Raising Guinea Fowl 101

[PeepsCA]

Is there a way to "un"coop train my guineas. Right now I have 7 chickens (including 2 roosters) and 3 guineas. I am getting A LOT more chickens this spring and I would like to get about 10 more guineas BUT my guineas harass my chickens too much. I tried to train my guineas to roost in the trees but they insist on roosting in the coop with my chickens. I wouldn't mind them harassing the chickens too much except that they have picked at the tails of my beautiful roosters until they are nubs. I want the guineas to be wild and roam the acreage to eat ticks but they insist on staying close with the chickens. I'm wondering if they had a larger flock and if I start the new keets far from the house if the 3 adults will go to them or if the keets will only come up to the house to join the adults. Any advise on how to make my guineas "go away"?

Your Guineas are bonded to your flock of chickens AND to the coop (whether they harass the chickens or not they still see them as their flock and the coop as home), so They will probably always want to return to their old flock and coop no matter what you do. They most likely won't bond with the new batch of keets or to a new coop/pen unless you pen them all up there for at least 6 wks (they may need to be separated by wire to keep the 3 adults from picking on the younger birds until the keets are mostly grown). 6 weeks confinement (not let out at all) will typically reprogram a Guinea to a new home, but even after that you may always have to kick those 3 Guineas out of the chicken coop and herd them over to the Guinea coop/pen each evening once they are free ranging again. Since it has already started, the Guinea aggression towards the chickens may not stop, even with those 3 having more Guineas to focus on... and worst case scenario the younger birds may start in with the same behavior because they see the 3 older birds doing it.

You may have better luck moving the chickens to a new coop... and then just free ranging the Guineas and chickens at separate times if there are still too many aggression problems.

Or you may just want to re-home those 3 adults and start over with your new keets if you aren't up to all the work and frustration...

 

[thegoodfarm]

not a wet blanket at all!

we have had a wonderful time here with the new guineas. after almost 5 weeks on a sunday afternoon i let them out of the enclosed run and coop. (the Eglu) when i went to put everyone away i went to the chicken coop and among the big chickens are these two funny heads peaking out! the chickens and ducks had always come over to graze where the guineas were, so when it was time for bed, they just wandered in with their buddies - it was lovely.

now my landlord is so taken by the two of them he has asked me to raise 60 keats - it should be fun around here......p.s. i find they are only noisy when alarmed. otherwise they make a lovely sound. chirping.

 

[ms4runr]

Try giving them a flake of alfalfa to help cure boredom and add a little bulk to their diet, and I'd be sure that they have access to grit also.

A friend gave me rabbit pellets and from the smell it seemed like just alfalfa so I first soaked it and got it soft because I wasn't sure they could pick it apart. Hah. They ate it when they were bored with their food. Then when my friend said they could definitely eat the pellets I dropped a couple of handfuls out and wow, they ate it all right away. Seems an easy way to give them healthy treats.

 

[ms4runr]

I let my group of about 20+ guineas out into the big chicken yard and I was scared to death. I clipped their wings first and then released them into the 1 acre chicken yard. They were a little scared at first but once they were out of their pen for a few minutes, they fit in well with the other animals. I was amazed at how well they did. I knew that they would immediately take off into the woods but they didn't. I have to give them an A+ for a job well done. None of them have ran away or flew away. I let them out at 6:00 AM every morning when I open up the chicken coops. In the evening they go back into their pen on their own. Absolutely no problem. I am so happy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I kept my first batch in for 2 months as suggested by the breeder. They did fine for a couple of months but then started going to the trees at night. I had to catch them at their 4-5pm feeding and close them in. Then 2 mos later I left town so left them closed up for 3 weeks. They acclimated to the pen again to return at night. Predators frequently feed at dawn, so I do not want them out; I lost 1-2 before I got them directed back to their pen again at night.
Fast forward 6 mos to mamma and 15 babies. When they looked big enough (cannot remember the size) I started letting then out. When they were about 4-5 mos old I lost the mamma and 4 chicks (or whatever they are called) in one swoop. With foxes, some kind of big cat, dogs, and bears here I have no idea. The left over birds became independent and acted like teenage boys: Stopped coming in at night and would not be herded. So, as winter came I cut their wings and built a larger home (I thought I would have 15 guineas but as it was I culled all but 2 boys and 2 girls and added 5 chickens) and big fenced in area to retrain them and keep them fed and alive. I still had one get out but did not go anywhere and he let me herd him back in.
I love watching them roam the yard, and love that there are no ticks. Somehow I will have to separate the chickens and guineas to let the guineas roam in the summer. They eat very little from me when they can get out. Great stuff on this thread. I just joined the thread and am so glad. I had a small area for the guineas to brood, but now see I will have to readjust it.

 

[QueenBeeMom]

This is a great thread! Thank you!
I have 2 questions. one about noise and one about predators.
I'm thinking about getting 2 Guineas to help protect my small backyard flock.
I appreciate your honesty if they are right for us.
Q1) This is a true backyard: middle of neighborhood, albeit a woodsy one with great neighbor separation. We have an acre and only 2 neighbors we can see. There is plenty of noise protection- while they would probably hear a rooster in the early am, they have only once heard our ADT alarm go off (accidental- kids - you know) Roosters are not allowed in town, and the early morning cockadoodledos would do me in, let alone the neighbors. But Guinea? From listening to their sounds on line, they don't sound annoying. The sound is unique, and my first thought was that neighbors ( probably not in their houses, but walking by on the street) would simply wonder what in the world was making that odd call. Would my neighbors even give the sound a second thought when we have loud crows and other birds around too? Do Guinea hens make noise early in the am if nothing is bothering them? What are your thoughts?
Q2) We have lots of predators. Fox, raccoon, skunk, coyote, bobcat, etc- all of which I have been able to successfully keep my chickens safe from with a very sturdy coop that is locked at night. I imagine I would have to lock the guinea up too. But what about hawks? My main reason for wanting guinea is to protect my chickens from hawks. Could they? Is this just by warning? Or do they fight better? Do I need to worry about hawks getting my guinea (once full grown) too?
On a similar note of their safety: would you clip their wings in my case? We have 6 foot deer fence around the full area they would share with the ladies for day roaming.
Thanks!

 

[PeepsCA]

This is a great thread! Thank you!
I have 2 questions. one about noise and one about predators.
I'm thinking about getting 2 Guineas to help protect my small backyard flock.
I appreciate your honesty if they are right for us.
Q1) This is a true backyard: middle of neighborhood, albeit a woodsy one with great neighbor separation. We have an acre and only 2 neighbors we can see. There is plenty of noise protection- while they would probably hear a rooster in the early am, they have only once heard our ADT alarm go off (accidental- kids - you know) Roosters are not allowed in town, and the early morning cockadoodledos would do me in, let alone the neighbors. But Guinea? From listening to their sounds on line, they don't sound annoying. The sound is unique, and my first thought was that neighbors ( probably not in their houses, but walking by on the street) would simply wonder what in the world was making that odd call. Would my neighbors even give the sound a second thought when we have loud crows and other birds around too? Do Guinea hens make noise early in the am if nothing is bothering them? What are your thoughts?
Q2) We have lots of predators. Fox, raccoon, skunk, coyote, bobcat, etc- all of which I have been able to successfully keep my chickens safe from with a very sturdy coop that is locked at night. I imagine I would have to lock the guinea up too. But what about hawks? My main reason for wanting guinea is to protect my chickens from hawks. Could they? Is this just by warning? Or do they fight better? Do I need to worry about hawks getting my guinea (once full grown) too?
On a similar note of their safety: would you clip their wings in my case? We have 6 foot deer fence around the full area they would share with the ladies for day roaming.
Thanks!

Noise... Guineas can be really noisy, even just 2. Some are not as noisy as others are, but typically my Hens buck-wheat most of the day once the discover their voices. I can't say that noise early in the morning is really a huge issue with my birds, but they are pretty talkative. Some Hens will start buck-wheating as soon as the sun is up and not stop until they are cooped up and on the roost for the night. Not all do this, but some will. My Guineas do not sound off the alarm call in the dark, but if anything spooks/startles them at night a lot of my Hens will start buck-wheating, and sometimes continue for hours... so that could be a problem if you have frequent activity around your coop at night (or prowling predators or neighborhood dogs).

During the day the males are more alert/watchful than the Hens, so they are usually first to start the alarm call if they get spooked/startled or see something that they consider danger, but both sexes will scream that call if they see a predator, a plastic bag blowing by, a new hose on the ground, the UPS man, your neighbor walking by on the street, hear voices in their head, lol etc etc etc. They tend to sound off more frequently when they are young, but usually mellow out about alerting to every little thing once they hit a year old or so. If rooster noise would be an issue, you may have problems with your neighbors being bothered by the possible frequent (and sometimes constant) Guinea noise.

Predators... The Guineas may sound the alarm call alerting your flock to run for cover when they see a hawk, but they are just as vulnerable as chickens are when it comes to hawk attacks. More so when there are just 2 (Guineas are very flock oriented birds and typically do better in larger numbers, where there are more eyes and ears watching out for their flock). My birds will sound the alarm at any BOP (and run for cover if it's called for), but I have never witnessed them fight anything but themselves, lol. A rooster would probably be more effective in that aspect, or a Turkey or 2.

Clipping wings only makes Guineas less able to escape a predator so I never recommend clipping any bird's wings unless you know you can keep them 100% protected and safe from predators. If the Guineas want over your 6 foot deer fencing with clipped wings they will still be able to flap them hard and climb/scale it to the top and get themselves over... but if a predator is after them once they are on the outside of the fence they panic, can't manage to get up off the ground and back over to safety, and will get taken. In a panic situation even a 2 foot tall fence becomes 50 feet tall to a Guinea. And panic doesn't have to be brought on by a predator, just getting separated from the flock is enough for a Guinea forget how to get back over the way they just came out. Guineas are roamers/wanderers by nature and cover a lot of ground, so you can pretty much count on them going over the fence, eventually. And since you don't have much land you may have issues keeping them home once they are comfortable with/bored with their fenced area.

Yes, locking them up each evening is recommended... because owls will pluck them right out of the trees or off the top of coop/run etc wherever they choose to roost. Raccoons will take them at night too, if they can get to them. Guineas instinctually like to roost up as high as they can get, but they don't always choose the safest places as far as being safe from/out of reach of nocturnal predators goes. Guineas are basically blind in the dark so if they get bumped or spooked from their roosting spot will either stay put right there on the ground or run off into the darkness but can't see to get up off the ground again, so they are very vulnerable to nocturnal predators on the ground as well.

 

[ms4runr]

This is a great thread! Thank you!
I have 2 questions. one about noise and one about predators.
I'm thinking about getting 2 Guineas to help protect my small backyard flock.
I appreciate your honesty if they are right for us.
Q1) This is a true backyard: middle of neighborhood, albeit a woodsy one with great neighbor separation. We have an acre and only 2 neighbors we can see. There is plenty of noise protection- while they would probably hear a rooster in the early am, they have only once heard our ADT alarm go off (accidental- kids - you know) Roosters are not allowed in town, and the early morning cockadoodledos would do me in, let alone the neighbors. But Guinea? From listening to their sounds on line, they don't sound annoying. The sound is unique, and my first thought was that neighbors ( probably not in their houses, but walking by on the street) would simply wonder what in the world was making that odd call. Would my neighbors even give the sound a second thought when we have loud crows and other birds around too? Do Guinea hens make noise early in the am if nothing is bothering them? What are your thoughts?
Q2) We have lots of predators. Fox, raccoon, skunk, coyote, bobcat, etc- all of which I have been able to successfully keep my chickens safe from with a very sturdy coop that is locked at night. I imagine I would have to lock the guinea up too. But what about hawks? My main reason for wanting guinea is to protect my chickens from hawks. Could they? Is this just by warning? Or do they fight better? Do I need to worry about hawks getting my guinea (once full grown) too?
On a similar note of their safety: would you clip their wings in my case? We have 6 foot deer fence around the full area they would share with the ladies for day roaming.
Thanks!

I am very much a newbie but I will tell you my experience. These are much louder than a rooster. I am very much in the country, or at least a small mountain town and everyone I told I was getting guineas scrunched up their nose. Why? Because of the noise. It sounds a little like geese. Loud geese. The noise does not bother me, and they will not screech unless there is a problem, but that problem is defined by them which could be any number of things and it can be frequent. You may want to go to someone who breeds them and check it out first. I had boys working with me in the yard summer before last and one of the females squacked ALL DAY at them. She got a new home...
Next, I have read here online some people saying they guard but I would not depend on it. I will say yesterday I went out after hearing them getting excited and it looked like they were watching some birds in the sky. I'm not sure if they were hawks or buzzards. The smaller chickens were also in the coop and I truly wondered if they were 'warned'. Not sure. I think the fact that I lost 6 of them to critters during the day is evidence that they cannot protect themselves although they were free roaming. It is possible my experience is small. I may find out this summer when I allow one hen to go broody and get a flock of peeps. But I prefer to allow them out. They like to roam.
Last, I clipped their wings back real far, at least 2/3 of the way, and they still can scale a 6ft fence no problem if they want to. The good thing is that they hate being away from the flock so will not go far and will screech until they all get back together. They flap and walk up a fence. I saw one on the top of the chicken house the other day and it's over 6 ft high.
I have guineas because I like them. They are fun to watch. They chase each other and I like watching them walk in a herd around the yard. They are also good meat birds.
All that said, if you are only going to get 2, why not? They should not be expensive and if it does not work out either get them a new home or have a nice fowl supper. I hope some of this helps.

 

[thegoodfarm]

hi there
A1(answer to question1) - guineas when alarmed are significantly louder than any bird i have heard - louder than a crow. that being said they do it for a reason - to alert everyone. when mine are alarmed, every duck chicken cat and dog stop dead still until the guineas are quiet....then they go on their way. they do not 'crow' or doodle do in the morning at all. in fact when eating and preening they chirp and talk quite nicely.

A2 - i would never clip their wings - ever - as their ability to fly is partly their fleeing mechanism, there is a reason why they have wings.(and are not sitting ducks!) i find that mine only fly high when chased or there is a predator. otherwise they bump up and off the ground a foot or two, playfully flying. as for protection it is largely sound but i have heard of guineas using their substantial beak against foe. and there is no guarantee that hawks, coyote or any other predator won't get your guineas - natural selection, i am afraid ( that is why messing with their attributes - like flying and wings really does not make sense, to me anyways)

 

[JLeigh]

I think if roosters are a problem for your neighborhood, guineas will be a problem on steroids because of the noise. During the day, they are extremely loud off an on, and when they sound off their alarms is unpredictable. Also, even with clipped wings, which I would never do myself, they roam a lot farther than chickens. They can roam 1/4 of a mile or more away from home, which means they're going to go onto your neighbors' property and probably get right under their kitchen window to make their alarm call - Murphy's Law being what it is, lol. It would be like your ADT alarm , or a car alarm, going off outside their house. Your fence won't keep them in if they're motivated to hop it. Even with clipped wings they can gain momentum and lift several feet off the ground.

Clipping wings also makes them an easier target for predators, day and night. They're good alarm birds, but that doesn't really mean much to a very hungry predator, and they don't guard, in the same sense as a good guard dog, You'll know there's a ruckus going on, but the guineas rarely fight back. It's happened, but not often, and they can't fight a coyote or a bobcat. Guineas are prey animals first and foremost.

Most of us here on the forum love guineas and are supportive and eager to help everybody, but IMO I don't think you should get them because of your housing and/or property situation. You might want to consider another breed - I think you'll be unhappy with them because of your neighborhood. They're perfect for large wooded properties - lots of acres, small farm areas - but not so good for small neighborhoods. And if there are regulations against roosters....

Just my three cents.

 

[amberr]

Found the following info on my local Co-op web page where I have ordered my keets from for May. Does this all seem accurate information?

"How to Raise Your Baby Guineas
Guineas require a brooder temperature of approximately 95 degrees for the first week, dropping approximately 5 degrees every 3 days or so until the end of the brooding period. Watch them closely to see if they are comfortable: If they cluster under the lamp, they are too cold; if they stay far away, drop their wings and pant, they are too hot; and if they range all over the brooder, they are comfortable. Always make sure they have a place to get away from the heat. They are usually fairly quiet when they are happy. Guineafowl can go outside when they are fully feathered. You may want to still give them heat at night if the weather is chilly.

Guineas require a 28% protein starter feed. Grange Co-op offers Rogue Turkey Game Bird Feed (25TG-50TG). Feed them a starter feed for approximately 6-8 weeks, then gradually change over to a 16% to 17% protein all-purpose ration. Grange Co-op offers Rogue All-In-One (25AIO-50AIO) or Rogue Organic Poultry Feed (50OPF). After the first couple of weeks, you can sprinkle a little chick grit on their feed, like you would salt your food.

Never give Guinea keets cold water, or they may become chilled and die. Use only lukewarm water. Change their water daily, or more often if it gets dirty. Use a no-drown waterer with a small gamebird base, or if you must use a chick waterer, place marbles into the water to keep them from getting into it, but they will still be able to drink.

Guinea keets must be kept dry and warm, as they are very fragile when they are young. Keep their litter clean and dry. Once they are fully feathered, they are very hardy and rarely catch diseases or become ill. Never catch them by their legs like a chicken, as the legs are delicate and can break easily if you do this.

Guineas do not do well with pelleted feed, but like crumbles and seeds. They will appreciate cracked corn, whole wheat, millet, sunflower seeds, greens and bugs as treats. In fact, you can easily train guineas to come in at night by teaching them to come for treats. We use whole wheat and call “guinea, guinea, guinea”, and they all come flocking to their pen.

Once they are out of the brooder, keep them in their pen for 2-4 weeks, then you can begin to let them range during the day. It is best to lock them up at night, as you will lose many of them to predators (especially owls) at night, even though they may roost in the trees. A high roost or two in their pen will keep them happy. Many hens are also lost once they lay their nest full of eggs and begin to set. Either gather the eggs daily, or if you wish them to set, try and keep them in a pen with a quiet, dark area where they can lay their eggs and set on them. They usually begin to set once they have 25-35 eggs in a nest. Make sure they can’t take their keets out into the dewy grass or they will become wet and chilled and you will lose them. They do not make very good mothers, unless they have a dry, secure place to raise their young.

Many people ask how to sex guineafowl. The most simple and accurate way is to listen to their voices. Hens will have a two-syllable call that sounds something like “buckwheat, buckwheat” (only hens can make this call). Both can make a one-syllable call like “kickkkkk kickkkkk”. The males also have larger gills or wattles, and they are slightly cup-shaped. Their helmets (the part sticking up on top of the head) are larger as well.

Guineafowl will help keep your property free of ticks, snakes, and insects, and will warn you if anything is amiss. Guineas are very noisy and will make quite a racket when anything is out of the ordinary, or sometimes just for the fun of it."