Guinea Newbie

[trailhound]

Quote:
We do have a lot of hawks- and they are the main predator I am worried about since everyone will be locked up at night. I hope mine will serve as the guards and the chickens will listen to them and run like you said.

I guess my other worry is that they will wander into the neighbor's yard and become victims of the dog. My chickens don't tend to go that far, but it seems like guineas range a bigger area? Will they stay with the chickens or will they lead the chickens out further in the world? I have about 4 acres fenced with electric rope- keeps dogs and such out, but doesn't keep the chickens in.

Andrea

 

[DougD]

DW thinks that if you have male and female guineas housed together in a pen with chickens, the males will tend to bully the chickens more because they are defending their girl(s). Especially when the female guineas are laying.

 

[trailhound]

Hmm, good thoughts. Let's just hope I have all girl guineas then...

 

[dangerouschicken]

Don't forget they can hybridize with chickens, as well. Go here for pics and info.

I plan on separate housing for my guineas when winter comes on, if I can catch them

I do have a fishing net!

My 6 are keets right now (lav, pearl, french, white, and 2 pied) and about 3 weeks old. I got them because we have rattlers out here, and lots of ticks, and I have little girls to worry about.

My chickens are in a coop and run, so I'm not worried about the guineas attacking them.

 

[Jenlyn9483]

This is my first year owning guineas, in the spring time (beginning of march) I went to the feedstore to buy my geese and they had French Guineas and and assorted turkeys in the same brooder I asked for two of each and ended up with 3 turkeys and a guinea. So my lone French Guinea was raised with my 25 standard chicks and always fit in right along. I havent had any problems for the most part. I have no idea if it is a male or female (like i said first time guinea owner) I just know it does this load clicking chirping squakin sound often and has a horn thing on it's head like the ones in the pictures. I originally purchased the guinea and the turkeys to eat, (i heard guinea is spectacular meat, and I have a cookbook with several seemingly spectacular recipes), but then I got the idea to keep at least a trio for breeding and eggs (my friend had guineas growing up and said the eggs are GREAT). Also there has been a hawk and predator problem here before so I figured the guinea may frighten the predators or at least alarm me or the chickens of the danger. So i was on a quest to find more guineas. In the middle of april when bantams finally started coming in at the feed stores a friend phoned me to let me know that a feed store across town had guineas, so I went there and Purchased 4. I asked the feed store what kind of guineas they were and he simply stated "common ringneck guineas". Whatever that means! I have yet to find out anything on such breed. Anywho i raised these last 4 guineas with my bantam chicks and 3 turkeys i got that day, the three turkeys and the guineas have now been relocated to the huge run with the standard chickens and other guineas and turkeys. They all get along. These new guineas look spotted just like the French guinea. So dont see a difference now.

 

[warcard]

Okay...No such thing as a common ringneck guinea

(gotta love the farm store clerks who haven't got a clue about poultry

).
The most common guinea is the 'pearl' color a dark grey color with white spots (pearls). The 'French' guinea is just this color variety selected for a bigger size to provide more meat for eating. The only ringneck I know of is a pheasant.

Guineas can be bullies, but I have had a couple co-exist peacefully with chickens. I found keeping the chicken to guinea ratio high to be helpful, they tend to act less like a mob/pack.

Mostly you can treat them just like chickens, but remember they fly better.

 

[speckledhen]

Dont you love it when people who are clueless about poultry just make up stuff?

Feedstore personnel can be the worst!