Thinking of adding Guineas to my chicken flock, but have questions

[humblehillsfarm]

I don't mind poultry noises at all, and I'd go as far to say that I welcome it, so I've been thinking of adding guineas for all the normal reasons people want them. They look cool, their eggs are cool, they are noisy, and we have a ton of ticks. I have some questions though.

- Do I need to keep any males? (I don't want to hatch any more guinea eggs)
- If I get some hatching eggs and put them under a hen a few days in advance, then add some chicken eggs, will I have imprinting issues without a male (as in, eat the males when they are a suitable size)? Will the females still harass the chickens in the spring if there are no males? I only want to keep 2-3 guinea hens.
- If harassment could still be an issue with the females, I have a 400 sq foot run, but unless I'll be away on vacation, I intend on free ranging them in the evenings after 3PM four days a week, and free ranging all day the other three days. Would free ranging potentially be enough to prevent or alleviate breeding harassment issues?
- Or could harassment issues be avoided if I only put guinea eggs under my hen?
- Will guinea hens lay eggs in nest boxes?

I do have an additional chicken coop. It was the old coop (pictured in my coop page) and is 4x6 feet, but the reason I built a new one was due to bear attacks. I am contemplating building a small run to the old coop for the guineas, still hatching the keets under a hen, and later relocating them, but I'd rather not use the other coop.

 

[R2elk]

I don't mind poultry noises at all, and I'd go as far to say that I welcome it, so I've been thinking of adding guineas for all the normal reasons people want them. They look cool, their eggs are cool, they are noisy, and we have a ton of ticks. I have some questions though.

- Do I need to keep any males? (I don't want to hatch any more guinea eggs)
- If I get some hatching eggs and put them under a hen a few days in advance, then add some chicken eggs, will I have imprinting issues without a male (as in, eat the males when they are a suitable size)? Will the females still harass the chickens in the spring if there are no males? I only want to keep 2-3 guinea hens.
- If harassment could still be an issue with the females, I have a 400 sq foot run, but unless I'll be away on vacation, I intend on free ranging them in the evenings after 3PM four days a week, and free ranging all day the other three days. Would free ranging potentially be enough to prevent or alleviate breeding harassment issues?
- Or could harassment issues be avoided if I only put guinea eggs under my hen?
- Will guinea hens lay eggs in nest boxes?

I do have an additional chicken coop. It was the old coop (pictured in my coop page) and is 4x6 feet, but the reason I built a new one was due to bear attacks. I am contemplating building a small run to the old coop for the guineas, still hatching the keets under a hen, and later relocating them, but I'd rather not use the other coop.

Read the thread Raising Guinea Fowl 101 and pay particular attention to posts by @PeepsCA

Unlike chickens, guineas tend to pair up. The theoretical best balance is one hen to one cock. I like to keep a few extra hens since some cocks aren't satisfied with just one mate.

They are a flock bird and do best in large groups. They also do best if brooded, raised and housed separately from any other poultry.

If you do not keep any male guineas, you will disrupt proper flock mechanics. You will not have any fertile eggs and you will have the noisiest flock possible as the hens continuously "buckwheat" calling for mates.

There is nothing wrong with allowing a chicken hen to hatch guinea eggs as long as you do not allow her to brood and raise them. Letting a chicken hen brood and raise keets causes imprinting. Imprinting causes the guineas to lose the ability to understand that whatever imprinted them is not a guinea. .Guinea behavior during mating season is instinctive and unique to guineas. It can cause great stress to other poultry because the other poultry cannot understand guinea behavior.

Guineas also need much more personal space than chickens need. Guineas that are crammed into a small space that would work for chickens will not do well.

 

[Vaughnr007]

Read the thread Raising Guinea Fowl 101 and pay particular attention to posts by @PeepsCA

Unlike chickens, guineas tend to pair up. The theoretical best balance one hen to one cock. I like to keep a few extra hens since some cocks aren't satisfied with just one mate.

They are a flock bird and do best in large groups. They also do best if brooded, raised and housed separately from any other poultry.

If you do not keep any male guineas, you will disrupt proper flock mechanics. You will not have any fertile eggs and you will have the noisiest flock possible as the hens continuously "buckwheat" calling for mates.

There is nothing wrong with allowing a chicken hen to hatch guinea eggs as long as you do not allow her to brood and raise them. Letting a chicken hen brood and raise keets cause imprinting. Imprinting causes the guineas to lose the ability to understand that whatever imprinted them is not a guinea. .Guinea behavior during mating season is instinctive and unique to guineas. It can cause great stress to other poultry because the other poultry cannot understand guinea behavior.

Guineas also need much more personal space than chickens need. Guineas that are crammed into a small space that would work for chickens will not do well.

I agree. We had 1 guinea that was raised with chicks. She has stayed with the chickens despite a group of guineas which also free range. She is lonesome. She calls and calls but the chickens won't answer and neither do the guineas.Next time this happens, I will lock the keet up with the guineas and let the pecking begin. I believe this would be more humane in the long run.