Silkies and Guineas? Help!

[Baymule]

We are getting a trio of Silkies tomorrow. I also have 6 Guineas on the porch that need to go out in a new coop that is started, but not finished! Can Silkies and Guineas live together in a coop and get along? Once I put them together, I plan on them being yard birds, free to roam the yard during the day, closed up in the coop at night. I want to clip the Guinea feathers so they don't roost in the trees and become owl/hawk meals. Will the Guineas pick on the Silkies?

 

[Alibo]

In my experience the guineas I have raised will pick on if not kill other birds they are not raised with. My guineas raised with chickens happily coop up with them but the ones raised on their own have killed chicks. If they are raised from a young age together it will probably be fine but I would keep a close eye on things

 

[Baymule]

Ok sounds like separate coops. I sure don’t want the Silkies to be picked on. Can they range in the same yard, about an acre?

 

[Alibo]

Yes but your guineas even once established will range very far. They range all over my 5 acres and beyond. We got them, however, for snake control after my son got bit by a copper head and have not seen one since....

 

[Baymule]

We've been here a little over 3 years. We've had 3 dogs bit by copperheads and one dog (female Great Pyrenees) that kills every snake she finds and several have been copperheads. Really tired of copperheads! All of our fencing is 2"x4" non climb horse wire, I thought about clipping holes in the wire where I would like them to range. But would they find their way back to that hole? Or would they just run up and down the wire trying to get back through? We have 8 acres fenced into 4 pastures (mostly wooded), a garden and back yard. While I don't really want them to run the whole 8 acres, I would like for them to have access to more than just the front yard area.

 

[Alibo]

So guineas hatch with about 98% of brain cells missing. They are either really dumb or not fully equipped to deal with our world with fences. I will watch the flock go through my field fencing fine and then two or three will get "stuck" on the way back in... they will pace the fence all day and then the magical power of twighlight will remind them that they can fly up and over. Even being raised by hand they are instinctually feral and are hard to catch to clip their wings. That being said they are a wonderful pleasure to watch and listen to and I hope you will enjoy them!

 

[Baymule]

I kinda knew they were dumb. LOL I guess if I want Guineas in more than one field, I'll get multiple flocks. We got the Silkies today, they are so darn cute! I have a couple of coops to build. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and experience with me.