone broody and has decided to make her nest in a terrible spot... if I move her eggs to a more suitable place, will she likely abandon them? I use plastic pet carriers for nesting boxes...does anyone think I could maybe put her eggs in that and leave it in the same spot so she has some protection from the sun at least?
We live in a VERY hot climate (most days are around 38C/100F at this time of year, with nights being around the 24C/75F), we have dingo proof fencing and plenty of tree cover from predatory birds. I already have a hen and chicks in my broody pen and as all my birds free range our 5 acre property, the guineas are more happy sleeping in the trees, they HATE being penned. Very worried...

 

[guineapeeps]

I call my little guinea fowl family "The Guinsbergs". They're a family of 6 and live quite happily in a mixed flock with 6 hens and 2 roosters. One of my females has recently gone broody and has decided to make her nest in a terrible spot... if I move her eggs to a more suitable place, will she likely abandon them? I use plastic pet carriers for nesting boxes...does anyone think I could maybe put her eggs in that and leave it in the same spot so she has some protection from the sun at least?
We live in a VERY hot climate (most days are around 38C/100F at this time of year, with nights being around the 24C/75F), we have dingo proof fencing and plenty of tree cover from predatory birds. I already have a hen and chicks in my broody pen and as all my birds free range our 5 acre property, the guineas are more happy sleeping in the trees, they HATE being penned. Very worried...

Welcome to BYC...glad you’re here!

I posted this about a year ago here on this thread, but thought I’d just copy it and post it again:

The other day, one of my younger hens (this is her first year laying eggs) started laying on eggs in the weeds on the side of the road down from my house. I thought for sure I was going to have to shoo her off and then incubate or toss the eggs so she wouldn't get eaten in the middle of the night by a predator. However, I was able to remedy the problem and thought I'd share since I used this same type of plan with success a few time last year with a different hen. Here is what I did:
I took a large Rubbermaid container and cut a hole in one end and put straw in it, then quickly shooed her off the nest and tossed her eggs in the container. I then placed the container exactly where I had found her nest and covered it with weeds and surrounding vegetation. She came back and continued to lay on the eggs inside of the container. When it gets dark each night (since they are practically blind at night) I sneak up to her and cover the hole in the container with a big towel and carry her back to a dark coop where she sits on them all night. The next morning, she comes out and I carry the container back to the spot she initially layed them. She follows at a distance, then goes in and lays on them. I just repeat this process every day. It's a bit of work, but to me, it's better than having to incubate the eggs myself then worry about integrating new keets to the flock. Just thought I'd share in case anyone else has a similar problem...I know Guineas are famous for nesting where they are not supposed to!

I have also tried going out at night and trying to quickly toss her and her eggs inside the bin and then locking her inside the coop, but I’ve not found this to be as successful. I would say I had somewhere between 50-75% success rate with this method.

If you have any questions about it, let me know. (You can also PM me with ?’s)
Good luck!

 

[Humpty Doo chicken family]

Welcome to BYC...glad you’re here!

I posted this about a year ago here on this thread, but thought I’d just copy it and post it again:

The other day, one of my younger hens (this is her first year laying eggs) started laying on eggs in the weeds on the side of the road down from my house. I thought for sure I was going to have to shoo her off and then incubate or toss the eggs so she wouldn't get eaten in the middle of the night by a predator. However, I was able to remedy the problem and thought I'd share since I used this same type of plan with success a few time last year with a different hen. Here is what I did:
I took a large Rubbermaid container and cut a hole in one end and put straw in it, then quickly shooed her off the nest and tossed her eggs in the container. I then placed the container exactly where I had found her nest and covered it with weeds and surrounding vegetation. She came back and continued to lay on the eggs inside of the container. When it gets dark each night (since they are practically blind at night) I sneak up to her and cover the hole in the container with a big towel and carry her back to a dark coop where she sits on them all night. The next morning, she comes out and I carry the container back to the spot she initially layed them. She follows at a distance, then goes in and lays on them. I just repeat this process every day. It's a bit of work, but to me, it's better than having to incubate the eggs myself then worry about integrating new keets to the flock. Just thought I'd share in case anyone else has a similar problem...I know Guineas are famous for nesting where they are not supposed to!

I have also tried going out at night and trying to quickly toss her and her eggs inside the bin and then locking her inside the coop, but I’ve not found this to be as successful. I would say I had somewhere between 50-75% success rate with this method.

If you have any questions about it, let me know. (You can also PM me with ?’s)
Good luck!

Thank you so much for the reply! I will try putting the eggs the pet carrier when she hops of for a feed this evening. Predators aren't a huge issue for us thanks to the dog and fencing so I might just shut the door to the pet carrier during the night just in case and leave her in situ. She's sitting on maybe 14 eggs and I notices two chicken eggs added to the clutch also... hoping for success! I'll let you know how I go!

 

[guineapeeps]

Thank you so much for the reply! I will try putting the eggs the pet carrier when she hops of for a feed this evening. Predators aren't a huge issue for us thanks to the dog and fencing so I might just shut the door to the pet carrier during the night just in case and leave her in situ. She's sitting on maybe 14 eggs and I notices two chicken eggs added to the clutch also... hoping for success! I'll let you know how I go!

Yes...do let me know how it goes!
Wishing you success!