Rescue guinea help!

[NixChicks]

I have a few questions about a guinea fowl I am thinking of taking on, it lived with others on a farm til they were all killed by a fox, except her. She's now lonely and just sits looking in a mirror all day thinking it's a friend so I wanted to bring her home and let her live with my chickens...will this work? Obviously she can fly so will she just fly off in search of home? Would it be better to leave her where she is? Or can she live happily amongst my girls?

Thank you in advance

 

[NixChicks]

Btw this guinea must be at least 5 years old and probably quite stuck in her ways!!

 

[PioneerPrincess]

Is anyone taking care of her? If not, then, yes, I'd say you should get her. Guineas like to be with other guineas or chickens if you haven't got any. They are a bird that does well in a flock situation. I'd suggest quarantining her for at least two+ weeks. When those weeks are up, then put her with your chickens and keep her locked up in there for another four weeks if you only quarantined her for two. If you did more than two, then I'd suggest keeping her locked up in the chicken area for two weeks. When that time is up, I'd clip at least one of her wings when you're ready to let them all free-range.

 

[kiwicampbell]

We rescued a guinea in much the same circumstances last year in summer. She lost her entire flock which was guinea and chickens. She spent all her time looking at herself in the storm door on her owners' porch. She was lonely and not really being looked after. They were in a messy divorce and no one was home a lot of the time. We took her (we were told it was a he BUT she Buckwheated the first day here. She was about a year old I think.

I had her penned alone for a few weeks, in sight of the chickens after the first. I was going to have her confined for longer but she escaped while my son was feeding her. She immediately joined the chickens. Initially she slept with one flock and ranged with my other. She never left the chickens and has never hurt any of them. The chickens mostly ignore her. She did entertain us endlessly because she did not allow the two roosters to fight. If they started sparring she would get in between and separate them. It was hilarious since her feathers kind of look like referee uniform stripes!! And seeing our big tough rooster dragged around the yard by his hackle feathers by this little bird half his size....who wouldn't laugh at that!!

This spring we got Guinea some new guineas. There are nine of them and she will not have anything to do with them other than protecting "her" chickens from these naughty youngsters. We wonder if that will change next spring when she wants a mate. She spent all the spring just gone plaintatively "buckwheating" all over the property but she always returned to her "flock"

So yes it can be very successful. I think she was just so desperate for a flock that the chickens have kept her here.

 

[NixChicks]

Thank you both for your reply, il try catching her then and we have a lovely new coop she can live in by herself til she settles down