I’m always writing about how fascinating it is watching our farm birds – chickens and guinea hens – doing their things around the yard. It’s like a little soap opera at times in how they interact with each other. I thought it would be fun to tell some of the little stories of things that go on.
One funny thing we’ve watched all summer is one of our Rhode Island Red chickens constantly following the guinea hens around. The other chickens will be off on their own or in their little cliques, but that one Mama Red is often seen with the guinea hens. If the guinea hens are parading around the yard – Mama Red will be at the end of the parade.
When the guinea hens emerge from the brush in the lower part of the yard – watch for another minute and next thing you know, Mama Red will come out of there too! And it’s always just the one chicken. You might see other chickens in the area of the guinea hens, but this one really does just hang out with them a lot. Sometimes they leave her behind and she’s left alone, but she seems OK with that too. She won’t follow them if they wander too far (like up the road to the neighbor’s yard as they occasionally do), but she’ll find them again once they’ve returned.
She really just seems to want to be a member of the “guinea gang” as we call them!
When Mama guinea hen is sitting on her nest to lay an egg, surrounded by her guards, Mama Red will be right there in the mix. Then, Mama Red will use that nest to lay her own egg! Some of the other chickens do as well, but most days there is only one chicken egg in the guinea nest, and I’m pretty sure I know who’s that is!
This seems to be fine with the guinea hens. If the chickens use their nest, they’ll still continue to use it as well. The only time I saw a problem was one day when I was checking on the latest nest, and saw Mama Red sitting in the nest defiantly, and Mama Guinea hen sitting just outside it looking a quite annoyed!
To me it’s a good thing if the chickens use the same nest, because we always find out where the guinea nests are, since the females will call the males if they don’t think they are close by keeping an eye on things. The call is very distinct, seemingly only used in that situation and we can get an idea of where to look. The chickens are a little more secretive about their hidden nests.
The guinea hens, however, don’t ever use the same areas as the chickens (and never the coop or nesting boxes so far!), they always start their own nests. The only thing that breaks them of using a certain area is if we take all the eggs out, or if wildlife gets the eggs overnight. Then they will move on to a different location.
Guinea hens and chickens co-exist quite well in our experience. The chickens do get annoyed when Pumpkin Pied or one of the guinea boys pull on their tail feathers, but the guineas do that to each other too. Harm is not usually done. We’ve even see Pumpkin Pied defend one of the chickens when Charlie the rooster was after her! Pumpkin might think he’s the only one allowed to harass the others….or maybe he wants to join the chicken gang? 😊
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Love those follow the leader photos!
It’s a never-ending parade around here! 🙂
I love the stories of your birds. I think that Mama Red does want to be a guinea fowl! Hilarious 🙂
Thank you! Who could blame her – the guineas really are cool birds! 🙂
Always drama of some type! I understand – most of my life I’ve related better to boys, people older or younger than me, etc. So I get how a hen might just feel better without having to deal with the other hens.
Yes! I am the same way, so it makes perfect sense!
she wants to be a cool guinea hen
Who wouldn’t?? 🙂
Never a dull moment- they are like a soap opera 🙂
We don’t even need a TV anymore! 🙂
Awww, Mama Red must think the guineas are the cool chicks in the yard. That is fascinating to me.
It is to me too! 🙂
You could start a birds soap opera LOL. So cute to watch!
I wonder if we could get rich? 🙂
Awww, I love to hear updates on your chickens, I always learn something new.
I’m so glad you enjoy them. We’ll be sharing more stories soon!
that is so cute and interesting!!! I love your blog because I learn so much about some animals that I know nothing about. Love this!
I had no idea what it would really be like having chickens, so it’s fun to share all that with others who don’t know much about them either. 🙂
Could you train Luke to find and alert you to the hidden nests?
It is something I am considering trying! There’s not much info out there about anyone doing it though, so I’d have to figure it out on my own I think (and since we’ve taken a nose works class, I think I have the general idea). You’ll definitely hear about it if I do!
They all have their own personalities, don’t they. Mom is letting me have a hard boiled egg every day, Luke. Do you ever get to have them?
Yay – eggs are so good for us! The Momz gives me a raw egg every other morning in my breakfast! I’ve had scrambled eggs too, but I’ve never had a hard boiled one (take note, Momz!).
Momz would never let me have a raw commercial egg though, she only trusts our own. 🙂
xo Luke
I love your farm stories. I so remember growing up with critters everywhere. A huge Awww.
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Have a fabulous Awww Monday and week. ♥
We are so glad you enjoy our stories. Thanks for hosting all the hops!
The all sound like fun to watch and they sure seem like great group together!
There are squabbles here and there, probably just like with dogs or cats! But overall they get along well.
I love these stories! They make me chuckle. 😁 Then I look up and see Ducky sitting in the grass, intently eyeing a squirrel and it starts my day off perfectly.
We are glad to help get your day off to a good start! Hi, Ducky!! ♥
Awe Mama Red must fink her are a Guinea or their Mama 😉 So cute!!
xoxo,
Matt & Matilda
She might just think she’s their Mama, and she’s keeping a close eye on them! ♥
They’re quite entertaining, aren’t they? How interesting that the guineas and chickens will use the same nest. We never knew that.
They’ll even hatch each other’s eggs! So we hear anyway. Anytime we tried moving the guinea eggs into the nesting boxes in hopes a chicken would sit on them, it didn’t happen.
I like to watch them when they run or are in a hurry… ;O)
Yes, they are so funny when they run! And when they chase each other, it’s even funnier!
Those birds are pretty funny! I guess there is a lot to learn if you live with them. Mom saw a fox this morning just around the corner from out house. Good thing we don’t have chickens!
Definitely! Hope no one in your neighborhood does either!
There really is a lot to learn with these birds, it’s been quite a process, and ongoing! 🙂