Adult Guineas and unacquainted Border Collie?

[pattarmm]

I have an opportunity to acquire 10 ten month old guineas (who have previously been around a lab).
We have wanted guineas, but weren't sure how to go about it with our border collie female.

They are used to being in a coop, so we would also get a coop and do some training with them in order to keep them on the property (been researching this as well).

We've heard that you should raise guineas from keets so the dog can see them grow up, knowing that they are "hers." Others have said borders have a worse chase instinct due to them being small, and that it would be better to get adults and do specific training.

Our dog also chases any kind of bird out of the field right now (12 acres partially wooded as well), like it is her job. I am sure we can do some training with her (we have previously done a lot, and have a training collar as well).

I am looking for any guidance on the subject, to debate whether or not we should pursue this opportunity or wait for keets.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Size doesn't really matter. Chicks flutter more and are a mouthful, so they're tempting; but adult birds are harder to introduce inside the confines of a house, where you can guard and keep an eye on them for the first few weeks of their life while the dog adjusts. Unless your dog's smaller than a terrier, she'll go after either. (most really tiny dogs can figure out that going after a bird larger than they are is stupid)

Border Collies (or at least, BC crosses), are really easy to train. They've got a good sense of personal property. This is mine and I protect it, that is a wild invader and must be killed. The trick is getting them to recognise what is theirs. I find that one or two really emphatic "NO's" and maybe a whack on the nose for the really stubborn dogs (ie, 'Meathead,' the Beagle/BC cross) does the trick.

 

[Potrack]

I have an opportunity to acquire 10 ten month old guineas (who have previously been around a lab).
We have wanted guineas, but weren't sure how to go about it with our border collie female.

They are used to being in a coop, so we would also get a coop and do some training with them in order to keep them on the property (been researching this as well).

We've heard that you should raise guineas from keets so the dog can see them grow up, knowing that they are "hers." Others have said borders have a worse chase instinct due to them being small, and that it would be better to get adults and do specific training.

Our dog also chases any kind of bird out of the field right now (12 acres partially wooded as well), like it is her job. I am sure we can do some training with her (we have previously done a lot, and have a training collar as well).

I am looking for any guidance on the subject, to debate whether or not we should pursue this opportunity or wait for keets.

Please

I have an opportunity to acquire 10 ten month old guineas (who have previously been around a lab).
We have wanted guineas, but weren't sure how to go about it with our border collie female.

They are used to being in a coop, so we would also get a coop and do some training with them in order to keep them on the property (been researching this as well).

We've heard that you should raise guineas from keets so the dog can see them grow up, knowing that they are "hers." Others have said borders have a worse chase instinct due to them being small, and that it would be better to get adults and do specific training.

Our dog also chases any kind of bird out of the field right now (12 acres partially wooded as well), like it is her job. I am sure we can do some training with her (we have previously done a lot, and have a training collar as well).

I am looking for any guidance on the subject, to debate whether or not we should pursue this opportunity or wait for keets.

We obtained a Border Collie pup and already had a flock of 50+ adult guineas, all free rangers. When the pup got a few months old he began finding and eating the eggs from their hidden nests in the woods. In the fall, when they stopped laying he began catching and killing the guineas themselves and bringing them to our door. We had to give him to another family who had no poultry. Was our first experience with a border collie. Previously we had a black Labrador retriever for 16 years who never bothered the guineas, chickens, nor keets. He actually kept predators away from them, guarded the coop at night, and we seldom lost a bird. We were hoping for the same experience with the collie but it didn’t pan out. We tried various methods to break the bad habits including training collars but none were effective.