Suicide Squad

[Luke 13V34]

These guineas (aka the Suicide Squad) are the most aggressive birds I have deal with so far at least when they are this young (4 weeks). One of them started picking a fight with everyone, and it was fighting two pheasants (4 weeks) at once. It was like watching a T-rex fight some raptors the way they are built. So I knocked the guinea away from the pheasants 4 times and he kept fighting with them, unaffected by my attacks, until on the 5th one, I knocked him all the way to the other side of the cage. [Then the pheasants fought each other, which I didn't know they did that].

I was worried I would have too many roosters (which I am looking at 6 right now) but in all honesty, if the guineas remain this aggressive, that might be the least of my problems!


I also have one guinea significantly smaller than the others, and it still peeps whereas the others whistle. I have no idea what it is stunted, but it is.

I have named three of the Roosters I plan to keep, Batman, Superman, and the Flash, but I don't think they will stand a chance against the Suicide Squad (5 guineas). It's going to be intense when their testosterone levels go up!!! I'm 1 part nervous for every 3 parts curious to see what happens with them, and how long I can keep the guineas before needing to eat them...

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Thats precisely why I got rid of my guineas. At about 4-5 weeks of age they started showing signs of aggression towards my other birds, more specifically my turkeys (who were more than double their size). I came out one day to find 6 or so of them ganging up on one of my turkey hens. A few would grab one wing, and a few the other and they'd pull and pull for all they were worth. They went to their own coop that night, where they didn't stay. I kept them locked in there for more than a month, and the first time I opened the door, they came right back and picked up where they left off. The last straw was when I walked out into the garage to find them roosting on top of my car. Most of them had lead for lunch that day, a few lucky hens went to my neighbors house to keep her lonely cock company.

Never again. I don't care how many ticks those blasted things eat. A lot of people love them, but I am not one of those people. Nope, nope, nope.

Good luck.

 

[Luke 13V34]

Thats precisely why I got rid of my guineas. At about 4-5 weeks of age they started showing signs of aggression towards my other birds, more specifically my turkeys (who were more than double their size). I came out one day to find 6 or so of them ganging up on one of my turkey hens. A few would grab one wing, and a few the other and they'd pull and pull for all they were worth. They went to their own coop that night, where they didn't stay. I kept them locked in there for more than a month, and the first time I opened the door, they came right back and picked up where they left off. The last straw was when I walked out into the garage to find them roosting on top of my car. Most of them had lead for lunch that day, a few lucky hens went to my neighbors house to keep her lonely cock company.

Never again. I don't care how many ticks those blasted things eat. A lot of people love them, but I am not one of those people. Nope, nope, nope.

Good luck.

Thanks :| … Looks like I will be eating African Turkey this fall… I have 0 bond with them, they are stupid.

 

[cottontail farm]

Thank you for sharing this. I've always been interested in getting a group of guineas for bug control in the garden. I had no idea they could be so agressive to the other birds. Thanks to both of you for sparing me the grief of dealing with it.

 

[Free Feather]

Do they free range? How much space do they have?
You cannot confine guineas, or manage them like chickens. They should not even be in with the chickens. It is not fair to call them mean and stupid when you are not treating them right. Give them away.

 

[Luke 13V34]

Do they free range? How much space do they have?
   You cannot confine guineas, or manage them like chickens. They should not even be in with the chickens. It is not fair to call them mean and stupid when you are not treating them right. Give them away.

Mine are approaching 4 weeks so they are not free ranging yet. One of them accidentally got out and when I helped it back in, it bit me. Compared to chickens, they are a much wilder, "meaner," bird. They don't produce many eggs, They are not tameable, docile pets, so in fairness, I'm going to eat them.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Mine had 48 acres to roam and a huge coop and run. They still chose to stick right around my house and scream at everyone. Even after they were separated from my chickens and turkeys, they went out of their way to seek them out and terrorize them. And, lots of people successfully keep guineas with other fowl.
Management and space were not the issue, the guineas were the issue. I've never had more aggressive birds. They did come from a hatchery, maybe that had something to do with their temperaments? I don't know, but that experience has turned me against them forever. I wont be wasting my money on any more of them in the future.

 

[Luke 13V34]

Mine had 48 acres to roam and a huge coop and run. They still chose to stick right around my house and scream at everyone. Even after they were separated from my chickens and turkeys, they went out of their way to seek them out and terrorize them. And, lots of people successfully keep guineas with other fowl.
Management and space were not the issue, the guineas were the issue. I've never had more aggressive birds. They did come from a hatchery, maybe that had something to do with their temperaments? I don't know, but that experience has turned me against them forever. I wont be wasting my money on any more of them in the future.

Mine won't have nearly that space. I just got new neighbors after buying them, so I'm even more unenthusiastic about them but they will be 18 weeks old on my birthday so I am looking forward to eating them... Hopefully I can handle them that long, or I will drive them down the street where they can join this other flock I've seen roaming around.