HEALTH CARE AND HOUSING
It is very easy to take care of poultry. A shelter of some sort and a few nesting boxes will easily suit the needs of a few birds! Our hen house was originally a 8x12 tool shed that we added roosts and nesting boxes to. We attached a 17 x 24 enclosed run for the birds to play around in on nicer days. It is essential to make sure you have adequate space for each bird - if too many birds are enclosed in a small space they will become aggressive towards each other. In our years of owning poultry we have never had an issue with fighting; we believe most of it is due to the abundance of space in their house and pen along with the time allowed for free ranging.
Guinea fowl can be housed right with your chickens, if you prefer. If you keep your chickens in an enclosure all the time, though, the guineas won't be able to do what they do best - eat all the ticks and bugs around your yard! We built a "guinea hen house" right off the side of our blue shed. The plan was to keep the smaller front door open 24/7 so the guineas could come and go as they pleased. However, the guineas had a different idea - one day when everyone was out, chickens, guineas and ducks, the guineas decided they liked the chicken house better and haven't been "home" since! We kept our guineas in their house for several weeks before letting them out for the first time, but they still preferred to live with the chickens. Since we allow everyone to free range, we didn't mind, but for those who wish to keep your chickens confined it's something to think about. Now we just use the guinea hen house as a brooder for chicks! |
A great site to visit and learn about raising poultry is Back Yard Chickens. There are many people there to help answer any and all questions related to raising ducks, chickens and guineas.