guinea hens

[fenneran]

Here are some links for more information:
www.guineafowl.com
Guinea Fowl Breeders Association
Poultry Pages-Guinea
The Guinea Farm

Frank

[opie744]

Our guineas are 8 wks and we are trying to get them used to the chickenbarn by having them in the dog kennell for the next 6 wks in the barn. This was a suggestion by seasoned guinea raiser on one of the guinea website. I find them to be very distrusting and can't seem to win them over. I hand feed the ducks and chickens and enjoy that, I have given the guineas birdie treats and fruits, still can't seem to win them over. Thier poop is much stinkier than chickens and ducks. I'm trying to have an open mind about them because I LOVE BIRDS.... but man [img]/forums/images/icons/blush.gif[/img] , it bothers me that they act like I'm going to ring thier necks when I enter the barn. [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img]
I'm going to try Roman tufted geese and welsh harquin ducks this spring. We'll keep the guineas because they are supposed to be excellent barn protectors from mice, rats, snakes, ect. I probably won't get more unless some huge halo shows up on thier heads or some spider writes some words in the webs in thier cages.......... [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[opie744]

I also meant to ask if you ended up getting any??

[rfawkes]

I keep 35 or 40 free range guineas on my property with 10 chickens. They all stay in one coop. They were raised separately, with the guineas not being let outside the covered pen until they were 10 or 12 weeks old. They come back every night, and love white millet as a treat every day. My dogs have not had a deer tick since the 2nd year I raised them. They are fun to watch, and except some holes dug in the ground where they take a dust bath, no maintainance. My wife and I love having them around.

[RichZ]

Opie, I guess I can answer for Earthmother, as she is my wife! [img]/forums/images/icons/smirk.gif[/img]
No we didn't get guinea hens yet, but we will get some this spring when we get our usual order of more layer hens. We keep expanding our free range flock of layer hens, and we'll get some guinea hens just for fun. We figure if we raise them with the layer hens, they'll probably return to the henhouse with them to roost everynight like the chickens do. We'll let you know what happens!!

[opie744]

I would do it that way, if I did it again. A book I read said not to raise the two together, diseases, [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] I believe was the reason, but I think it would be easier and maybe get some of the wild out to them????? Who knows. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[opie744]

Ours won't roost in the barn, they were roosting on the ground so I would pick them up and take them there, now they are roosting on the barn roof. I guess they will be safe way up there, can't get them anyways.

[roughcut]

If you could put a small pen in the hen house to keep the guineas in for about a week and feed them and water them there( dont let them out) this way you will be conditioning them to the hen house and they will more than likely go back into the hen house after you urn them out. Guineas like to roost outside in the trees they have a little bit of a wild streak in them and tend to prefer roosting in the trees.