Uneven number of guineas?

[StephJuno]

I'm much better at remembering info than where I got it from. Somewhere, regarding behavior, I read that there are alpha & beta couples. The alpha of course, are dominant, beta serves alpha but 2nd in line. The others may or may not couple or mate, but they serve as guards, protectors.
Some find that hogwash, but I can only speak from what I watched last yr. When I think of "Alpha" I think dominant, ruling. So my "presumed alpha" is based on exactly that, who ruled the roost. Lucy ruled the roost and no one ruled her except PJ, the male.
There was no question who was the alpha male and female, but though they started off seeming "together", they swapped mates before nesting began.
Presumed Alpha female built her nest in the field behind us. I could walk out to where she had her nest in the field & see her on the nest, her mate beside her, & the other 4 formed a ring around them abt 4-5 ft away from the nest.
She stayed on the nest all day. They, including her mate, would take breaks to come back up in the yard to eat or "chat" before heading back out. But if they were away longer than she approved of, she wld call & all 5 wld rush back to the nest.
Then came the day the Beta went off on her own to make her own nest, leaving the others guarding the Alpha. (This is where it starts sounding fantastical, so if you'd like you can look up "week #3 under Sydney to read it as it happened.)
So presumed Beta went off to make her nest, Alpha was on her nest, & the remaining 4 came up into the yard for a break. I was sitting w/them, giving them millet. Alpha began to call, the 4 stopped, looked, & began running toward her nest in the field behind the house.
Before they cleared the yard, Beta began calling from the front. She had built her nest in the field next to our neighbor's front yard. The 4 froze, SEEMED to look back & forth at each other.
Then 1 "guard" went w/the mate to the back while the other went to the front.
Beta's guard stayed w/her, but the other guard wld come up to sit w/her @ times before returning to his station out back. As before, I was able to walk near enough to see all of this w/o upsetting them.
This was how it went during the day, but all wld return to the coop before dark. It was their first season, almost like little kids playing house. They were laying eggs, but leaving them overnight.
The guards had always stayed together and cont to do so when not "on duty". I thought they had a nest, but going back later to look, it was just a comfy spot, no eggs.
Anyway, this is all counter-intuitive to what my mentors say regarding flock behavior, and it may very well be the result of having such a small "flock", but this was how their first season started.
(And there went using the pandemic as an excuse for how much time I spend watching these birds!)

Oh wow! I work from home and so I completely understand- I spend way too much time watching my flocks and figuring out their dynamics. I definitely have an alpha female, and so I'd say that I have an alpha and beta pair and then poor little Poe on the fringe. They're only 6/7 months now, though, so it will be interesting to see how this all plays out. I'm hoping to have them breed (or at least lay a clutch- I have so many broody hens who could stand in as mothers if need be!) so it will be fascinating to see how it all works out.
Thanks for the story! I love hearing about other's animals and guineas are new to me so it's doubly interesting.

 

[StephJuno]

I’ve had several outcasts. I differentiate “outcast” from “fringe birds” as they seem to have different roles in my flock. The fringe girls are driven away from the core flock but are still members. I postulate that the fringe girls serve the flock as sentries, and are chased to a distance so they set up a perimeter. My “outcast” is one that is barely tolerated or not tolerated by the flock. These are the ones that I worry could be killed by the flock. So far, my outcasts have been allowed back in the flock after a few weeks. I didn’t know why some are suddenly considered to be “outcasts”...

I've noticed that my 'outcast' Poe is more of a 5th wheel, the longer I really watch the group. She's chased off by Cleopatra (my alpha female), but she never seems to be in any danger of being hurt or completely abandoned. I have a free-range group of young hens and she tags along with them when she loses the guinea flock.
Strangely, though, the last few days I've also seen her taking the lead in some cases. And last night she was the first to go into the coop, whereas before she's always been last. I know with chickens the order is always shifting, so maybe its the same, especially as these guineas are so young. As long as no one's in danger, it's interesting to watch!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I've noticed that my 'outcast' Poe is more of a 5th wheel, the longer I really watch the group. She's chased off by Cleopatra (my alpha female), but she never seems to be in any danger of being hurt or completely abandoned. I have a free-range group of young hens and she tags along with them when she loses the guinea flock.
Strangely, though, the last few days I've also seen her taking the lead in some cases. And last night she was the first to go into the coop, whereas before she's always been last. I know with chickens the order is always shifting, so maybe its the same, especially as these guineas are so young. As long as no one's in danger, it's interesting to watch!

Yes, I find flick dynamics fascinating! We currently have at least three fringe girls, aka the Three Fates, Slate, Violet, and Viceroy. What’s odd to me is that they are lowest on the pecking order, but two of them were Bruiser’s mates, and he’s highest on the pecking order... Scout Black is a year older than them, and was a fringe girl until she acquired a mate last summer. Now she’s mostly with the main pack, but is still sometimes fringe.

 

[Sydney65]

Yes, I find flick dynamics fascinating! We currently have at least three fringe girls, aka the Three Fates, Slate, Violet, and Viceroy. What’s odd to me is that they are lowest on the pecking order, but two of them were Bruiser’s mates, and he’s highest on the pecking order... Scout Black is a year older than them, and was a fringe girl until she acquired a mate last summer. Now she’s mostly with the main pack, but is still sometimes fringe.

I forget how many you have total? Were they Bruiser's mates at the same time? Nugget had little interest in nesting, where as PJ always stayed where she was. The info I remember w/o the source-I prob have it bookmarked- said both behaviors are normal, it depended on the individual. In other words, some are lifers and some are players.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I forget how many you have total? Were they Bruiser's mates at the same time? Nugget had little interest in nesting, where as PJ always stayed where she was. The info I remember w/o the source-I prob have it bookmarked- said both behaviors are normal, it depended on the individual. In other words, some are lifers and some are players.

We have 22 Guineas! I still haven’t updated it but here’s a chart of the flock. 5/7 of Welch’s babies were boys, so I now have 9 cocks and 13 hens. There seemed to be a fair amount of mate swapping going on last summer...

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I forget how many you have total? Were they Bruiser's mates at the same time? Nugget had little interest in nesting, where as PJ always stayed where she was. The info I remember w/o the source-I prob have it bookmarked- said both behaviors are normal, it depended on the individual. In other words, some are lifers and some are players.

We have 22 Guineas! I still haven’t updated it but here’s an older chart of the flock...View attachment 2454024

 

[featherhead007]

Are those type of birds louder than chickens?

 

[HuffleClaw]

Are those type of birds louder than chickens?

WAY louder. Yes.

 

[featherhead007]

WAY louder. Yes.

Thanks. (Note to self, "no Guineas")

 

[HuffleClaw]

Thanks. (Note to self, "no Guineas")

Never get guineas. They are a nuisance!!