Q&A for How to Raise Guinea Fowl

Unlikely. If you have a space for them in an outbuilding that is roomy, however, you can create attractive places for them to lay by making private spaces. It's as easy as propping a piece of plywood against a wall with enough space between to hold a guinea hen. They like privacy.

The lifespan of a guinea fowl is approximately 10 to 15 years, although they can live beyond this.

You can start to let them adventure the great outdoors at around 12 weeks to ensure that their feathers have grown fully and they can protect themselves from any harsh weather by regulating their body temperature.

Hens are very competitive. Two males will fight to the death over territory. I'd suggest two females only.

You should change it every day, or when it gets dirty. Same as chickens, they go to the bathroom wherever they want. Then their feces could end up in their water. If they drink it, it could make them sick.

Guinea fowl are monogamous, and they mate for life, so you'll need 3 males.

The keets should be at least half the size of the chickens and strong enough to withstand any attack from the bigger ones. Start by introducing one or two of the keets into the chicken pen, and closely monitor for any aggression.

You can try to coop them up at night until they are adults, and then they will roost high in the trees and predators won't be able to get them anymore. However, it's best to get the coyotes and similar prey relocated rather than to depend on the guineas to avoid them. Call your local office of the federal Agriculture Department. Some have specialist on live traps, and they'll do it for you.

Walk around the area where you released them first. They are extremely vocal, so you might get the "warning" squak. They are also most likely to roost in a tall tree in the evening and can be boisterous and loud. The only problem is they do tend to wander far from home.

They potentially could. You also have to make sure to give them proper nutrition.

My guineas are not threatened by anything, but do react to people and cats arriving in their space. They're not particularly noisy by day, but in the evenings they reenact the chariot race from "Ben Hur" on my veranda roof and the screeching and galloping makes phone conversation impossible.

They will start at 14-15 weeks, but sometimes at 16-18 weeks old. Some take longer, some shorter.

Yes, but they will abandon the nest if they are disturbed. They cant be moved or messed with, so its more difficult to have success.

If you have a straight flock of guinea, the same logic for chickens applies - 4 square feet per bird, less if they are only cooped at night. If you have a mixed flock with chickens, allow much more room. Guinea are fun and extravagantly active (read clumsy). They can be bullies, and even if they aren't, most chickens find their shenanigans over-the-top. They are like bowling balls getting on and off the roosts, and the hens often are having none of it.

Always free choice. It’s more convenient all around, and better for your chickens.

All female poultry can lay eggs without a male. However, guinea fowls don’t lay eggs year-round, unlike chickens and other poultry species.

No. The Guinea fowl could badly injure your ducks, or the ducks may be uncomfortable with the Guinea fowl living with them and not lay eggs.

Yes. It still does the same thing. Make sure you monitor the eggs, though.

Your meets are probably either cold or nervous. They could also be hungry. Think about getting a heat lamp or heat pads, and hold and stroke your meets often. Make sure that they have unlimited access to food and water.

For the roof of a Guinea pen, you can use chicken wire or wood. Chicken wire is good because it allows for ventilation and it keeps the Guineas in. Wood can help keep the cold winter air out, so you could change between each depending on the time of the year.

Bake with them: cakes, cornbread, whatever you choose. Guinea eggs are far richer than chicken eggs. Use two guinea eggs for each chicken egg, or use a combination of the two. If you want to leave the eggs where they were laid hoping for hatching, don't touch them. Guineas frequently lay in a community nest, and the mother of the egg may not be the one to hatch them. The same is true of chickens, of course.

Very likely, though it depends on the coop size. Guineas originated in Africa, and it seems unlikely they would have survived had they been extremely sensitive to heat.

Guineas tend to enjoy the company of others and often in a flock; other times, they may choose to walk off by themselves while foraging for food. To protect your guinea from wild, roaming ones, you will need to keep yours up in a coop, with a top wire on the run to keep others from flying over the fence.

An incubator is best. Chances are a heat lamp will not work, as the heat is not even; there also needs to be plenty of moisture, and the eggs need to be turned several times daily as well. If you have a broody hen (chicken) you might consider putting the eggs under her.