Raising Guinea Fowl 101

[guineapeeps]

It is not uncommon for imprinted guineas to start attacking people once breeding season arrives.  Most people with similar stories to yours have very different stories once they get through a breeding season.

I have never had a problem with my Guineas being aggressive towards me, not even during breeding season. I usually have somewhere between 10 and 20 Guineas and in the 4 years I have had them, I have not seen any behavior changes toward me during that time. Some of my Guineas are more tame than others, but all of them will follow me around and come running when called. The only aggressive behavior I see in mine is the hens being protective of the keets, and this is usually short lived and only a problem when they feel the little ones are in distress (if I pick the keets up and they are screeching and squawking), which is a protective behavior I can appreciate as they are looking out for their wellbeing.

 

[pattyhen]

Thank you guineapeeps for your reply. I must say I look forward to breeding season because I would love to see Mary Jane and Spiderman hatch some keets. I've had broody hens protect the chicks and I commend them for doing so. I hope that Mary Jane is a protective mother.

 

[duluthralphie]

Witchcraft.

(Just messin' with ya)

How'd you get them tame??

You guessed it the first time!!

To me a tame guinea is one I can get within 20 ft of and it does not attack me.

 

[duluthralphie]

My guineas will come running if they see me carrying a dish of table scraps. Otherwise they are not tame. I have never had a hen successfully hatch her own eggs. The few times they have tried a predator gets them.


I have fairly large hatches of Guineas. 30-50 at a time and they are "wild" from day one. Hopefully I have them sold before day three. I might try to keep a few caged for a while (individual cages) to show them if I have any that look like they have decent confirmation) There are never many showed, so it easy best of breed ..

I really do not care if they are tame or not. I will keep the last hatch for myself. I then keep them locked up until I get 500 eggs (this years goal). After that they can go free range, eat all the ticks and bugs they want. I assume out of 30 I will have a couple left at Christmas after the predators eat them and trucks hit them.

 

[guineapeeps]

You guessed it the first time!!    To me a tame guinea is one I can get within 20 ft of and it does not attack me.

Do they like you any better on Saturdays (shower day)?
I'm just joking! I couldn't resist after your post about having to take a shower and it wasn't even Saturday.....it was too good of an opportunity to pass up!

 

[BantyChooks]

My guineas stay 10 feet away, just where I can't reach them.... And then they scream as loud as they can until I go out of the coop.

 

[duluthralphie]

Do they like you any better on Saturdays (shower day)?
I'm just joking! I couldn't resist after your post about having to take a shower and it wasn't even Saturday.....it was too good of an opportunity to pass up!

Not really, (like me better on shower days)... the days they like me least on the days I catch them and actually touch them. NPIP testing day is one of their least favorite days. They hate being held down and stuck with a needle....on those days they actually hate me. The rest the time they simply detest me.






BTW that was a great zinger

 

[R2elk]

I have never had a problem with my Guineas being aggressive towards me, not even during breeding season. I usually have somewhere between 10 and 20 Guineas and in the 4 years I have had them, I have not seen any behavior changes toward me during that time. Some of my Guineas are more tame than others, but all of them will follow me around and come running when called. The only aggressive behavior I see in mine is the hens being protective of the keets, and this is usually short lived and only a problem when they feel the little ones are in distress (if I pick the keets up and they are screeching and squawking), which is a protective behavior I can appreciate as they are looking out for their well being.

Having 10 - 20 guineas is not the same as having 2 guineas. You have enough guineas for them to properly interact with each other. I also don't have any problems with my guineas. I currently have 13 but usually have 10 - 12. My guineas exhibit plenty of aggressive behavior toward each other during breeding season especially among the males.

Here is just one thread about attack guineas. This is another. There are other threads. There is usually at least one such thread every year. People with a large group of guineas don't appear to have these problems. The common theme is a pair of guineas that were raised as pets going through their first breeding season. These people normally do not have the birds around for a second breeding season.

 

[pattyhen]

Thank you for your expert advice on how a flock of two guineas will turn into attack guineas during mateing season.

 

[duluthralphie]

Thank you for your expert advice on how a flock of two guineas will turn into attack guineas during mateing season.

I am hoping this is a serious answer and not the sarcastic reply I see it as. If I it is serious I apologize for thinking otherwise.



I know I write a lot of stories about Guinea behavior. Most of them are hyperbole. I am taking "poetic license" to exaggerate the bad behavior of my Guineas. Just to be perfectly clear I have NEVER really seen them with a gun or knives.

That said I am getting the feeling you do no take the natural actions of a male animal in mating season seriously enough.

I grew up on a farm, in a rural community. I have kept those rural values and knowledge from my youth, I know many think of us "farmers" as unsophisticated hayseeds with no education. That is not the case. My brother and I are both educated. I lack the PHD my Brother has. He is a professor at Duke. I was an instructor at the University of Mn (on a part time basis amongst my full time job) I have been a guest lecturer at several colleges over the years. Politically he is left and I am right. I mention all of this to try and give you an idea where I am coming from and trying to show you I am semi-open minded and understand the urban view. I am not fulfilling some kind of grandiose desire to inflate myself. Most of the time I try to have self deprecating humor I enjoy writing humor or trying to. I admit sometimes I miss my mark.


With all that said as background. I want to get back to my farm kid knowledge. Every farmer knows one thing about animals. Males cannot be trusted during mating season. I know of people that lost arms, legs and suffered serious injury by male animals during breeding season.

The worst animal is the one that has imprinted or been tamed. They no longer possess the natural fear they should have of people. I have JJ my Tom, he is a pet. I am on pins and needles when my grandkids are here. They want to pet JJ. I have to make sure I am holding JJ, or between them and JJ. He is large enough to hurt a kid badly!

I had a young Tom hit me from the side last year. This was not a Tom that I had made into a pet, He was one that just lost any fear or respect for humans. I got between him and the object of his desire. Note I used the past tense verb "was". He ceased to exist that day. He proved I had allowed them to over imprint on me. My error and he had to die for it.


I am afraid your guinea is in the same boat. As tame as you say he is, he could be the one that attacks you or your kids.


The one thing I know from my youth about animal injuries to people is two things have to occur. The person has to forget to remember the animal is just that, an animal, with little or no frontal lobe reasoning. The animal has to lose his natural wariness of humans.

My Dad allowed us to make "pets" out of the animals as long as we remembered we were the "boss" of them. I am sure he was worried sick when he saw us with the animals. There were two animals we were never allowed to make pets of, bulls and boars. People died making that mistake.

We had a Tom turkey that was a semi pet. We also had a vinegar barrel we used to scald hogs. ( I bet not many of you have heard of a vinegar barrel let alone see one) When I was 6 I had to go to the barn to wash teats for my Dad for milking. It was in the winter we had quite a bit of snow. I was halfway from the house to the barn, near the vinegar barrel, when the Tom decided to attack me. I ran around the vinegar barrel for what seemed like hours back and forth trying to keep the Tom from killing me. In my 6 year old mind I knew that is what he wanted.

My Dad finally heard me screaming and came to my rescue. We ate turkey soon after this event.


I do not think you are taking seriously enough the fire you are playing with. Guineas are not pets. They are animals that only semi domesticate. Any animal raised in semi isolation from other animals tend to think humans are the same species as they are.


As was pointed out if an animal has a herd/flock/gaggle of their own kind they can act naturally and work their mating efforts out with themselves. When they do not have others of their species around they become dangerous as they do what comes naturally to them. I personally would never have two Guineas. One of each sex, You are better off with one than two. You are the natural competitor for the affections of the hen.


Please do not just placate me or anyone else that happens to try and warn you of this danger. It is not a laughing matter. We are telling you from our experiences what you are setting up for your bird and family.

Thank you, No insults are intended in this I am just concerned as was R2Elk. Thanks.