Can chickens and guinea fowl live together?
Guinea Fowl and Chickens Generally Integrate Well Although guinea fowl are not fully domesticated and can be a bit more aggressive than chickens it has been observed that if they are integrated together at a young age, then in general there isn’t much conflict between chickens and guinea fowl.
How do you introduce guinea fowl to chickens?
You never want to add young keets to a flock of established females. Your Guinea hens will pick incessantly at younger females that they see as a threat. Instead, you should raise keets in a brooder until they are large enough to go outside. Once they can live outside, you can put them in a separate coop.
How much space do guinea fowl need in a coop?
Your guinea fowl house should be cozy but large enough to accommodate your flock. To determine the appropriate size to make the house, figure on 3 to 4 square feet for each bird you want to keep. If you’ll be keeping 12 guinea fowl, their house will need a floor plan of between 36 square feet and 48 square feet.
Can guinea fowl be kept in a run?
Cover the Run An entirely enclosed run will keep guinea fowl from flying away. If you want guineas to patrol for ticks and other insect pests, remove the cover after 6 weeks. With a little luck, the guineas will fly out during the day, but return to their home to eat, drink, and sleep.
Do guineas kill chickens?
Guineas will sometimes kill chickens. It won’t happen every time but it does happen. Usually a single guinea won’t be a problem but they can gang up on a chicken, usually a rooster. If they are free ranging the problem isn’t bad as the chicken can escape.
Do guineas scratch like chickens?
Guinea fowl can be sort of an exotic addition to a homestead. You will hear many glamorous things about them. Guineas are easier on the yard than chickens. They don’t scratch as much or won’t go after your garden.
Is it OK to have chickens and guinea fowl?
Chickens are fine with both. Guineas are not the same. Unless you clip their wings extremely short, they are going to get out of the coop. That is actually a good thing if you have them for any reason beyond meat and eggs. Guineas are also very dominant. So don’t be surprised if they end up running your coop. Our guineas have completely taken over.
What happens if you put a Guinea in a chicken coop?
The entire year went roost in trees, get one eaten by an owl, roost in the coop for about a week, roost in trees, get eaten by the owl, roost in the coop for about a week, and so on until we had no guineas. We are left with a great horned owl who stares at the coop every evening looking for more guineas.
Do you need a brooder box for a guinea fowl?
However, if you want them to come home and roost then they’ll need a coop. If you decide to start with keets, you raise them basically as you would a baby chick or duckling. They require a brooder box and starter feed. They need to be protected from the wind and kept warm for the first few weeks. You can also raise guinea fowl from adults.
What should I do with my guinea fowl eggs?
You have two options: Put the guinea eggs under a broody hen. She will raise them as her own and take great care of them. Incubate the eggs and raise them as you would day old keets that you purchased.
When to introduce guinea fowl to your chickens?
Introducing Guinea Fowl to Your Flock of Chickens As has been touched upon in the various sections, it is important to integrate guinea fowl into your chicken coop early. By, “Early,” that means when they are babies (also known as, ‘Keets,”).
Can a guinea fowl live in a chicken coop?
By working guinea fowl into a coop in a manner that feels natural and less-obtrusive you will have already gone a long way towards having a happy cohabitation between the guinea fowl and chickens.
How long does it take guinea fowl to adjust to a coop?
Give them some space: Guinea Fowl take a little bit more time to adjust to coop living and you might need to coop them up for as long as a week to get them to call it home. In the interests of keeping the peace, getting a second coop is a great move.
What’s the best way to keep a guinea fowl?
It is a somewhat symbiotic relationship. If you intend to keep the guinea fowl from wandering off it is best to raise them in a house that will be their ‘forever’ house. If you move them from one place to another you run a very big risk of having them wander off never to return.