Hello everyone, I am thinking of getting 6-8 guinea fowl and wanted to know if they need any kind of housing. I have 8 acres and wanted to let them free range. There are fields and trees on the property. thank you
Guinea Fowl
Fancy, housing is essential if you don't want your guinea fowl to fall prey to raccoons and other night-time predators.
We had guineas with our hens for awhile. A friend had recommended them for insect control, particularly for ticks which are a problem around here. However, they got into our garden and seemed to prefer the bean and zucchini buds to bugs; I got no fruit as long as they were around. They are also noisy - "GeGANK geGANK geGANK!" Our poultry yard is on the other side of our garage across the driveway, so it wasn't as bad as the Fowler's toads in the pond right under our windows, but still they did make a racket.
As far as teaching them to go into the henhouse at night, yes, they finally learned, but not before we spent weeks corralling them and stuffing them through the little door in the evening. Eventually they started to get the idea, and we would stand outside waiting for the last one to sally in so we could shut them up. All of them would be safely ensconced inside when a random thought would flicker through one pea-sized brain and it would decide that it had something urgent to do out in the yard. All of the others would follow suit and we'd have to wait all over again until it occurred to them, "Hmmmm - dark. Should be inside. Hmmmmm." I used to stand there doubled over with laughter. They finally did figure out the routine, but still, I have never seen anything so witless yet mobile in my life. We ended up giving them to our friend who recommended them to us, where they got picked off by foxes and eagles since she doesn't lock hers up at night.
You can probably tell that I don't recommend them. They taste good, though.
Very fuuny story!!! I know that these guys eat lots of bugs and that is my main reason for getting them as I have plenty of room for them to roam. Also they like red ants and here in Texas that is a big plus..
As long as you know what you're getting into I think they'd be fine for what you need them to do. They did have an impact on our tick population but for us it just wasn't worth it.They were definitely entertaining, though!
FF will guineas really eat sire ants? Or only if there is nothing else to eat?
I read it from here but can't remember who from. He said his jump on top of the hills and wait until the ants come out and have feast.
Predators carry mine off in broad daylight...It's a big problem, same as night..but I do love my guineas.
Larkie
Do you house them Larkie? What kind of preditors?
I shut them up every night...If not they would all be gone instead of a few that disappear in daylight.. Fox, bobcat, hawks, even coyotes, dogs and even feral cats. Makes it hard for them to survive...One of the biggest predators is the vehicles that travel our dirt road and here on the far.. No way to keep them out of the road, they have 400 acres to roam and yet head for the dirt road, lol..This past summer I lost at least 6 from cars & trucks and we live on a very rural road way out in the country..
Larkie
Wow Larkie, I hope mine make it. I live in a very rural area myself and there are plenty of hawks but not sure what else is around as I just recently moved into the area. But I guess I am fore warned now so it won't come as a big surprise. Thank you for your info.
Lis
There a pain in the ass....!!! We have some and they just live up a big tree up the back, you don't need housing. They know to get up high at night. They will live in a house if you want them to but they can fligh great, straight up trees and over fences but they learn quickly to roost in a house, until you get sick of there noise and want them way up the back up a tree, there easy to move.. hehe!
Thanks breeindy. I do have some big trees for them.
Here where I am, possums & raccoons will pick them right out of the tallest tree.lol..when you hear it, it is the eeriest sound, almost like someone screaming.
Larkie
Yes. Raccoons are very bad about killing them for sport. They may eat a few entrails or organs and then leave the rest. They come back the next night until all the birds are gone. The raccoons will get them out of the trees very easily unless you put a guard around the trunk about 4 feet up. The guard/skirt should be metal and stick out about two feet and angle down so their little paws slide off.
Think of it this way, if a squirrel can get up there, a raccoon can too.
I had some kill a few chickens until my cat "Mouse" jumped on one of their backs and rode them around the yard. Even the dogs looked puzzled when that happened.
I have two Guinea and they quickly migrate towards the dominate chicken and follow it around like babies.
They are loud but great watchdogs. If someone comes around that shouldnt be there, they let you know.
I have several guineas which I house with free range chickens. Here if you let them sleep in trees at night the owls take them away. They learned pretty fast to go in the coop at night. I love them, yes they are loud and sometimes pick on the chickens for no other reason than they are bullies, but they are great watch dogs and are very comical at times.
These poor things seem to be prey for a lot. Even owls. I will house them at night. I think they are really cute, how they all walk around all together. But if they go they go.
we have plenty of possums and owls and foxes and our guenia fowl have nether been bothered by them. There all up a high tree at night and you don't hear from them until morning. There fine out in the padock walking around eating grass seeds by the looks of it but they sometimes fly in my yard and innoy us. There poos are huge like a duck. hehe!
Yes they are like the police if anythings in the paddock.
You are very lucky!! Or guess I should say, your birds are..
Larkie
I just got a flock of 15. Interesting birds. Do they have natural guarding instincts?
Bb
I think they are more of an alarm system than a guard force.
Yes. However, they accidentally trip the alarm about 30 times a day. You eventually can tell the difference between a false alarm and a real one.
Hehehe! i just got rid of mine as im sick of hearing there alarm. Call me a winger though.
The Guenia fowl i had weren't scared and would attack foxes, dogs, snakes and the neighbours cat sending them running. The animals couldn't can't catch the birds as the fly straight up but they let them get close calling in there attck mode. ha!
As soon as there perching up high on a fence post or tree they make a calling sound, or if some get split from the pack they'll call till they get back together.
They always stay together and can pick up and fly a great distance or straight up a palm tree at any moment.
You can get really friendly with them, hand feeding them and calling them over to you., there smart and very routine but you can change that routine pretty easy into something else if you need to.
On a sad note I got 6 fowls about 2 1/2 weeks ago at a local feed store. They were already 4-5 weeks old and so I kept them in a large water trough until yesterday as they were getting really big. I got a large chain linked kennel type structure and put in them there for their next step. Well, they just went right through that chain link. I thought they would be too big to get through but I was wrong. My neighbor was here at the time with her small dog chased them but fortunately didn't catch them. I saw a few fly high into some trees. Last evening could see a few in the brush near the house but haven't been able to find any this morning.I did put out food and water for them. Hope they stick around!!
Same thing happened to my friend. However, he had chickens and peacocks and they immediately shacked up with them.
well, I've seen 4 of them today not far from the house. 2 in a tree and 2 on opposite sides of the house. I hope they all find each other. I put out some food and water here and there. It was good to see them.