[TyIsa]

I've got a broody hen sitting on 9 guinea fowl eggs at the moment but the more I read, the more I think I might be making a mistake. I currently have 14 chickens of various breeds and sizes ( including a very well mannered Hamburg cockerel) and 4 ducks all living very harmoniously free range during the day (access to 8 acres but they tend to stay close to the house) with separate houses at night.  I don't like the sound of how aggressive guineas can be to other poultry and my hope is that being raised by a chicken and given lots of space should be enough to avoid any major problems.
Does anyone know if it's ok to only keep female guineas? I'm not planning to breed them and it seems the problems are with the males in breeding season.
Any thoughts and advice on this ( and Guineas in general) gratefully received.

[Richmond]

It's perfectly ok to keep just females. The issue with Guinea fowl is they behave like turkeys and prefer to roost at the highest point possible, rather than going into a hen house. Therefore unless you keep their wings clipped they will be up in the trees as soon as they can fly. Personally I like to see them being able to express natural behaviour like this but appreciate it's not practical for everyone.

Also like turkeys they are susceptible to blackhead, so ensure all your poultry is wormed with Flubenvet regularly.

[HappyHippy]

We kept guinea fowl alongside our chickens and didn't have any problems. They stuck together in a group and ranged further during the day than the chooks. At night they chose to roost in the rafters of our big shed rather than in the chicken area but other than that we didn't have any fights or squabbles. They're noisy and full of character, but fab!

[TyIsa]

That's great to hear - thanks.
My Sumatras and Hamburgs aren't keen on houses either, preferring the head height perches I've put in the chicken enclosure so I'll just add more perches.
Didn't know that about flubenvet - I'll have to do some reading. I don't routinely worm my flock  - I send samples for faecal egg count and haven't found it necessary.

[Richmond]

Sounds like you are on top of things with the regular FECs so don't panic re worming. It's just something to be aware of that's all.

[TyIsa]

Thanks Richmond, I'd never even heard of Blackhead so the advice was useful. Always seen worms as an annoyance rather than a big worry so this will push me to not leave too long an interval between FECs.

[landroverroy]

Blackhead is not a worm it is a protozoa - usual treatment is Metronidazole.

[Richmond]

Yes but it is carried by the heterakis worm, which can be killed by Flubenvet.
Vets no longer prescribe metronidazole for blackhead.