The boys and girls

[lindakobs]

I somehow ended up with 8 male guineas. I had no eggs last year. I want to add females to my flock but don't know how many I need to get to make everyone happy? I will need to get grown females, are there suggestions about introducing them to their new home?

 

[Chickielady]

wow, you do have a conundrum on your hands !
You have no hens at all ?

I would hatch more eggs, raise them separate and not release the young hens to the old males until they are old enough to handle breeding.
This will mean you will hatch even more males, but at least you can sell or otherwise get rid of the extra new males.
Good luck !

 

[lindakobs]

Thank you so much for your reply.

I have a place that i can buy grown female guineas. Do you think that would work?

I do not have a lot of experience with this. When I did try incubating eggs I did not have much success, and had difficulty getting the two groups to mix eventually.

 

[R2elk]

Thank you so much for your reply.

I have a place that i can buy grown female guineas. Do you think that would work?

I do not have a lot of experience with this. When I did try incubating eggs I did not have much success, and had difficulty getting the two groups to mix eventually.

Get as many guinea hens as you can. For 8 males I would shoot for 10 hens but if you can't get that many you won't have the same type of situation as releasing a few chicken hens into a mob of roosters. The males that manage to get mates will protect them and the other males will form a bachelor group.

I have built a removable three sided cage with a top that I screw onto the inside wall of my guinea coop. I house the new guineas in the cage until the resident guineas stop trying to attack them through the wire. Once they start getting familiar with each other, I start releasing the captive guineas usually one per day.

I find it much easier to introduce guinea hens to a flock that has extra males than introducing any guineas into a group that is fifty/fifty.

Good luck.

 

[Chickielady]

Well, remember how many males you have and try to keep the male and female number about the same.
If it were me, I'd only keep a male to female ratio of 50-50%.
You just don't want a few hens and too many males, it is hard on the girls.......
They also make an outstanding amount of racket, and so getting a few females, and selling off the males, would be what I would do.

 

[R2elk]

You just don't want a few hens and too many males, it is hard on the girls....

If you were dealing with chickens I would agree with this but with guineas I have found no harm to come to the hens from fewer hens than males. I have seen harm come to some males in such a case but the guinea cock that mates with the hen will protect her from the other males.

Because some guinea males are not satisfied with having just one hen, I try to keep a few more hens than males.

 

[Chickielady]

If you were dealing with chickens I would agree with this but with guineas I have found no harm to come to the hens from fewer hens than males. I have seen harm come to some males in such a case but the guinea cock that mates with the hen will protect her from the other males.

Because some guinea males are not satisfied with having just one hen, I try to keep a few more hens than males.

Exactly, a few more hens to males, exactly what I said.

In my case, I let them run and they all get along.

That said, we are trying to help this new person Lindakobs,
and this is not a contest or an arguement.
Letting a couple young hens loose with 8 cocks could be an issue....
I have always kept my Guineas in a free society, not eliminating their numbers due to their sex at all, and all has worked.
Except for the screaming matches from one roof to the neighbor's roof D) which pretty much dessicrated the rain water collection system, spoiled all the water tanks and ticked DH off completely !

 

[lindakobs]

Well, remember how many males you have and try to keep the male and female number about the same.
If it were me, I'd only keep a male to female ratio of 50-50%.
You just don't want a few hens and too many males, it is hard on the girls.......
They also make an outstanding amount of racket, and so getting a few females, and selling off the males, would be what I would do.

 

[lindakobs]

Thank you so much.

 

[lindakobs]

Exactly, a few more hens to males, exactly what I said.

In my case, I let them run and they all get along.

That said, we are trying to help this new person Lindakobs,
and this is not a contest or an arguement.
Letting a couple young hens loose with 8 cocks could be an issue....
I have always kept my Guineas in a free society, not eliminating their numbers due to their sex at all, and all has worked.
Except for the screaming matches from one roof to the neighbor's roof D) which pretty much dessicrated the rain water collection system, spoiled all the water tanks and ticked DH off completely !

Thank you. I do free range my flock during the day, and pen them up at night. Everyone has gotten along, but now I am in this new dilemma with no girls. Thank you for your information.