thinking about Guinea Fowl...Need Advice~ Questions?

[juliemcummings]

This is my 1st year with chickens and I have been loving it. I have 8 pullets and a cockerel and I have been hearing all kinds of good things about Guinea fowl, mostly that they eat ticks. I wanted to find out if they will get along with my other chickens? will they be ok with the rooster?
I really haven't done a lot of research yet so I have so many questions... do they just live in the coop with the chickens? My chickens free range, will the guinea hens be ok free ranging or do they need to be contained? Do they eat the same food as the chickens? do they Lay? can you eat the eggs?
Any other Advice? Any other Benefits to Guinea fowl?

 

[dlg4742]

I love mine. They are loud until you get use to them. They are watch dogs. No one or anything can come onto our farm without their alarm going off. They keep the tick, and grasshoppers away. Also snakes they run them off also. Easy keepers. They go in the coop at night and I always lock them up cause I have had some disappear when not locked up.

 

[Fishbone]

I'll only answer questions I'm sure of!!

PeepsCa is the resident Guinea Guru...look up her name and read up on her posts...VERY informative!

There was a recent post on this page, "So far, I hate them"
Some pros and cons.

I just picked up 11 keets, (I got them form different breeders) the first 6 came from a man that has around 60 guinea living/free ranging, they keep the ticks and other insects away from his prize miniature horses.
He started them because a family member came down with Lyme disease.

I didn't hear any noise when I drove on his farm!!
The only noise, was the peeping from the 20 or so keets, in the barn, very soft chatter from young birds.
A few adult guinea came over to eat some feed he throws down, I walked up to them, they made a few squawks and moved on!
As I drove out the driveway, a few made a few squawks as I drove by them...then stopped when I passed by!
I imagine at roosting/dusk it must get quite noisy from all them birds trying to hook up with their roosting mates!

At 3 weeks old I tossed in a few crickets I caught, they were gone in an instant!
I've been training them to come when I call them, I would call them, and put dried meal worms in their brooder...they would climb all over each other to get them!!
At 4 weeks, I open the brooder lid, call them and the brave ones jump/fly out, eat the meal worms out of my hand, when I put meal worms in the brooder for the 'chicken guinea' ( the ones that didn't fly out) they fly back in for another snack!!

Even at this age they've got an instinct for bugs!
They will eat spiders, ants... any insect, I've heard from guinea owners they eat fire ants too!

From what I've read, there are mixed results with sharing living quarters with other birds.
I've built a separate coop for them.

Free ranging they usually/might get along, at least either bird can run away, or seek protection from the dominate bird!

They prefer to free range.

When they are young they should be feed game bird feed, a 24% protein to help them grow strong, young adults can eat the same feed, but free ranging they won't need much!

Yes they lay eggs! Unfortunately they don't like nesting boxes, they will lay in the brush.
I've also heard they are very good eggs, very rich, a co-worker that cooks/bakes a lot has offered to buy ALL my guinea eggs! She says it's her 'secret ingredient'

As you read on, you'll find out they are watch birds!
Often chasing off curious domestic cats, other wild birds, warning the rest of the flock of hawks or dogs that wonder close to them.

Personally, I think roosters are much louder!

If you find you don't like them, adult guinea sell for around $10 at the auction!

 

[juliemcummings]

I think its something I need to look into more, but I still think that I want to at least try to get a few.
Thanks for all of the insight!

 

[JLeigh]

Julie, I know I'm coming in a few days late on this discussion, but I just wanted to mention that while guineas are a very good "alarm system", you shouldn't depend on them to chase anything off your property. They are prey animals, and hawks are primary predators. I'm sure some guineas chase predators away, but don't count on it. Assume they won't.

 

[BritinMO]

This is my 1st year with chickens and I have been loving it. I have 8 pullets and a cockerel and I have been hearing all kinds of good things about Guinea fowl, mostly that they eat ticks. I wanted to find out if they will get along with my other chickens? will they be ok with the rooster?
I really haven't done a lot of research yet so I have so many questions... do they just live in the coop with the chickens? My chickens free range, will the guinea hens be ok free ranging or do they need to be contained? Do they eat the same food as the chickens? do they Lay? can you eat the eggs?
Any other Advice? Any other Benefits to Guinea fowl?

Hi

I have chickens including a rooster and loads of guineas - they get on great! In the winter they all share the coop at night, but in the summer the guineas roost in rafters of our horse barn (don't ask me why, but just do, welcome to the crazy life of guineas!), chickens and guineas free range and eat together no problems. You do have to keep guineas enclosed for around 6 weeks when you first get them so that they 'know' where home is. I raise my keets on flock raiser (not chick feed)..........then they eat the chicken layer feed. Yes they do lay eggs every day, and you can eat them, they are just like a chicken egg but a bit smaller.....they will lay eggs in a nest where they think you won't find it though Females will share a nest laying enough eggs until someone decides to sit on it.
Peeps CA is a mine of info on everything guinea..............I got my first ones 2 or was it 3 years ago, have never ever regreted it. They can be noisy, but they do quieten down around one year old, they tend to only get 'excited' if something is going on i.e if they see the fox, someone they don't know shows up, the UPS truck shows up..... ours have run the fox off a few times, they run any strange dog off that comes onto our property, even a poor pitbull one day, the sight of that running at top speed with its tail between its legs persued by a guinea flock was hysterical ...............they are really really funny, completely daft, but cannot imagine our lives without them now!

 

[jtbrown]

Just so you know they are loud. I know everyone says that, buti mean loud decibals!

I love them, we have raised them in a brooder, then in an enclosed run with shelter with ducks. Mine are free ranging today, and we live on 10 acres. Their coop is in the first third of our property. They are on the neighbors lawn, and I am a little upset that they will irritate our neighbors. 10 acres and they have to go to the neighbors yard?!?!? Oh well, I will go talk to them in a a little bit and take some eggs from our chickens. They have lived here about 6 months and I have been meaning to do that and haven't.

Anyway, antics wise they are a hoot, I just wish they would stay on the back 2/3 of our property so our neighbors don't have to listen to them. Really consider the neighbors. I also want to build a separate coop and large run for peafowl, but would place them at the back of the property if we get them.

 

[krisg]

This is my first year with chickens, too, and I love the chickies! I git them late and they are only 6 weeks. I just got a rooster from a friend and he is really neat, but about 4-5 month. I just got 3 guineas from someone who couldn't keep them they are this years spring hatch and after them being here for 1 week THEY ARE DRIVING ME NUTS!. They are LOUD!! They females constantly say the same "buckwheat" over and over again. The male rarely says a word. If they don't settle down and quit being so noisy they are going to have to go somewhere else. So unless you don't mind a repetitive "buckwheat" sound and I mean repetitive, don't get any. I knew they were loud, but did not realize it would keep up the whole time we are outside.

 

[KimKimWilliamso]

THANK YOU for posting this thread OP!
My scenario is exactly the same! This spring was our first time with chickens (headed into our first winter with chickens, and a little ervous! LOL) and I am seriously considering getting some guinea fowl next spring instead of a new batch of chickens. (We dont cull, so Id still have my original hens)

I was originally planning just to get three or four, and keep them in with the chickens, but I had read elsewhere that they will just jump the fences and free range anyhow, so I figured maybe I ought to build them a coop OUTSIDE of my chicken run, and just let them free range, then lock them up at night. We have ten acres, and are surrounded by farm land, not too many neighbors. We have a pond, and alot of wild birds around. Would they chase the wild birds from living at the pond? (we get some really cool species of duck, geese, and other water/shore birds out there, and we have a muskrat family there too.)

Also, everyone says they are gaurd birds, and have been known to chase off dogs and such. I have four dogs that are primarily indoor dogs but come out and rome the property with me, plus I have two small children under 10. If the guineas are free ranging, will they go after the kids and dogs? We are wanting to do some peafolw at some point too, also free range, and would they chase my peafowl off?

 

[Fishbone]

Krisg, they should calm down, it's a new enviorment and they're skittish birds.

KimKim, think about getting a few more, they're happier in a larger flock.
From what I've read, around 8 is a good number.

My friend has guinea, bantam chickens and ducks all sharing the same coop, some don't have that type of luck where all species live together in harmony.
He has a Rotty/mix and a ferocious Chihuahua, the guinea fluff up their feathers and back them up, but they're not mean little birds, a dog or fox intent on killing them will!!
I got mine young, around 2 and 3 weeks old, using dried meal worms, they are trained to come when called, one likes to climb up my arm pecking at my tattoos, tuck it's head under my shirt sleeve to peck at my other tattoos, a couple others like to fly up and perch on my arm.
It only took almost a week of daily training.
Interaction with kids would do the same.

Scroll down and find another post, (bird whisperer) you'll see a young girl with half asleep guinea all up and down her arms!
They're not 'angry birds'!!

It's how they're raised, interaction with ALL family members, dogs, kids, other birds keeps things, or let's it happen naturally.
For the most part, they'll all get along but there is the possibility they won't!!...Just like people!!!

For instance, my cat got too close to one guinea keet, just wanted to sniff it, it got pecked on the nose, ran away and will have nothing to do with them, on the other hand, this is the same cat that will back the dogs up away from THEIR food bowl!

As for other wild birds, if they get too close to your chickens, I'm sure your rooster or dominate hen will run them off, the same with the guinea and visa verse.

I think geese are worse, I had them and had to walk through my yard with a tennis racket to keep them away from me!...Even with a scoop of food!!