Started Guinea Care

Thank you for purchasing started guineas! Guineas are a great bird to have free ranging your property. They are excellent for tick, snake and other pest control and make a great watch bird for your property and your flock.

Suggested shopping list

Waterer, feeder, game bird feed, chicken scratch, white millet, vitamins and electrolytes, books.

Recommended Reading

Gardening with Guineas and Storey’s Illustrated Guide to Raising Poultry

What do I feed my guineas?

Guineas will free range, eating lots of bugs and weed seeds. They also need a game bird breeder formula for this age and beyond. This is available at your local feed store. Guineas also enjoy chicken scratch as well as kitchen scraps. White millet is considered a special treat.

How do I introduce my guineas?

Guineas are best kept penned up for the first 4-6 weeks. Pen them up where you want them to roost at night. Guineas can fly, so this enclosure will need to be covered. Being a wild game bird, if this time is not given, they will decide on their own where their home is, and it likely won’t be where you want it to be, possibly not even your property.

Do guineas need a shelter?

A shelter is recommended. They will roost in trees, but this will encourage them to become more wild and also makes them susceptible to predators. A shelter does not have to be elaborate. It can be a barn, a chicken coop, or any type of pen. A shelter should have roosts (barn beams are a favorite place) and protection from the elements and predators.

Will they get along with my chickens and other birds? What about my other animals?

Guineas will typically stay in a flock to themselves. They will get along with any other animals that do not pose a threat. They generally do not interact with chickens, ducks, geese or other poultry kept on the same property unless they are penned with them.

Will guineas lay eggs?

Guineas will lay eggs, however, when in a free range situation, it is likely you will not find them. Guinea eggs taste great and a guinea, during season, will typically lay an egg a day.

Can I eat guineas?

Absolutely. Many people buy our Jumbo French Guineas for that purpose. They typically weigh around two pounds heavier and their meat is always tender, regardless of their age, but are ready to process at 14-16 weeks. The meat is lean, tender, and dark.

How can I tell the difference between a male and a female?

The male is slightly larger than the female and will have a slightly larger wattle. The easiest and most reliable way to tell the difference between males and females are the sounds they make. The male guinea makes one syllable “Chi Chi Ch” sound, and a females makes a two-syllable “buck-wheat” sound.

What are the predators of the guinea?

Guineas are fast on their feet and are great fliers. They will evade most predators with ease. Common predators include hawks, owls, foxes, raccoon, opossums, coyote, etc. They are most vulnerable at night if roosting outside of a penned enclosure or while they are sitting on a nest.