Guinea hens prefer trees to coop

Nora

Nora

Farm Hand
Messages
54
They free-range during the day, but at night I'd like them to go into their coop. I'd also like them to use their nesting boxes, which they usually do, but sometimes I find a stray egg here and there around the property. I'm wondering if I have their coop too close to the chickens. They have separate areas, but they can see and hear one another as they're only a few feet apart. Could this be the problem or is it something else?
 

RichZ

Chocolate Milk Cow
Messages
454
That's pretty typical with guinea fowl, they never really get as domesticated as chickens do, and always retain that degree of wildness. I found that raising guinea fowl with chickens keeps them a little more domesticated. The guineas may follow the chickens into the coop at night, but not always. Also, guinea hens often go off into a more weedy area to lay their eggs. Chickens are bred not to go "broody" and not sit on their eggs, but in a flock of guineas one hen may sit on all of the other hens' eggs. That hen may disappear for weeks and then appear followed by a couple of dozen of chicks. Unfortunately, guinea hens are terrible mothers and don't pay much attention to their chicks as they slowly disappear.

The only way I found to get guinea fowl into the coop at night is to put their favorite feed in the coop at night. the guineas MIGHT go in there at night to get some treats and MIGHT end up sleeping there. It only works sometimes. Guineas just like roosting in trees.
 
The Big Cowhuna

The Big Cowhuna

Golden Chicken
Messages
126
I fondly remember when my brother was going nuts trying to fix the same problem. The configuration that worked the best was a tall shed that had tree branches on the inside for roosting. I don't think he ever got them to use a nesting box regularly, so you're one up on him there, @Nora.
 
Nora

Nora

Farm Hand
Messages
54
Maybe that's just how it is then. I worry that they'll get frostbite on cold winter nights outside since we're in the Midwest, but it's possible that the frigid temps will motivate them to head into their coop.
 
Urban Homestead

Urban Homestead

Bean Stalker
Messages
208
Maybe you could
I worry that they'll get frostbite on cold winter nights outside since we're in the Midwest, but it's possible that the frigid temps will motivate them to head into their coop.
Maybe you could build them a lean-to against a tree and keep it open. It would keep the birds out of the drafty wind at least.
 
 
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