Rooster versus Guinea Hen??

[tiffanyh]

I know people have mentioned how great the guinea hens are for hawk warnings? In your opinion are they better than a rooster at warning the girls when free ranging. If so, can you have just one guinea in with hens? I know others have mentioned they can be rough or mean and need to separated...what so you all think?

 

[Yonaton]

I've not seen one to be any better than the other at spotting danger.

 

[okiechick57]

In my experience with Guineas and roosters...........guineas were better at alerting the hens and me about danger.....BUT yes guineas can be mean to chickens, I had to rehome mine because they took to beating up my hens.....not all have this happen......maybe having just one would make a difference though.........

 

[anniemyth]

I got 10 guineas this year as companions to the flock. BAH! I wish I had just gotten a bunch more chickens. I swear they share a brain between them. I keep my chickens in a fenced in area and I wanted the guineas to fly around and forage and then fly back over the fence to go to bed with the Jersey Giants I have. Well, they fly over all right (at least some of the 10 fly over) and then they can't figure out how to fly back. They just pace back and forth along the fence keeping the remaining guineas in sight. I have yet to get the stupid things to fly back over at night and they are 4 months old now.

Now, I don't have a problem with my guineas beating up my chickens because I have whopping large Jerseys and I think the hens established a pecking order when the guineas were keets. If you have smaller chickens they might have issues. I don't know.

BUT.. guineas are funny creatures. Entertaining. That's about it. If I ate meat at all they would already be in sauce.

 

[Miltonchix]

Everyone of my neighbors with guinea's use them as bait to keep the hawks, coyotes, foxes, and other predators away from their chickens. (Chickens are in coops all the time, guinea's run loose) Seems to work but they go thru 30 to 50 a year, all lost to predators or hit by cars.

YES!! Guinea's are STUPID!!

But they are great bug killers!

 

[cindydj]

Are guineas mean to chickens. I have on guuinea hen and she will grab my chickens by the tail and hang on she will fight my rooster too.....

I got them for snakes and grass hopper and the other four ran off and got ate by the coyotes but she made it and I was not sure if I wanted more or not.....she will walk right past a snake and never look back or make a noise...I didn't know if it because I only have one and I think she thinks she is a chicken...LOL!

 

[erinm]

mine wre awful to the chickens. They became dinner.
Altough i found it a little gamey for me. won't get them again i can say that! Erinm