Thinking of getting some Guineas.....anyone have suggestions?

[SassyKat6181]

We have a 7 acre horse farm. Started with 12 chicks last fall (now laying),added 14 ducks this month and 4 roos that were shipped with them. Hubby thinks it would be fun to have Guineas also. I've read that they are noisy and have watched youtube videos....not that bad. Here are my questions:

Will they get along with the horses? The guineas would free range the fields where the horses are turned out. The chickens and ducks have a coop and netted run.
Do they get louder the more you have? How many would handle 7 acres?
If I raise them as keets, will they stay around our property? The back fields have a 3 rail fence.
Do they need a coop for nighttime? We have coyotes, fishers, feral cats.
What do you do with them in winter? I am in Massachusetts.

Anything else you can add would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Katy]

Quote:

 

[patti'speeps]

I think you would love some Guineas. Out of all our birds they are my favorite on the farm. They will get use to the horses and will alert you to anything out of the ordinary that wanders onto your property. If you raise them as keets in a coop they will go there to roost. They need a tall building to roost in bc they do like to roost high up like in a tree. They don't roost like a chicken though. You can almost set your watch by a chicken but Guineas have there own schedule and it's never the same twice, lol. Yes, if allowed to roam they do like to go a wide area. But they will always stay together, sorta like your ducks do. Where one goes they all will go. I guess i'm sorta partial to them, but they aren't for everyone. If you have close neighbors they may become a nuisance to those who don't appreciate them.

 

[robin416]

As someone who has owned Guineas for many years I'm about to tell you that a couple of the answers you rec'd are flat out wrong.

Guineas do roost and the higher they can get the more content they are.

Second, you are in MA. If they don't have secure housing out of the cold you will be dealing with frost bite.

Third, with the predators you have in the vicinity the lack of a secure house will mean a steady loss until there are no more Guineas.

They take time and patience, they are very different from chickens in their behavior. My Guineas go in to their coop 99% of the time without a challenge. They are trained to it with millet. Knowing that they will receive millet is enough of a delight that they look forward to it.

Guineas hate snow. So a large enough coop is necessary for those times they need to be kept up. I have a covered outside pen that has roosts that allow my Guineas to get out of the coop when there is snow on the ground. If you don't and open that door they will immediately fly in to the trees.

The rest is pretty much spot on. I am fenced but with stock fence, rarely do my Guineas go over them to go venturing out. The only time it happens its the less than one year olds. A mature flock is quieter, birds under a year old constantly have something to say.

With seven acres you're probably good getting ten.

 

[Katy]

The first snow of the season is the only one that ever bothers mine....after that it's business as usual for them.

Mine roost in the elms in the summer and in the cedars in the winter.....never had a problem with frostbite and we have cold temps and windchills to deal with.

I do lose a few to predators (owls mainly) or a hen on a nest once in a while but not many and in 30 or so years of having them I don't think I've ever been down to zero.....the hubby would be a happy camper if that did ever happen.

 

[SassyKat6181]

Our local feed store is taking orders without a minimum....I think I'll call on Monday. They'll be in mid May and that will give me time to get these ducks and chicks out of the brooder and make room for the keets. How many would be reasonable for 7 acres? I have an extra stall next to the coop that could be used for the guineas in winter.

 

[cracking up]

If I had it to do over I would get all one color. When they breed you get a bunch of pied babiesand they're not as desirable. Also if you want to sell eggs most people prefer one color. c

 

[tomingreeneco]

I have a separate coop for my Guineas with two perches high up in the rafters. They go in it every night. After they were raised inside as keets I kept them inside their outdoor coop for six weeks before I let them out. This amount of time will let them know this is home and they will come back at night. Make sure you get at least 10 so you have a nice flock that will not bother any of the other birds you have. They roam my 19 acres and sometimes go into the adjoining woods but mostly stay close to home. They interact with the ducks and chickens but no fighting has occurred. They have alerted me on more then a few occasions of a predator in the yard and I feel they have saved a duck or chicken from harm more then once. Mine are now laying and I hope to get more if only a hen will go broody.

 

[patti'speeps]

We live in central Indiana and my Guineas had no problem with the winter weather. There is no right or wrong way to raise your Guineas I think. What works for one person doesn't always work for another. If a Guinea wants out of a fence bad enough they will just simply fly over it, lol. Our Guineas have a building to roost in that's 10 feet tall at the peak and i've seen my rooster, Tommy, go from the ground to the top of the building in one very easy jump, lol. How you raise them and handle them has the most to do with there personalities. Yes, the older they get the calmer they get, that's true. Mine were handled everyday since the day they were born. We can go up to them and pick them up any time of day. We raise the jumbo pearl guineas. I do agree that you should get all one color if you want to raise them to possibly sell. But if you just like them to have them then having several different color variations running around I think looks amazing. Good luck and you will learn as you go as to what works for you and your birds.

 

[Katy]

The pieds are my favorite

I don't like white or light colored ones because those are the ones that the owls get.