Raising Guinea Fowl 101

[NashvilleLuLu]

That’s our holy grail... Much of our problems with guineas have to do with wild nests. Last year, wild nests were on our property, but brought in many predators, who both ate eggs (including fake eggs!) and also stayed around to eat our poultry... We finally got them to accept a nest in our coop last year by penning them for two weeks. This year, early nests guineas lead the flock off our property where they were hit by cars. We made new nest boxes and locked all guineas up in coop and temporary run. It’s been several weeks, and we are getting eggs on the coop floor, but they are so far rejecting our nest boxes, which I tried to model after their wild nests, with two entrances and covered area...

That is super clever! We have now created nesting boxes in their tractor coop. I'm surprised that I haven't taken photos. It's storming today, but I will post tomorrow.

We had a skunk last Fall, but shockingly no predators this Spring yet. We also have four or more dogs here, so we believe that is a good deterrent as well.

 

[NashvilleLuLu]

Almost all of my guineas would lay inside the coop in community nests but there were always a few young rebels every spring who would make nests down the road in a ditch or in the garden...usually in a big patch of butternut squash
.

It seems that each lady has their own spot in their tractor coop.

 

[NashvilleLuLu]

That’s awesome! We used a kitty litter box on its side, behind a garbage can, in the coop last year. It took them awhile, but once they accepted it, they were quite dedicated. Not so great with the keets though - had to brood the sole survivor ourselves and hatch the remaining eggs, something like 50 out of 150 eggs hatched after they broke some eggs and covered the rest of the eggs with gunk.

Based on the fact they are notoriously terrible mothers and we want to keep predators away, I was planning on collecting and hatching them this year to sell. But with the current state of the world, we are practicing social distancing and do not want to invite anyone onto our property. Instead we share the eggs with a couple of neighbors, leaving them at the base of our driveway in cartons at a designated time --- we don't want to attract predators!

 

[duluthralphie]

Mine would never lay in anything enclosed like that inside the coop. The all time favorite nest of my guineas was a big Rubbermaid wheelbarrow filled with straw. View attachment 2068822
The only problem with it is that if you are letting them hatch the keets, then you’ll have to move them after they all hatch since they can’t get out of the wheelbarrow.

This is unbelievable. My Guineas never were that calm or homebody types.


I could not keep them on the home 40 even. We have a bar two forties to the east. I use to catch my Guineas sneaking over and hanging outside the bar all the time.

Of course, that was when they were not performing highway robbery and ambushing travelers from the ditch, or instigating coups in the barnyard.

I liked them because they were so entertaining, but the neighbors did not care for them in their yards. I would lose 15-20 a year to vehicles as they never learned to look both ways before crossing the road.

 

[NashvilleLuLu]

One can only fool themselves into thinking their Guineas lay in a coop all the time....

If they are allowed to free range they lay them wherever they want. Property lines mean nothing to guineas. I am willing to bet if you only have 3 acres the Guineas are laying them on some other persons land..

You will be lucky if the Guineas don’t kidnap a neighbor kid and hold the kid for ransom..

Please be kind with your words, many people are fragile these days. I posted to share my experience and to learn about other's. I'm not a fool, I'm just learning.

I am outside 80% of the time. We only have four ladies and six males. We collect five to nine eggs a day, all in their tractor coop. The Guineas stay on the mowed acreage 98% of the time, it's pretty odd I know. We search their terrain daily. We did have a skunk last fall, so we thought we were missing eggs but now we don't think that's not the case. We believe that skunk was sniffing out the ones in the coop.

When one does fly over the fence it's a male and usually because of a pecking order brawl. They NEVER exhibit expected nesting behaviour.

 

[Kiki]

Please be kind with your words, many people are fragile these days. I posted to share my experience and to learn about other's. I'm not a fool, I'm just learning.

I am outside 80% of the time. We only have four ladies and six males. We collect five to nine eggs a day, all in their tractor coop. The Guineas stay on the mowed acreage 98% of the time, it's pretty odd I know. We search their terrain daily. We did have a skunk last fall, so we thought we were missing eggs but now we don't think that's not the case. We believe that skunk was sniffing out the ones in the coop.

When one does fly over the fence it's a male and usually because of a pecking order brawl. They NEVER exhibit expected nesting behaviour.

. How are you getting 5-9 eggs a day if you only have 4 females?

 

[R2elk]

. How are you getting 5-9 eggs a day if you only have 4 females?

Some of her "six males " are hens.

 

[duluthralphie]

Please be kind with your words, many people are fragile these days. I posted to share my experience and to learn about other's. I'm not a fool, I'm just learning.

I am outside 80% of the time. We only have four ladies and six males. We collect five to nine eggs a day, all in their tractor coop. The Guineas stay on the mowed acreage 98% of the time, it's pretty odd I know. We search their terrain daily. We did have a skunk last fall, so we thought we were missing eggs but now we don't think that's not the case. We believe that skunk was sniffing out the ones in the coop.

When one does fly over the fence it's a male and usually because of a pecking order brawl. They NEVER exhibit expected nesting behaviour.

I think you should reread my reply, that was being gentle.
Read it closely, you will see i did not call you a fool.

Speaking of being gentle, I read this earlier and ignored it.

But beings you decided to bait me by changing this 20 minutes ago.

I will take the bait and gently correct you because, as you say you’re just learning.


Both males and females will fly over a fence. While communal nesting is common, single nesting is just as common.

As was pointed out by others, gently, I might add, you are still learning and obviously do not know the difference between males and females. I can tell you from years of experience, probably more years than you have lived, it is nigh on impossible to tell females from males by appearance alone.

I did have one lady buy some from me once and she wanted only females. I told her I could not tell the difference between them. She informed me she could and proceeded to take her necklace off with a silver ring on it and hold it over the bird as I held it to see which way it turned or moved.

I, did not try to gently correct her either, but I did mention this does not seem like a very scientific method of sexing Guineas. She immediately corrected me not so gently and informed me it was the best way to sex Guineas.

I am going to gently ask you if you are in a fairly remote rural area. If you are in an area with houses closer than every quarter of a mile or so, some one will complain and your Guineas will cause you grief.

Guineas are not a bird for beginners. They are loud, raucous and down right mean. If you own them long enough you will see a change of leadership take place. The ex-leader will be executed by the flock in a not so gentle manner.

I tried to save the ex-leader once by putting him in a covered pen where the other birds could see him or her and be accepted back into the flock.

After his wounds healed from his very rude beating, a month had passed, the other Guineas say outside his fence and spent the day “talking” to the ex-leader. I decided to let the ex-leader rejoin the flock..

It was an error on my part, I should have taken his head and processed him for dinner myself. Within ten minutes of being freed the others had killed him and beaten him (or her) so badly there was nothing left for me to eat.

Saying this as gently as I can, if you think, I was rude when telling you about Guineas, I am sorry. But I don’t think you have the intestinal fortitude needed to raise Guineas,

However, I do wish you luck in your misadventure.

Also stay safe and take care of you during these extremely stressful times with your birds!!

 

[duluthralphie]

Also as if on cue, I saw this post..

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/help-im-being-attacked-by-my-guinea.1355342/post-22356353
it is worth reading and especially @R2elk ‘s reply.

Guinea are not understandable most of the time. They need a large flock and lots of room.

 

[Birdmom2020]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-guinea-momma.1365823/#post-22498635

Okay I posted this. I'm pretty sure I'm doing everything right. They are happy and healthy and don't seem to be bothered at all.