Raising Guinea Fowl 101

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Squabbles over feed. I added two more feeders and fed in the yard not in the coop when possible. I dont know if they target roosters specifically... Roosters will challenge but Guineas and Chickens have different warning signals.... Raising them together may educate them on each others pecking order signals... I definately see how that would be a benefit.

deb

 

[BlueShadow]

Thank you, that is good info. So I will just treat the guineas in the brooder like we did when we had pheasant chicks.... they very quickly took over the entire brooder shed because of their ability to fly.

Guess I just need to keep an eye on the birds. We have plans to put in higher perches for the guineas. I sure would love to keep them together because it is so much easier to do all the chores in one location, but suppose if I need to, we can find separate space for everyone. We probably will end up though with about a 1:1 ratio of guineas and chickens so might need to manage as 2 separate flocks.

 

[perchie.girl]

Thank you, that is good info. So I will just treat the guineas in the brooder like we did when we had pheasant chicks.... they very quickly took over the entire brooder shed because of their ability to fly.

Guess I just need to keep an eye on the birds. We have plans to put in higher perches for the guineas. I sure would love to keep them together because it is so much easier to do all the chores in one location, but suppose if I need to, we can find separate space for everyone. We probably will end up though with about a 1:1 ratio of guineas and chickens so might need to manage as 2 separate flocks.

I just say keep your options open... Aggression is biology driven and has nothing to do with what we feel should happen.

And for what its worth I am planning on my next foray into poultry to keep my guineas and Chickens completely separated... but within a poultry house so all feeding and watering will be done in a central location. I have the luxury of having space to do it.

Separate secure runs for each as well. Here My predator load is too heavy to allow the chickens out but the guineas will be allowed to free range. I also want to breed Guinea Keets for sale so no one will be allowed out till all the eggs are layed. I have a friend in Northern California who has had tremendous success with that.

deb

 

[BlueShadow]

I just say keep your options open... Aggression is biology driven and has nothing to do with what we feel should happen.

And for what its worth I am planning on my next foray into poultry to keep my guineas and Chickens completely separated... but within a poultry house so all feeding and watering will be done in a central location. I have the luxury of having space to do it.

Separate secure runs for each as well. Here My predator load is too heavy to allow the chickens out but the guineas will be allowed to free range. I also want to breed Guinea Keets for sale so no one will be allowed out till all the eggs are layed. I have a friend in Northern California who has had tremendous success with that.

deb

I understand that aggression is biology driven. It is helpful for me to know this now, so I can keep my options open in case we have troubles next spring. I am not completely certain what we would do however, as we only have one chicken yard and one coop, although there is a woodshed that maybe could be converted in part to a guinea coop. Do you think the guineas and chickens are likely to have disagreements in the winter? Hormones should be low then, but that is when they would spend the most time in the coop together. In warm weather, I would allow the guineas to free range as long as they come back to roost at night aren't particularly destructive to my garden (it is my understanding they should be okay... here's hoping!). Chickens would stay in their fenced-in yard because they have done too much damage to my garden to be allowed out.

 

[perchie.girl]

Just keep your options open.... youd be surprised at how well they handle the cold... all of them.

I am in the desert but its high desert so we get snow in the winter. My coop is really just a chainlink dog kennel with a kennel panel for a roof and a tarp flung over the top. I put up windbreaks in the winter because we get roof removing wind.... LOL. all my birds even the silkies were business as usual.

deb

 

[R2elk]

Quote:
If you want your guineas to be able to be in your garden, DON"T feed them items from the garden as keets. Guineas seem to develop their preferred tastes while they are keets. People who have fed their keets goodies from the garden as treats have found that the guineas will go after those foods when they are adults.

 

[BlueShadow]

Just keep your options open.... youd be surprised at how well they handle the cold... all of them.

I don't usually get too concerned about the birds in the cold until it gets REALLY cold here. Mostly I just worry about the eggs freezing and about the waterers freezing. The birds have always been fine, except one year a couple combs got a tiny bit of frostbite just on the very tips.

If you want your guineas to be able to be in your garden, DON"T feed them items from the garden as keets. Guineas seem to develop their preferred tastes while they are keets. People who have fed their keets goodies from the garden as treats have found that the guineas will go after those foods when they are adults.

Thank you! I haven't given them treats yet, and I guess it will just be fresh grass for them for awhile. It sure is fun to watch them chase each other around to get the pieces of whatever treat they get.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Just stopping by to say I am on keet watch...this weekend should be right about 28 days that my hen has been sitting on about 28 eggs. This is our first hatch of *anything ever* and I am kind of sick with eggcitement.

She and her mate are Royal Purples.

OOOOOooooOOOO killing me! Awwwwesome!!!! Put me down for eggs!!!! I was just talking to @1crazychick about ordering next year to get royal purple in our flocks.

I have 15 Guinea Hens ( 7 weeks old) and 15 Chick Hens (6 weeks old). The Guinea's do not seem to want to free range, I have to chase them out of outside pen now, chicks come right out. Are they to dependent on the food? I am new to this. When I had them in garage they were in separate brooders beside each other. I would put them outside in separate chicken tractors because of size constraints. To get them in at night I enticed them with food. Then when they were together in coop and outside pen they stay separate. Chicks are going on roosts, Guinea's are on top of cage brooder in coop. Until permanent outside run done, I open coop and put food and water into temporary run. Guinea's come and eat then sit, chicken eat and go and free range. I chase Guinea's out and they go sit around. The Guinea's seem afraid of chicks but the chicks will go sit with them. Thank you in advance.

They will, chickens are bolder as chicks. Guinea keets are so timid! My 5 week olds are now out during the day, took them a week to leave the coop! They follow the chicken chicks around, and look like a speckled rug moving about! its too funny, they are all glued at the hip.

I have been raising chickens a few years, but am new to guineas. We just got a batch of 17 Partridge Barnevelder chicks and 10 lavender, chocolate, and royal purple keets, they are doing GREAT (hatched Monday, so 5 days old now).

My question is about when to move them from the brooder house to the chicken coop. Our chicken coop currently houses our laying hens, so I do not want to depopulate that flock sooner than I need to. However, I really would like these guineas to live with the chickens, be coop trained, and come back to roost at night! When they are older, I don't mind if they fly out of the chicken yard and free range, as long as they come back at night.

Any helpful advice on when/how to best accomplish my goals? I have read various things from "get them in their permanent housing ASAP, preferably by 4 weeks, definitely by 6 weeks" to "as long as they are confined in the coop for 8 weeks they will come back to it" to "only let half of the birds out at once" (nice idea, just don't think I would be able to do it!)

Raising with chickens helps. They follow the chicks lead, and go where they do. As adults, they will pick at roosters if the rooster attempts to breed the guinea hens, and they will! Guinea cocks are fearless, and will even take on a tom turkey if he feels his hen is threatened.

 

[leslea]

OOOOOooooOOOO killing me! Awwwwesome!!!! Put me down for eggs!!!! I was just talking to @1crazychick about ordering next year to get royal purple in our flocks.

I've never shipped eggs, but if I can get Thelma to hatch any, I might have some keets to sell. We'll see! I will be pleased with her if she hatches any at all. Our last 30 went to waste. Keep your fingers crossed. Every noise she makes, I have run out to check.

 

[R2elk]

OOOOOooooOOOO killing me! Awwwwesome!!!! Put me down for eggs!!!! I was just talking to @1crazychick about ordering next year to get royal purple in our flocks.

I was really surprised when I got Royal Purple keets from a Chocolate male breeding a Coral Blue Hen.