When and How to Introduce a New Bird?

[linuxusr]

Hello,

Here in the Dom. Rep. I have a newly built aviary with two healthy Guinea fowl, a male and a female, that I've had for about two years. I want to introduce another female. I'm thinking about doing it at roosting time.

Any advice? What are chances of aggression, fighting, injury? And what then?

 

[R2elk]

Hello,

Here in the Dom. Rep. I have a newly built aviary with two healthy Guinea fowl, a male and a female, that I've had for about two years. I want to introduce another female. I'm thinking about doing it at roosting time.

Any advice? What are chances of aggression, fighting, injury? And what then?

Set up a place so that the guineas can see each other but not touch each other. Once your birds stop trying to attack the new one through the wire, you can try releasing the new one with them.

Do not try the "sneak the new one in at night" method. There will be attacks and it will try to escape.

Adult guineas typically need at least 6 weeks of confinement to learn that their new location is home.

 

[linuxusr]

Set up a place so that the guineas can see each other but not touch each other. Once your birds stop trying to attack the new one through the wire, you can try releasing the new one with them.

Do not try the "sneak the new one in at night" method. There will be attacks and it will try to escape.

Adult guineas typically need at least 6 weeks of confinement to learn that their new location is home.

This is great advice. Thanks. When our carpenter was building our new aviary from a previous chicken coop, he was supposed to sequester a section for the guineas prior to transfer. But he didn't! He smashed everything! Meanwhile, we had retained the birds in a cat carrier, albeit, a very large one. I viewed it as cruel and was not happy about it but, to my surprise, they were very tranquil, could walk around a bit, etc. We kept them in a cool low-light room and they were sequestered there for about 72 hours prior to transfer. It will be in that same carrier that I'll put the new hen, raised to a level outside of the aviary where all the birds can have eye contact and observe. I'll maintain that indefinitely until I feel that there are no signs of aggression. Ha, but I might do a feeding to preoccupuy the aviary birds when I introduce!

Segue to a different question: You said that guineas need about six weeks before they feel at home. It is a bird owner's fantasy to be able to keep the door open and the let the birds come and go. But here in the city, where the aviary is on a second floor patio, one leap over the wall and gone forever! So I will not take the risk.

FYI, I obtain my birds at a live market walking distance from my house. There they butcher live or people bring live birds home to butcher. It's probably the rare person (me) who buys live birds to keep. Before I buy, I spend about 15 minutes sitting and observing: distinguishing between males and females (when I count the number of males and the number of females, I ask an employee for the number of each for corroboration; I observe behaviour; I observe health.