Will two guinea fowl males in a flock kill each other?

[Bullitt]

Will two guinea fowl males in a flock kill each other?

 

[R2elk]

Will two guinea fowl males in a flock kill each other?

It is possible but very unlikely.

Guinea fowl are flock birds and do best in large groups. Unlike chickens the proper ratio of males to females is 1:1 since they tend to form pairs in mating season.

I never recommend having fewer than 10 birds for them to have proper flock dynamics. Even more works better.

 

[Bullitt]

It is possible but very unlikely.

Guinea fowl are flock birds and do best in large groups. Unlike chickens the proper ratio of males to females is 1:1 since they tend to form pairs in mating season.

I never recommend having fewer than 10 birds for them to have proper flock dynamics. Even more works better.

I see online there are different opinions about breeding ratios with males and females. Some people suggest four or five hens to each male guinea fowl.

Maybe 10 hens and two males would be good.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Online where? Facebook? @R2elk is pretty much an expert on guinea fowl, he's had and bred them for years.

 

[R2elk]

I see online there are different opinions about breeding ratios with males and females. Some people suggest four or five hens to each male guinea fowl.

Maybe 10 hens and two males would be good.

This is really bad advice. There is lots of really bad advice about guineas online. The ideal ratio for males to females is 1:1.

 

[SamLockwood]

They can get pretty aggressive in the spring time, but it's mostly chasing and feather-pulling rather than serious violence. By summer time they calm down as they pair off with their mates, although I always seem to have two that always end up chasing each other for what seems all day. There's not even an "aggressor." They'll stop to get their wind back and then the "victim" will turn around and swat the "aggressor" to get the chase going. Maybe it's their way of doing cardio.

In winter time mine band back up into one big flock and the aggression level tones down (at least as far as within the flock). They'll even stop rooster fights in my mixed flock during the winter.

I try to keep 15 to 16 guineas in my mixed flock at a time, and they do fine with a 1:1 cock to hen ratio. Too few boys and their fertility drops pretty significantly. They're not nearly as randy as roosters. In fact, you'll rarely see them mate as they're kind of shy about that.

 

[Bullitt]

Online where? Facebook? @R2elk is pretty much an expert on guinea fowl, he's had and bred them for years.

No, I do not look at Facebook. There is also often more than one way to do things. Sometimes you can ask five farmers what to do and you will get five different answers.

On the Cackle Hatchery website, they recommend nine guinea fowl hens to one male. I believe it is common to have multiple hens with one male guinea fowl.

My original question was whether two guinea fowl males would kill each other. It seems that maybe they will fight a little, but it would be very rare for them to kill each other.

 

[R2elk]

On the Cackle Hatchery website, they recommend nine guinea fowl hens to one male. I believe it is common to have multiple hens with one male guinea fowl.

Cackle is not a reliable source for information.

I can remember when they were showing pictures of Tri-color turkeys as Royal Palm turkeys which are only black and white.

They advertise that they sell Black Slate turkeys which don't exist. The Black turkeys made when breeding Slates together are just Black turkeys. They do not have a slate gene so cannot be considered to be Black Slates.

One guinea male to 9 guinea hens will result in many infertile eggs and a very loud flock as most of the hens will be constantly calling for mates.

Not all guinea males wil breed with more than one hen.

 

[Bullitt]

Cackle is not a reliable source for information.

I can remember when they were showing pictures of Tri-color turkeys as Royal Palm turkeys which are only black and white.

They advertise that they sell Black Slate turkeys which don't exist. The Black turkeys made when breeding Slates together are just Black turkeys. They do not have a slate gene so cannot be considered to be Black Slates.

One guinea male to 9 guinea hens will result in many infertile eggs and a very loud flock as most of the hens will be constantly calling for mates.

Not all guinea males wil breed with more than one hen.

As I said, there are many different opinions. Some recommend four to five hens per male. Some recommend up to 10 hens per male.

I think 10 hens and two males would work well. If a male is not breeding multiple hens, a new male would be needed.

It is wonderful that one hen to one male works well for you.

 

[R2elk]

As I said, there are many different opinions. Some recommend four to five hens per male. Some recommend up to 10 hens per male.

I think 10 hens and two males would work well. If a male is not breeding multiple hens, a new male would be needed.

It is wonderful that one hen to one male works well for you.

This isn't a matter of opinion but a matter of facts. Many people have tried those ratios in the past with the same bad results.

Ten hens and two males is a really bad formula and will result in lots of infertile eggs. Both of the scenarios that you suggest will result in lots of infertile eggs and a really noisy flock as the hens constantly call for mates.

Guineas are not chickens and should not be treated like chickens. Guineas have entirely different instincts than any other poultry.

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