Wanting to have guinea fowl in the future?? Help and advice please!

[LunaMarieWolf]

Hello!

In the future I am wanting to have Guineas to raise, breed, and sell.

My parents have given me a 5 acre back pasture up the hill from their house to use and build on.

So I want to have a small house there, my dad even said he would help me with building plans for my house or helping me move a house here (trailer house or tiny house).

I am wanting to have guineas and bantams because they are the RAGE here.

I just want to know what all I will need to have these guys.

I already know that I want them to be confined as much as possible. It is heavy predator territory where the pasture is, and it is surrounded on 3 sides by heavy dense forest.

I know that they are flighty birds, and will roost in trees if not trained to go into the coop.

What is the minimum floor space I need for a coop and run if I was to confine them?

Can I house them with chickens or bantams?

What do I need to watch out for if I do plan to breed and sell the keets?

Any other advice anyone else has to give me would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you so much!

 

[R2elk]

Read the Raising Guinea Fowl 101 thread. Pay particular attention to posts by @PeepsCA .

What is the minimum floor space I need for a coop and run if I was to confine them?

I consider 4 sq. ft. per adult guinea to be the minimum clear floor space. This does not include any space being taken up by feeders, waterers, hiding places or storage space. Remember that minimum does not equal the optimum. If confined, they will also need a very large run if you want to be successful at breeding them. Confinement in too small an area with poor lighting can lead to stress and failure to breed and possibly even failure to lay eggs.

Can I house them with chickens or bantams?

I do not recommend raising them with or housing them with chickens. Everything can seem great right up until the first breeding season. When the guinea's hormones kick in the instinctive behaviors that they exhibit are foreign to the chickens and can cause great stress to the chickens. In worst case scenarios, the guineas may attack en masse leaving not only stressed but even dead chickens.

What do I need to watch out for if I do plan to breed and sell the keets?

Guineas need different nutrition levels than chickens. While they may survive on chick starter, it can cause them to never be able to reach their full potential.

Unlike chickens, they are seasonal layers which limits the timing when you can have keets available for sale.

If you plan on doing this as a business, you will want to form a business plan and it would be helpful to become NPIP certified in order to expand you sales area.