So am I right? Can I put guinea hens in with my chickens [hens]??

[sharonlacouture]

I would like to add a pair of female guineas to my chicken coop that houses 5 Plymouth Rock hens.
Will they behave? Or should the guineas have their own coop?

I read that the guineas are excellent for tick and slug control and can free roam and will come back to roost at sunset. Or I can pen them where I want them in my garden...

any thoughts?

~Sharon [Cape Cod]

 

[giggleboxfarm]

I have 1 hen and 2 boys(what are they in guineas?) in with my chickens. The guinea boys can be bullies, grabbing a hold of some of the chickens tail feathers. Bob, my head rooster, mostly keeps them in line and I usually only see them fussing in the morning when feed is out. Otherwise the guineas are out doing their own thing.

 

[The Red Rooster]

Yes, chickens and guineas get along beautifully! My guinea hen just adores my Silkie rooster. I never see those two separated!

 

[mcwooten]

Yes, Jacks and Jennies do just fine with chickens.

 

[perchie.girl]

The terms Guinea or Guinea fowl should be used for the bird. The terms Cock for male and Hen for female.

I have 1 hen and 2 boys(what are they in guineas?) in with my chickens. The guinea boys can be bullies, grabbing a hold of some of the chickens tail feathers. Bob, my head rooster, mostly keeps them in line and I usually only see them fussing in the morning when feed is out. Otherwise the guineas are out doing their own thing.

 

[perchie.girl]

In order to be certain you get Hens you will need to get adults. They cant be sexed like chickens. I know others that can sex them by looking at their head and wattles and posture.... but the only way I can tell is by listening to their calls. Hens call out BuckWheat BuckWheat constantly. Cocks are pretty quiet unless they see something they need to sound the alarm off on. Both Hens and Cocks do this part. But for what its worth Sexing can only be done once they are fully feathered and almost grown.

And a bit of trivia Guineas are not like chickens in that they tend to pair off. Especially in a large mixed flock. The cocks are the quieter ones. If you have the space and are willing building a separate coop is an excellent idea. Guineas are more active and run and fly alot more than chickens. Cocks in the spring time play a game of chase and pull feathers.... its a display for the hens. Hens do this too but its a show of dominance.

They are also excellent fliers so when you do perches for them in which ever coop put them up higher than the hens would roost and it will keep down squabbling for perch space. My roosts are six feet up and only the bantams join them up there.

deb

I would like to add a pair of female guineas to my chicken coop that houses 5 Plymouth Rock hens.
Will they behave? Or should the guineas have their own coop?

I read that the guineas are excellent for tick and slug control and can free roam and will come back to roost at sunset. Or I can pen them where I want them in my garden...

any thoughts?

~Sharon [Cape Cod]

 

[perchie.girl]

Omygawd..... I forgot to welcome you.....

from San Diego.....

deb

I would like to add a pair of female guineas to my chicken coop that houses 5 Plymouth Rock hens.
Will they behave? Or should the guineas have their own coop?

I read that the guineas are excellent for tick and slug control and can free roam and will come back to roost at sunset. Or I can pen them where I want them in my garden...

any thoughts?

~Sharon [Cape Cod]

 

[bantyshanty]

Welcome, Sharon!

I've just started with guinea fowl myself & am only at the stage of raising keets, but to my understanding, the guinea hens will prefer to roost in trees, if you get them at the age where their gender is already apparent. If you do add some adolescent guinea hens, you should probably pen them with your current flock in a run for quite a long time before you let them free range, or they won't come back to the coop at night. Tractoring the pair around you lawn & garden may be the best bet. This is what I was told at an advanced poultry management class by the instructor.

Someone who has adult guineas can comment on this with more authority, so please do!

 

[perchie.girl]

Adult guineas need to be cooped for six weeks or more to get them to "imprint" on home. Setting up a schedule for bed time can be quite successful for getting them in at night and locked up. The main problem would be if you only have a couple and another farm or home in the area has a flock of their own. The two will gravitate to the larger flock.

One of the techniques used to calling them and getting them to come in for the evening is to use a favorite treat such as White millet or BOSS (Black Oil Sunflower Seed), or some other food that is considered crack to them.... LOL. Save the treat for when you want them to come in then call them in and give them the treat. This you can start while they are cooped so they can associate the call with the treat. I holler Treat Treat Treat and they all come running.

Also lock up the regular food when you turn them out. That way they will come home full of bugs and want their millet snack. Then only give them the snack once they get in the coop.

I adopted six Guinea males my very first flock they were about five or six years old so quite savvy with the predators in the area so there is an advantage to starting with adults. Then they can teach the keets the ropes once they are old enough to go out with the flock. I never have gotten to that point My first flock was taken by bobcats and my second flock of keets just last year was decimated by an unknown predator in the locked coop. In three weeks I went from 40 keets/young adults to 7 keets.

Now they are in lockdown till I get a couple of eggs from the females. then they will get reintroduced to the Treat routine..... The plan is to not let them out to freerange till after the egg laying is done. I want to hatch a few to replenish what was lost....

deb

Welcome, Sharon!

I've just started with guinea fowl myself & am only at the stage of raising keets, but to my understanding, the guinea hens will prefer to roost in trees, if you get them at the age where their gender is already apparent. If you do add some adolescent guinea hens, you should probably pen them with your current flock in a run for quite a long time before you let them free range, or they won't come back to the coop at night. Tractoring the pair around you lawn & garden may be the best bet. This is what I was told at an advanced poultry management class by the instructor.

Someone who has adult guineas can comment on this with more authority, so please do!

 

[mkcolls]

from Ohio!

Guineas do not understand "behave".

They understand "do your own thing" or "go your own way".

Yes, they can be housed with chickens. Actually our guinea hens lay their eggs in the barn and both hens and cocks are out forage for the entire day, rain or shine. They have a different area of the barn with high roosts, but like to freak out the chickens by taking one of their roosting spots every once and a while.

They forage all day, come in for scratch treat, but don't like to come in early - they want every bit of daylight outside. Scratch time is another time that they mess with the chickens. But the chickens and a couple of our roosters give it right back - no blood shed.

Be prepared for the noise. They can be loud, anytime, all the time, for any reason.