Raising Guinea Fowl 101

[Nickeyo]

Also I have chickens in coops etc but I was wondering if I could keep them in my hay barn at night and let them out in the day to free range. I would keep them in for a few weeks so they learn where home is but is it ok

 

[cookiesoth]

Had my first guinea fowl experience about 3 weeks ago. There are positives and negatives to them, i brought them off a farmer and got 2 mature males and 2 females. I gave a male and female to my brother in law and I took the other ones. The first 4 days were tough for my chickens, the male was possessed and very territorial. I thought once he settles in it will be all good but he was constantly attacking the chickens to the point blood was drawn. The chickens were petrified and noticed even though the chickens were far away the guinea fowl would actively go out of his was to harass the chickens ALL THE TIME. I asked my brother about how his were going and he had no problems at all and he loved them. Same age from the same flock, i was thinking i just has an evil guinea fowl. Enough was enough, i am going to eat this bugger!!!

My brother did not want me to kill it and said maybe its because I did not have a dominate chicken in my flock (There a bunch of pansies, and he had a broody dominate australorpe that would put him in his place. I said are you sure because this one is pretty evil, but he still wanted it. Took me ages to catch it, THEY ARE QUICK!!! and took it there that evening so there was not much sunlight left. As i thought, as soon as i released him the male guinea fowl was even more ****** and really hurting the chickens. Also dominating the other Male Guinea Fowl so he had the 2 girls to himself. Night falls and all is calm, I get a phone call the next day while I am at work from my brother in law and he said he has never seen any bird this evil before. He had to lock it up after an EPIC battle with his black Australorpe that went for 40 minutes straight and neither was backing down. We ate him that night as a soup and very tasty, more breast meat and a little sweeter if you like that kinda thing.

So now my brother has the 3 Guinea Fowls as harmony has been restored in both our back yards. I failed to keep the Guinea fowls but once my brother hatches new ones I will get some more at a younger age.

Not a good start not sure if I like them or hate them yet, but this particular male I had, Glad to see it gone!!

 

[gander007]

I have three Guineas and one of them just laid the first egg wow is it small .......
How can I tell the mails from the females ,,,,, approximant age 5 months ........

 

[cookiesoth]

You can tell from the sound they make, the males and females are very different.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Had my first guinea fowl experience about 3 weeks ago. There are positives and negatives to them, i brought them off a farmer and got 2 mature males and 2 females. I gave a male and female to my brother in law and I took the other ones. The first 4 days were tough for my chickens, the male was possessed and very territorial. I thought once he settles in it will be all good but he was constantly attacking the chickens to the point blood was drawn. The chickens were petrified and noticed even though the chickens were far away the guinea fowl would actively go out of his was to harass the chickens ALL THE TIME. I asked my brother about how his were going and he had no problems at all and he loved them. Same age from the same flock, i was thinking i just has an evil guinea fowl. Enough was enough, i am going to eat this bugger!!!

My brother did not want me to kill it and said maybe its because I did not have a dominate chicken in my flock (There a bunch of pansies, and he had a broody dominate australorpe that would put him in his place. I said are you sure because this one is pretty evil, but he still wanted it. Took me ages to catch it, THEY ARE QUICK!!! and took it there that evening so there was not much sunlight left. As i thought, as soon as i released him the male guinea fowl was even more ****** and really hurting the chickens. Also dominating the other Male Guinea Fowl so he had the 2 girls to himself. Night falls and all is calm, I get a phone call the next day while I am at work from my brother in law and he said he has never seen any bird this evil before. He had to lock it up after an EPIC battle with his black Australorpe that went for 40 minutes straight and neither was backing down. We ate him that night as a soup and very tasty, more breast meat and a little sweeter if you like that kinda thing.

So now my brother has the 3 Guinea Fowls as harmony has been restored in both our back yards. I failed to keep the Guinea fowls but once my brother hatches new ones I will get some more at a younger age.

Not a good start not sure if I like them or hate them yet, but this particular male I had, Glad to see it gone!!

i have always heard, you either hate or love them, no inbetweens

 

[Tikkijane]

Had my first guinea fowl experience about 3 weeks ago.  There are positives and negatives to them, i brought them off a farmer and got 2 mature males and 2 females.  I gave a male and female to my brother in law and I took the other ones.  The first 4 days were tough for my chickens, the male was possessed and very territorial.  I thought once he settles in it will be all good but he was constantly attacking the chickens to the point blood was drawn.  The chickens were petrified and noticed even though the chickens were far away the guinea fowl would actively go out of his was to harass the chickens ALL THE TIME.  I asked my brother about how his were going and he had no problems at all and he loved them.  Same age from the same flock, i was thinking i just has an evil guinea fowl.  Enough was enough, i am going to eat this bugger!!!

My brother did not want me to kill it and said maybe its because I did not have a dominate chicken in my flock (There a bunch of pansies, and he had a broody dominate australorpe that would put him in his place.  I said are you sure because this one is pretty evil, but he still wanted it.  Took me ages to catch it, THEY ARE QUICK!!! and took it there that evening so there was not much sunlight left.  As i thought, as soon as i released him the male guinea fowl was even more ****** and really hurting the chickens. Also dominating the other Male Guinea Fowl so he had the 2 girls to himself.  Night falls and all is calm, I get a phone call the next day while I am at work from my brother in law and he said he has never seen any bird this evil before.  He had to lock it up after an EPIC battle with his black Australorpe that went for 40 minutes straight and neither was backing down. We ate him that night as a soup and very tasty, more breast meat and a little sweeter if you like that kinda thing.  

So now my brother has the 3 Guinea Fowls as harmony has been restored in both our back yards.  I failed to keep the Guinea fowls but once my brother hatches new ones I will get some more at a younger age. 

Not a good start not sure if I like them or hate them yet, but this particular male I had, Glad to see it gone!!

I wonder......because they mate for life, I wonder if that had anything to do with it. They do pair up, and it's heartbreaking if one of them dies.

We got our moved to a new coop last night. Going to keep them in a few days to make sure they re-route.

 

[Tacampbell1973]

Quote: Your right, I stand corrected

They do like mirrors. I can speak for my flock not liking new things though. If anything is out of place, they will balk and stand and stare. They refuse to go in to their little mini barn if I rearrange anything in it though.This may be a contradiction. But like i said, mine definitley don't like things to change around. I still to this day have to go out and tuck them into their barn most nights. I have both the chicken barn and guinea barn inside of an outdoor run with a five foot fence. My banties are too lazy to fly over the fence, so when it is night time, I herd both the Guineas and Banties together into the run and let them coop up when they are ready. Most nights the Guineas will get into their barn independently but sometimes my chickens go in there and scare the Guineas back out so I have to intervene. I am still scared the guineas will get caught by the darkness outside so I try to get them as close to the barn as I can so they can find their own way in. The chickens are absolutely no problem to let go in by themself. But again, You're right about the mirrors. I have heard pinwheels will deter them at property lines and stuff.I have also used cheap kites on a stick in the ground or tied to a tree. Guineas hated it, chickens tore it to bits. Its kinda a crapshoot sometimes you have to see what works with the individual birds. Sorry if I misinformed you. I am still in the process of learning myself

Good luck.

 

[cookiesoth]

I wonder......because they mate for life, I wonder if that had anything to do with it. They do pair up, and it's heartbreaking if one of them dies.

We got our moved to a new coop last night. Going to keep them in a few days to make sure they re-route.

I have heard the game thing, though the only thing is that the other male was very well behaved. By the way it protected the females i think it was a territorial bird.

 

[Tikkijane]

Your right, I stand corrected  They do like mirrors. I can speak for my flock not liking new things though. If anything is out of place, they will balk and stand and stare. They refuse to go in to their little mini barn if I rearrange anything in it though.This may be a contradiction. But like i said, mine definitley don't like things to change around. I still to this day have to go out and tuck them into their barn most nights. I have both the chicken barn and guinea barn inside of an outdoor run with a five foot fence. My banties are too lazy to fly over the fence, so when  it is night time, I herd both the Guineas and Banties together into the run and let them coop up when they are ready. Most nights the Guineas will get into their barn independently but sometimes my chickens go in there and scare the Guineas back out so I have to intervene. I am still scared the guineas will get caught by the darkness outside so I try to get  them as close to the barn as I can so they can find their own way in. The chickens are absolutely no problem to let go in by themself. But again, You're right about the mirrors. I have heard pinwheels will deter them at property lines and stuff.I have also used cheap kites on a stick in the ground or tied to a tree. Guineas hated it, chickens tore it to bits. Its kinda a crapshoot sometimes you have to see what works with the individual birds. Sorry if I misinformed you. I am still in the process of learning myself  Good luck.

Day/night 3 of shuttling them one at a time. I decided to let them out because of the racket they were making and I was trying to move the girls with laying in the new nesting boxes. *sigh*

I'm torn between tearing the old one down and hoping they put themselves to bed in the new space (they are in and out of it all day on their own) or leaving their coop up until they migrate over on their own. I am pretty sure the chickens won't until theirs is gone. And, I need to get some light in there.

 

[Tacampbell1973]

Quote: Doont give up yet. They will get it. I swear they are just slow to learn. Mine still have to be ushered in at night but when it rains or it snowed last week they went in every day during the day all by themselves. I have great faith that they will get it. Its just a battle of the wills i think. Sorta like a two year old.