Does anyone here raise guinea fowl? I've been reading up on them a bit and from what I read, they will not destroy your yard like a chicken will do. They pick only the bugs and slugs out but leave the plants.
I have been looking for someone in my area that sells them but can't find anyone. So I thought maybe I'd go into the guinea fowl business! It would seem like gardeners would love them.
Gwen
Guinea Fowl
I have heard that they are loud so living in the city I went with chickens. I also heard they were great free rangers but not too freindly. Just my 2 cents.......
Ours are not friendly, they are very loud but leave the plants alone and eat the bugs. They also serve as a warning system if there is something ( animal wise) in the yard that should not be.
I listened to some waves on them yesterday and yes, they are loud. Not sure I care for the sound. But I do like that they leave the garden alone!
Gwen
Do they bother people? Say, if kids are playing in the yard?
My sister is considering them for tick control.
No they screech and run. At least in my yard. I have 3 kids 6 and under that run the yard and my teenager chases the gunieas every now and then for fun. I find mine are most active in the early am and early evening.
Mine scratch just as bad as any chicken can.. Yes they will tear up veggies and flower beds..I love my guineas and we have had them on our farm for over 30 years...My neighbors(all family out here on the farm , hate them), lol.. They are louder than you can ever imagine...If you have neighbors, beware..lol..they will not be amused..
Larkie
Good to know!
I've heard that if you raise them with your chickens they are a little calmer....don't know if that is true though. I have 2 keets in with my chicks now .
~Julie =0)
We have guineas, only 5 are left now because of dogs and hawks, but the good news is that one of the females is sitting on a nest of about 30 or 40 eggs! I told my DH that we will soon be overrun with keets.
While the guineas were younger they did scratch a lot around the house and mulch, they really havent tore up the garden that much. They get in my strawberry patch and eat the bugs but leave the plants alone. They were also much louder when young. they are almost a year old now and have settled down quite nicely.
My guineas boss the chickens around.
Riversdale, isn't that clutch too big for your guinea hen? I'm just asking because if my (chicken) hen sits on too many, she shuffles them around and eventually each one gets cool at some point and then *none* of them hatch.
Our guinea probably layed about 20 eggs but I think we only had 9 hatch. Out of those 9 3 survived.