Should I get guineas?

[crazy4chickens5]

I have quite a few chickens, and two roosters. I'm thinking of getting guinea fowl for the way they look in the backyard. What troubles could this have, and could I raise their young with chicks? I would just like to know all of the hardships raising guinea fowl with chickens. Thanks for all of the help everybody!

 

[Whittni]

Bad idea if you are near any neighbors unless they also have guineas or peafowl. Loud, good buggers, wild, not like chickens, noisy, cool to look at, not to hear. I had three of them and they would go off at anything! They are like peafowl.

 

[crazy4chickens5]

Well... I'm not THAT close to neighbors. I own 25 acres of land, and my closest neighbor is kind of far. Could I just get one, or do I need more?

 

[Whittni]

They need to be in at least pairs, but mine really liked being a trio, 1 would be the watch dog and one would be eating and the other leading. we had 3.5 acres when I had them, and our neighbors weren't to close either. But I did have a guy think they were wild turkeys once so watch for hunters.

25 acres is more than fine for them and they will forage really well with a handful or so everyday at a supplement for their diet. Sounds like can have a lot of guineas. There's website of guinea fowl: http://www.guineafowl.com/fritsfarm/guineas/

 

[Kevin565]

Yes you can raise them with chicks but they will not be as tame unless you spend PLENTY of time with them on a DAILY basis. Even then not all of them will end up friendlier. Also Guineas and Roosters have been known to spar each other. Sometimes causing serious injury. Though this is less likely when plenty of territory can be established

 

[crazy4chickens5]

Do hens attack roosters, or is it just male guinea fowl?

 

[Kevin565]

Males are more likely but it's possible in either sex

 

[crazy4chickens5]

Okay, thank you.

 

[Medo]

I can clearly hear my guineas 250 yards away at my neighbors place, they are just too darn loud.
My neighbors would like to string me up, but, we have no code out in my neck of the sticks, so they got nothing.

They do keep the ticks down.

And, they are awesome "Guard Birds" they alert every time that big Red fox is lurking, day or night, and the alarm call is distinctive.
.
I'll have to say one thing, I had 8, gave 4 away, then had 3 males and one female, call me crazy, but the dominant male, I swear he was smart enough to coax the lesser 2 males out into the road, where, obviously, they'd get hit by cars, which is exactly what happened.

Since the last 1 got hit, he and the female have not so much as stepped a foot on the road.


Swear it was intentional.

I'll have Keets soon enough, that broody hen is awful aggressive right now.

 

[Whittni]

Medo: gosh it does sound that way XD