New to guineas

[Altair]

I got the following article from a friend in Texas seeking my help with guineas. I only know a little more than she does which isn't much! She recently got three 4-5 month old birds.

I have a 60 square foot chain link dog kennel with a roof. I use it for letting the cats and parrots outside without being able to run/fly away. All it's got in it is a parrot cage, a parrot playpen, and a shelf thing for the cats. Last night I put the guineas in there with a plastic dog house full of hay to keep dry/warm. They have been living outside so I hope they will be fine.

Is this big enough for them? Do they need to free-range? What kind of scratch do I get for them and how much/how often do I feed them? Do I have to keep them cooped up for a certain amount of time before they consider our yard their home? How do I tell males from females and if I have two males will they fight? Will they hurt my cats? My dogs? (Zoose looks like he wants to eat them.) Can they fly? Do they need vet care? Would it be best to just slaughter them? Are they good for laying?

Some of these questions I can answer myself but I'd still like other POVs from people who've actually owned them.

[tinag210]

Although they can be noisy guineas are neat birds to have around. If let free-range they eat lots of ticks, japanese beetles, etc. helping keep your bug population down. Yes, you should first keep them penned up for 3-4 weeks until they realize where home is. They will then most always come back to the "home" pen to roost at night. During the summer if allowed to free-range they are pretty self-sufficient on feed although I do like to put a little scratch out for them. During the winter months when insects are unavailable a more complete feed is better (higher protein gamebird feed is best).

They can fly very well and mine have always been very healthy never requiring any kind of medication. I do worm mine in the spring and fall when worming my other poultry. They will lay in the spring and will set the eggs if not taken away, however they are not the best of moms. They tend to run off through the wet grass leaving the chicks behind. I suppose if you kept them in a building with enough hours of light you could induce them to lay year round. Some people say you can tell the sex by the wattles (males having bigger ones) but the only sure way to tell a female from a male is that the female will make the two-sylable "buckwheat" sound and the male will not. I have had some females with large wattles. I have never had the males fight with each other, but again mine free-range which sometimes makes a difference. They have never bothered my cats or dogs other than to chase the cats or dogs away from a nest or babies.

The main downside to them is that they can at times be very noisy and if you have close neighbors they may not appreciate the noise.

Best of luck with them.

Tina

[Dondoyle26]

My guniea hen would lay her egg on TOP of the barn where they roosted and it would drop down into the chicken yard threw the wire and NOT break. I swear those eggs are hard as rocks. They do lay an egg everyday from about march-sept here in Ms but we do not have the harsh winters others have. They arent laying right now but they are on lock down with the chickens for time being and that is going to have to be remidied soon with their own pen because the male guinea is aggressive towards the chickens. I would let them free range but, its coming up on hunting season and they will be running dogs and rather shooting some dogs that tend to chase birds rather than deer they just stay where its safe til spring. IF nothing else guineas are great watch dogs and a joy to watch. GOOD LUCK

[Patrick]

I just don't get this guineas as watchdogs theory. Sure, they'll tell you when someone pulls into the driveway, or when there's a stray dog in the yard, put they'll also warn you about every leaf that falls, squirrel that runs by, big gust of wind that blows and sometimes they'll just yell for the heck of it. You never know when they're warning for real, or just sqwaking because they feel like it.

[Pathfinders]

In my experience with guineas (my love of them started 40-odd years ago when my grandfather kept some at the horse barn), young guineas do yammer day and night. However by the time they're a year or so old, they settle down and can be relied upon to only make big noise when there's a problem or unknown person/animal in the area.

I once saw four of my old males drive off a fox who was in the back yard. Funniest thing I ever saw, sure wish I'd had a video camera!

OP, here are the answers I can give to your questions:

>> I have a 60 square foot chain link dog kennel with a roof. Is this big enough for them?

It depends on how many we're talking here, but if more than three or four, then not really, no. They will need much more space as they mature.

>> Do they need to free-range?

They don't need to, but they are vastly happier and nicer to each other with more room in which to roam.

>> What kind of scratch do I get for them and how much/how often do I feed them?

Scratch is not an appropriate feed (sole feed) for any type of poultry. Scratch should be thought of as a treat, not a main source of nutrition. I feed my growing guineas a turkey starter, and adult birds an 18% protein feed.

>> Do I have to keep them cooped up for a certain amount of time before they consider our yard their home?

Yes. Some say 3 to 4 weeks, I would actually suggest longer, more like 10 to 12 weeks.

>> How do I tell males from females and if I have two males will they fight?

As stated above, the only way to tell males from females is by their call. Females say "Buckwheat" males just say "Dikdikdik." And two males will fight from time to time.

>> Will they hurt my cats? My dogs?

Shouldn't be a threat to either, I'd worry more about the dogs wanting to eat them.

>>Can they fly?

Oh my yes, very high indeed!

>>Do they need vet care?

No more so than any other type of poultry (which is mostly never.)

>> Would it be best to just slaughter them?

Only if you want to eat them, they are reported to be very tasty.

>> Are they good for laying?

I have never eaten a guinea egg, but I suppose you could.

Best of luck with them.

[robin416]

Laura nailed it. The one thing I can add to her list is that Guineas are seasonal layers. Depending on the part of the country you live in their laying season is Feb to Oct.

Patrick, you just don't like Guineas. They have a different voice when there is real trouble within their range. When my dogs hear that voice they are off like shots because they know something is wrong. Heck, I've headed out of the house because I now recognize when its more than the flock being noisy for no particular reason.

And if my flock sees my gun they come running because they know I'm hunting something and they want to help. No joke. I shot at a poisonous snake here by the house this Summer, before I could line up a second shot the Guineas came running.

[Patrick]

Originally Posted by robin416

Laura nailed it. The one thing I can add to her list is that Guineas are seasonal layers. Depending on the part of the country you live in their laying season is Feb to Oct.

Patrick, you just don't like Guineas. They have a different voice when there is real trouble within their range. When my dogs hear that voice they are off like shots because they know something is wrong. Heck, I've headed out of the house because I now recognize when its more than the flock being noisy for no particular reason.

And if my flock sees my gun they come running because they know I'm hunting something and they want to help. No joke. I shot at a poisonous snake here by the house this Summer, before I could line up a second shot the Guineas came running.

No, you're wrong. I love guineas. What I don't like is when people don't think for themselves, and continue to parrot some currently held belief, just because everyone else says so. The differences in calls are so subtle that the average person can't tell the difference from the house, guineas often do alarm at the slightest thing, or for reasons which have nothing to do with danger, even normal intra and interspecific behaviors. They're not magic tick eliminators either, any more than are chickens, ducks, turkeys or peafowl.

Oh, and it's VENOMOUS snakes, and of course you have to kill them.

[robin416]

Originally Posted by Patrick

No, you're wrong. I love guineas. What I don't like is when people don't think for themselves, and continue to parrot some currently held belief, just because everyone else says so. The differences in calls are so subtle that the average person can't tell the difference from the house, guineas often do alarm at the slightest thing, or for reasons which have nothing to do with danger, even normal intra and interspecific behaviors. They're not magic tick eliminators either, any more than are chickens, ducks, turkeys or peafowl.

Oh, and it's VENOMOUS snakes, and of course you have to kill them.

Are you saying I'm not average since I can tell or are you accusing me of parroting? Hmm, rather difficult to tell.

Don't much care that its venomous versus poisonous, the result would have been the same if either myself or one of the dogs was bitten.

Ask me where my flock is right now? I have no clue. Since they made all their I'm outside noise this morning I haven't heard a peep out of them. See you parroted about how noisy they are when actually a mature flock is silent more than its making a racket. Although I will concede that Spring mating season can be a bit raucous.

[goosedragon]

Originally Posted by Patrick

I just don't get this guineas as watchdogs theory. Sure, they'll tell you when someone pulls into the driveway, or when there's a stray dog in the yard, put they'll also warn you about every leaf that falls, squirrel that runs by, big gust of wind that blows and sometimes they'll just yell for the heck of it. You never know when they're warning for real, or just sqwaking because they feel like it.

SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE SOME OF THE WATCHDOGS I HAVE KNOWN! Not well trained watchdogs I'll grant you but too many have had no effective training.

[Altair]

Thanks for replies!

[Dondoyle26]

Originally Posted by Patrick

I just don't get this guineas as watchdogs theory. Sure, they'll tell you when someone pulls into the driveway, or when there's a stray dog in the yard, put they'll also warn you about every leaf that falls, squirrel that runs by, big gust of wind that blows and sometimes they'll just yell for the heck of it. You never know when they're warning for real, or just sqwaking because they feel like it.

I just dont get any of your theorys? You are a very obnocious person. Anyone that has anything to post here you have something negitive to say. You ever think some of these people are here because they need advice not scolding ? O my bad unless it concerns your so called poultry shows right ? You think you and a couple others on here would figure out all your negitiveness is why people maybe dont come here as much and also why this forum has gone down hill. I dont care if I am blocked or not but you really need to get over your negitiveness. GET A LIFE dude! AND YES YOU DO KNOW WHEN BIRDS ARE WARNING FOR REAL especially when its 2 or 3 in the am and a coon or possum is . But then again you know it all so maybe we better check with you before we make any post on here. But then again what would could i expect from someone who only wants to promote so called shows and by the way there is nothing wrong with hatcheries that you often complain about. Those hatcheris happen to provide many people with chicks that are used for eggs and meat. Just because YOU and a few others cant use them for your shows doesnt make them all bad so you can get over yourself on that to.