Adding Guinea Fowl to an Established Chicken flock

[IvanK]

Hi! Ok so here goes...someone has to have tried this
I have a mature free range chicken flock with two resident roos. This year I want to give guineas a try for tick control etc etc. Online is full of both yay and naysayers for keeping guineas and chickens together but from what I can tell, if you raise guineas with chickens (roos incl.), they do not become aggressive towards the chickens as they get older because the chickens imprint on them as "normal" and "non-threatening". So unless I hear some excellent cases otherwise, that will be my strategy - I am going to socialize the guineas from the start with other poultry.
My main concern (and question) is for the safety of the guineas when adding them to a mature chicken flock. For example, I can add cockerels and pullets to the flock (in numbers so no one gets overly picked on) but will the established roos/hens view this new species as a major threat and kill the younger guineas? I've heard stories of chicken hens picking apart younger guineas though there may have been spacing issues...and the guineas did sound like they were too small to go in with bigger birds. So 1) Will it be ok/safe to introduce a good number of adolescent guineas to a mature chicken flock like I manage to do with cockerels and pullets? or 2) Is it better to start a second flock, keeping the guineas exclusively with the chicken chicks that they grow up with? I look forward to hearing about your experience(s) and for any advice. Thanks!

 

[R2elk]

Hi! Ok so here goes...someone has to have tried this
I have a mature free range chicken flock with two resident roos. This year I want to give guineas a try for tick control etc etc. Online is full of both yay and naysayers for keeping guineas and chickens together but from what I can tell, if you raise guineas with chickens (roos incl.), they do not become aggressive towards the chickens as they get older because the chickens imprint on them as "normal" and "non-threatening". So unless I hear some excellent cases otherwise, that will be my strategy - I am going to socialize the guineas from the start with other poultry.
My main concern (and question) is for the safety of the guineas when adding them to a mature chicken flock. For example, I can add cockerels and pullets to the flock (in numbers so no one gets overly picked on) but will the established roos/hens view this new species as a major threat and kill the younger guineas? I've heard stories of chicken hens picking apart younger guineas though there may have been spacing issues...and the guineas did sound like they were too small to go in with bigger birds. So 1) Will it be ok/safe to introduce a good number of adolescent guineas to a mature chicken flock like I manage to do with cockerels and pullets? or 2) Is it better to start a second flock, keeping the guineas exclusively with the chicken chicks that they grow up with? I look forward to hearing about your experience(s) and for any advice. Thanks!

The most common result from imprinting guineas with chickens is that everything can seem fine until the guineas start their first breeding season. At that time their true nature shows. They start their chasing and racing, attacks from behind, feather pulling and breaking. This is their nature. It is not a chicken's nature. Guineas that have been imprinted cannot understand that chickens are not guineas. The chickens don't understand the guinea behavior and end up extremely stressed. It is also not a chicken's nature to attack en masse but that is natural guinea behavior.

I raised guineas with chickens. I will not brood, raise or house guineas with chickens.

I can let my guineas, chickens and turkeys free range at the same time in the same place with each group keeping to themselves and not bothering the others.

I would not do what you are planning.

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

 

[IvanK]

The most common result from imprinting guineas with chickens is that everything can seem fine until the guineas start their first breeding season. At that time their true nature shows. They start their chasing and racing, attacks from behind, feather pulling and breaking. This is their nature. It is not a chicken's nature. Guineas that have been imprinted cannot understand that chickens are not guineas. The chickens don't understand the guinea behavior and end up extremely stressed. It is also not a chicken's nature to attack en masse but that is natural guinea behavior.

I raised guineas with chickens. I will not brood, raise or house guineas with chickens.

I can let my guineas, chickens and turkeys free range at the same time in the same place with each group keeping to themselves and not bothering the others.

I would not do what you are planning.

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

Oh this is great info. Ok so my takeaway from this is is that its good to raise keets and chicks together but to house separately and keep an eye out on the range during breeding season. I suppose if the guineas become too much for the chickens, there's always a solution. I guess I'll start by imprinting with chicks and so on, but when its time to imprint their home coop, I'll give them their own space/house to mitigate the risk. If things get nuts on the range, I'll have to control the situation. Chickens come first here so hopefully the guineas work out - but I guess I won't hold my breath. Thanks for this.

 

[R2elk]

Oh this is great info. Ok so my takeaway from this is is that its good to raise keets and chicks together but to house separately and keep an eye out on the range during breeding season. I suppose if the guineas become too much for the chickens, there's always a solution. I guess I'll start by imprinting with chicks and so on, but when its time to imprint their home coop, I'll give them their own space/house to mitigate the risk. If things get nuts on the range, I'll have to control the situation. Chickens come first here so hopefully the guineas work out - but I guess I won't hold my breath. Thanks for this.

It is not good to brood chicks and keets together. This is when keets become imprinted. I want my guineas to understand that chickens are not guineas. Imprinting removes their ability to understand that chickens are not guineas.

In addition guinea keets need a high protein turkey or game bird starter for proper development. Chicks do not need this high protein feed but it won't hurt them..

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Oh this is great info. Ok so my takeaway from this is is that its good to raise keets and chicks together but to house separately and keep an eye out on the range during breeding season. I suppose if the guineas become too much for the chickens, there's always a solution. I guess I'll start by imprinting with chicks and so on, but when its time to imprint their home coop, I'll give them their own space/house to mitigate the risk. If things get nuts on the range, I'll have to control the situation. Chickens come first here so hopefully the guineas work out - but I guess I won't hold my breath. Thanks for this.

Hi IvanK, I’m one of those who heard I’d get tamer, chicken-loving guineas if I brooded keets with chicks and ducklings. It seemed to work great until they were 3 mo old, when the guineas became quite aggressive to the rest of the poultry. I had to rehome most and separate the ones that I kept. Since then, I’ve added three other groups of guineas, some hatched in an incubator and some hatched by guinea hens. Those newer guineas get along much better with the chickens and ducks. So, I’d say that it’s the imprinting that increases the risk of aggression.

Depending on your space, I think that you might be able to brood the keets, get them to about 6-8 weeks, then house them where you want them to roost. That’s a pretty standard method of getting them from brooder to free ranging birds that return to the coop. They need to stay in the coop for another few weeks at least, preferably be taught herding, then slowly be given more supervised time out and herding back in. If the coop that you want them to roost in is the chicken coop, then I think you increase the chance that the guineas will eventually be aggressive with the chickens, maybe just at roosting time. If your birds are all out free ranging every day, then it’s most likely that your guineas will mostly ignore the chickens, once they’ve fully matured. Guineas range and travel much more than chickens so they will want to do their own thing most of the time. When they stick around, guineas are great at noticing threats and alerting the other poultry. In case your hadn’t heard this already, guineas are LOUD!

The other special problem that guineas have is with roosters. Guinea cocks can threaten any roos on your flock, though it’s more likely slow torment than immediate death. As I’ve increased the size of my guinea flock, they seem less and less interested in my roosters. I just had them all out today and my little mallard duck was angrily chasing the guineas all around. The guineas can and have whipped that girl’s tail feathers, but they just side stepped her and mostly ignored her. One of my roos took offense when the guinea cocks entered his coop, and the guineas let him chase them off. Again, they are completely capable of taking him on, but the newer, non-chicken bonded guineas just don’t care much about the other poultry. Let us know what you decide to do and if you want to talk guinea coops or coop training!

 

[My2butterflies]

Hey
Guineas are awesome birds. As suggested, do raise(brood) them separately from your chicks. And if you can give them their own coop. It will really make things go smoothly.
Mine have all been raised separately from my chickens, and my chickens are fenced in. But... I have a hen that always finds a way out. She has never received any harm from the guineas. She will hang out with them, and even followed my guinea hens to their nesting area and laid an egg there
I hope you’ll keep us all updated with how things go if you decide to get keets.

 

[IvanK]

Hey
Guineas are awesome birds. As suggested, do raise(brood) them separately from your chicks. And if you can give them their own coop. It will really make things go smoothly.
Mine have all been raised separately from my chickens, and my chickens are fenced in. But... I have a hen that always finds a way out. She has never received any harm from the guineas. She will hang out with them, and even followed my guinea hens to their nesting area and laid an egg there
I hope you’ll keep us all updated with how things go if you decide to get keets.

Hi! I'm responding to your comment specifically but I'm grateful for everyone that's chimed in with experience and advice. In many ways posting my inquiry here has opened my eyes beyond what my research provided me with. I've concluded that I may be risking too much by introducing guineas to my land for a number of reasons. The primary reason is that as a homesteader, dependent (partly) on income from breeding and selling chicks and heritage turkeys, I don't want to upset the balance of what I have going on. Furthermore, my roosters play an integral part of my success here and if I introduce a species that prevents them from doing their job properly, I'm shooting myself in the foot economically. Part of the attraction to my products is that my birds flourish on the range, eating off the land, living free and healthy lives. I need to keep that going without disruption.
I haven't written guineas off entirely, but I think for now I'm going to take more time to think about what it could mean to have them around. Thanks again!

 

[R2elk]

Hi! I'm responding to your comment specifically but I'm grateful for everyone that's chimed in with experience and advice. In many ways posting my inquiry here has opened my eyes beyond what my research provided me with. I've concluded that I may be risking too much by introducing guineas to my land for a number of reasons. The primary reason is that as a homesteader, dependent (partly) on income from breeding and selling chicks and heritage turkeys, I don't want to upset the balance of what I have going on. Furthermore, my roosters play an integral part of my success here and if I introduce a species that prevents them from doing their job properly, I'm shooting myself in the foot economically. Part of the attraction to my products is that my birds flourish on the range, eating off the land, living free and healthy lives. I need to keep that going without disruption.
I haven't written guineas off entirely, but I think for now I'm going to take more time to think about what it could mean to have them around. Thanks again!

I currently have guineas, chickens and turkeys. I don't have any issues between my guineas and the other poultry. I do brood, raise and house my guineas separately. I keep them in a secure coop at night because I did not with my first flock of guineas and lost every one of them to night time predators. The most damage was done by Great Horned Owls.

All of my poultry can be free range during the day time with each group leaving the other groups alone.

I find my guinea keets more salable than poults or chicks. If I do advertise guinea keets for sale, the ad is very rarely up for more than a day.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Hi! I'm responding to your comment specifically but I'm grateful for everyone that's chimed in with experience and advice. In many ways posting my inquiry here has opened my eyes beyond what my research provided me with. I've concluded that I may be risking too much by introducing guineas to my land for a number of reasons. The primary reason is that as a homesteader, dependent (partly) on income from breeding and selling chicks and heritage turkeys, I don't want to upset the balance of what I have going on. Furthermore, my roosters play an integral part of my success here and if I introduce a species that prevents them from doing their job properly, I'm shooting myself in the foot economically. Part of the attraction to my products is that my birds flourish on the range, eating off the land, living free and healthy lives. I need to keep that going without disruption.
I haven't written guineas off entirely, but I think for now I'm going to take more time to think about what it could mean to have them around. Thanks again!

Certainly smart to think it through and have a back up plan. For guineas, a good backup plan might be resale of the flock or butchering. I just wanted to add that for a free ranging mixed flock, guineas CAN be very good for security, in that they are much more alert to predators than your other birds. They are excellent “watch dogs”. My ducks are much safer being in the pond when the guineas stick around, and the guineas have alerted me to many predators. If you are able to tell them apart, you can probably permanently remove any individual troublesome guineas that pick on your roosters. I have six roosters right now and they are all fine with the guineas. I am firmly convinced that separate housing and brooding has been key to our current peace.

 

[IvanK]

Certainly smart to think it through and have a back up plan. For guineas, a good backup plan might be resale of the flock or butchering. I just wanted to add that for a free ranging mixed flock, guineas CAN be very good for security, in that they are much more alert to predators than your other birds. They are excellent “watch dogs”. My ducks are much safer being in the pond when the guineas stick around, and the guineas have alerted me to many predators. If you are able to tell them apart, you can probably permanently remove any individual troublesome guineas that pick on your roosters. I have six roosters right now and they are all fine with the guineas. I am firmly convinced that separate housing and brooding has been key to our current peace.

This is great to read. I have the space to house and brood separately so I might make guineas my 2022 project. This year feels too busy already for taking on a new species and being able to deal with any problems that "may" arise. Again, my biggest concern is that they will offset the system/balance with all the other birds that I have and depend on.
It sounds like you and a lot of other people are having success by following the same formula so I will definitely follow all of this advice when it is time - who knows...once May/June comes around, I may yet pick up a few dozen keets and see how it goes. As you said, problem birds can always be removed. For now, I'm going to focus on what I have planned and if I'm all caught up with my projects by spring...well, we'll see I certainly have the desire to start a guinea flock but everyone here has opened my eyes to that if I don't do it right - and have the time to commit to doing it right - I'll have some pretty big issues.