Anyone ever had Guineas?

[Deleted]

One of our neighbors has some Guinea hens in with the rest of her flock, and I remember reading somewhere that they were not only good watchdogs, but would eat insects from the garden without eating the whole garden as well.

We have a bad bug problem here in the summer, especially in the garden, and I was thinking of maybe getting some Guineas to turn loose in the garden (once they were grown enough to fend off the cats.

Is this a stupid idea? Will they just take off and head for somewhere else, or will they stay around our place? I asked the neighbor these questions, but she keeps hers penned in the run with her other hens, so she didn't know the answers. Does anybody here have any experience with this breed?

I've read that they're nervous and flighty, and they like to roost in trees and have plenty of brush nearby, which is a perfect description of our garden. Two sides are bounded by dense lilac hedges about 15 - 20 feet tall, and one side is bounded by wild plum trees, about the same height. Plus right on the other side of the plum trees is the "orchard." There are no fruit trees, but there are about 100 trees planted in rows in a big block, so there's plenty of roosting places available.

And if I do get some of these hens, should I spend the money to feed them over the winter (and put them in the house/run area with my others) or should I just butcher them and put them in the freezer? If they're "nervous and flighty" I might have a little trouble catching them, though. A video of that might be hilarious.

So, anybody have any ideas?

Thanks ;D

~Lannie

[bergere]

Lannie,
Chickens are excellent for getting bugs and every bit as good as Guineas.
Guineas however are beyond noisey...they are the super sonics of the bird world!! They also do not always stay around like my chickens do.
Yes, they are harder to catch than a chicken.
My worry about them staying out, is because some predator is bound to find them at night,,,and once they get a free meal...............
Tried once a longggg time ago,, and never will again.

[Deleted]

That's what I was afraid of... We don't have many four-footed predators, but there are plenty of hawks around here.

I always heard that regular chickens will eat all the veggies as well as the bugs, though. I just hate the thought of having to spray the garden again. I didn't spray it the first year, because the bug problem was bearable, but those bugs told all their friends, and well... last summer I had to break down and spray the entire garden with Sevin. Even that didn't get rid of everything. I lost a bunch of plants to Colorado Potato Beetles that survived and bred (or called more of their friends, I dunno). So I was kind of hoping for an "organic" solution to the worst of the bug problem.

~Lannie

[Deleted]

I have one right now and wish I had a dozen. I'm getting eggs to set in March so I will have more soon. If I hear Henry, something is going on. Mine don't scream to hear themselves like some birds and everyone I know that has some says the same thing. Chickens eat the young plants and guineas won't. They will feed almost exclusively on bugs. I haven't had a flea, tick or tomato bug since I've had Henry. I'm thinking about getting some Musckovies for mosquito control...

[Deleted]

OK, now we have a deadlock - one vote for, and one against. We have lots and lots of ticks and fleas here, too. Argh... Maybe I should just get a whole bunch and hope some survive!

Hey, Cricket, I do know something about Muskovies. Make sure you really want them before you get them because you can never get rid of them. My mom had a couple once and we used to eat the hen's eggs for breakfast (they're big!), but when she decided she didn't want them anymore, she couldn't get rid of them. Every time she took them somewhere, they were back home before she was. She finally gave up trying and let them stay. When she sold her house, it came with two free ducks! LOL!

~Lannie

[Deleted]

Hmmm... girl ducks aren't called "hens," are they? What are they called? My mom only called hers bad names.

~Lannie

[bergere]

Female ducks are called.... Ducks...
Males are Drakes. ;D

My Guineas ate my kitchen garden!! Maybe I had strange ones?

Yes, chickens will eat some of your garden,, mine really loved Carrot tops for some reason.
If you do not want chickens to scratch around and hurt the base of the plants.. get the short legged Silver Grey Dorkings or Japanese Chabo bantams.
Because they have such short legs they are unable to scratch like normal legged chickens.

You might try beneficial bugs, I have used them for years with good results.
Though I have to start all over again here.
Let me see if I can find where I got them from before.

[Kathy]

I loved having guineas but the darn things wouldn't stay home.

I got them as 1 day old keets and raised them as a good guinea mom should; kept in their 'home area' for a few months. When the time came to release them to free range during the day-all went well for about 2 mos then they started to range farther and farther.

Pretty soon they'd ranged down the hill to our neighbors place where they took up residence with his lavender guineas. Mine were pearls so both he and I knew they were mine. Up the hill I brought them again; 3 mos. enclosed inside of their pen and released again.
This time it only took 3 wks before they went on walk about down to the neighbors.
When I talked to the neighbor, we both decided that they liked it there, he didn't mind the 20 nice, healthy freebies and that's where I agreed that they should stay.

The best part about guineas to me was that tearing metal apart sound that they'd emit at the least disturbance. There's no mistaking it for any other sound. ;D

[bobclark]

we have one and mom wants more so i am going to get 30 keets this spring

[Deleted]

Well, there's no place closer than 1 1/2 miles away that they could wander to. Do you think that would be far enough that they'd stay home?

I really would like to get something that would eat the bugs and not bother the plants (much). I even tried to see if I could import some bats to help with the mosquito problem, but aside from being illegal the "Official State Bat Guy" told me as soon as I let them out, they'd just fly home anyway...

I have tons of lady beetles in the garden during summer, and quite a few green lacewings, but I guess not enough. I haven't seen any preying mantis here yet, and I don't know if they are even around this area. I need something big enough to eat those blasted potato beetles, so maybe I need some preying mantis. I didn't notice any aphids at all the last 2 years, so either I don't have an aphid problem or I have enough lady beetles. ;D

I just figured since I'm going to be getting chickens this year, I'd fill out my order with something that would be useful in the garden. Bantams might be an idea, except for their size. Would the bigger chickens beat them up during the winter when they had to live together? Well, now that I think about it, Bantams would probably be too small to leave out loose anyway because we've got cats. I've never had any experience with Bantams, so I don't know if they'd be able to defend themselves against 5 cats. Or do I need to worry about the cats?

Any other breed or type suggestions? For any kind of poultry that I could get with my chicks? The closest neighbors are 1.5 miles away, and there's nothing around us but grass prairie, so maybe the Guineas will still work, but I'll have to do some serious thinking on it.

Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions! ;D

~Lannie

[Kathy]

Muscovy ducks are good at keeping the bug population down. But mine loved roses! They are prolific breeders and quiet since they hiss instead of quacking.
They're meat is darker than a pekin type duck and more 'ducky' flavored but they are a nice breed to have around. The ducklings should be butchered before 17 wks of age for them to be their most tender & flavorful.

I asked Tom and the farm where my guineas kept visiting was close to 2 miles away-downhill.

[Deleted]

I have 8 right now. I had around 22 last summer & that was way too many. They are very noisy, but I love it. I did have a problem with them in the garden. I think because I had so many. Hopefully since I cut down on the number, it will be better. I raised mine with the chickens & they always come back to the chicken house to roost at night. Mine never go real far either.

[Deleted]

Honey, I wouldn't worry about the cats once those buggers got their feathers.

For guineas to actually STAY at home, you have to make them WANT to stay. You can't just release them like chickens. You let one or 2 go...and a month later a couple more...etc. If you let them go en masse, they go away en masse. They are strongly flock-bound and won't go very far from the flock. Mine won't leave the bantie pen.

Banties are stupid. Period. My experience is that they are extremely flighty and they fly INTO trouble not away from it. I could have had some seriously mutated birds but from what others have told me, I didn't. They're a walking buffet for hawks and any other predator that comes around.

One of the (sort of) draw backs to guineas is their fear of anything - and I mean anything! - different. If you leave a hammer on the ground, they're hollering and circling it like it's a snake. If you change your routine, they fuss. Anything at all that isn't "normal" and they fuss. That's what makes them wonderful watchbirds though.

Mine leave my plants alone. I don't know that I would trust one in a young garden but one that's established...shoot, let 'em rip. My chickens took out every bedding plant we had. They didn't eat them, just ripped it up by the roots.

[Deleted]

I freerange lots of chickens and we HAD hungry eagles Once the guineas got here the Eagles ended up on a diet. Yes, we did lose some birds to the eagles with the guineas but people who have raise chickens in the area where I live have told me horror stories of eagle feast.

I also live in the mosquieto capital of the world. Locals claim that the mosquieto is the state bird. Well I live by a river and people comment when they vist durring mosquito season that they can enjoy themseves outside at my place.

I vote yea for the guineas!!!
But what has been written about roaming and getting them to stick around is very true.

I traded 8 of the offspring for 40 dollar of heating oil when the oil deliveryman ask for them.

[rogue]

When I had guineas I never saw a bug, snake, or lizzard. Those things ate anything and everything that moved. Never bothered the garden though. Other than the noise and about half went missing and several took up residence at the neighbors horse stable they were pretty nice to have around. I got rid of mine because it got to the point they screatched at everything and just to hear their head rattle.

[bergere]

Cricket,, you must of had strange Bantams.

I raise and have raised D'uccle's for many years,, they are far from stupid. They go in every night and roost in their hen house. They follow us everywhere, very sweet and calm. They also will not range farther than the fencing around the house.
Smart little buggers.
Also have not had any more problems with hawks or other predator with them compared to the big hens.
In all honesty I lost more big hens than Bantams over the years.
The most dumb chickens I was raising was the Dominic's and Silver Grey Dorkings.

For mosquito's, ducks are your best bet. They are also what I had go into my kitchen garden during the winter. They cleaned the garden out of all bugs including potato beatles.
They were not allowed in the garden during growing season.
Had very little in the way of bugs during the summer. If I saw any, l bought beneficial bugs.

My favorite all time duck was the Dutch Hook bill. Had many different breeds before them... but they are all time sweet and people loving.
You can get them from Holderreads in Oregon.

Privett Hatchery has some outstanding Black Mottled Belgium D'Uccle bantams.
Here is the head Roo
us.a2.yahoofs.com/groups/g_14367971/1c8e/__tn_/2efa.jpg?grQFfAEBbFoN3fZq

Favorite Big breed of Chicken hands down after raising many different kinds over the years is the little known..
Salmon Faverolle
Sweet, super gentle, quiet, excellent foragers, lay more eggs than the average brown egg layer, are good broodies.
Only draw back they do not fair well with other aggressive breeds of chickens because they are so gentle.

My Grandmother in NC swore by Turkeys to keep snakes off the farms. At that time there lots of posionus snakes in those hills. They ran Turkeys and they did not see a live one on their farm.

[auntieemu]

I keep saying I want these, but DH doesn't want the noise.

[bergere]

I don't blame him Auntie,,, they are really, really loud!
Surprisingly so.

[Deleted]

Wow, you guys have confused me more than I already was, and THAT'S saying something!

OK, leaving a hammer out and the Guineas freak... yup, just like our Gizzy-kitty. I can live with that. What else? Wandering. OK, get 10 or 15 and leave half in with the chickens and the other half out loose... maybe. Could rotate them (another video opportunity, I'm sure!). Noise? Could they be noisier outside than Thumper-dog is inside? And if they are, I guess if it becomes unbearable, we could eat them. Can't eat Thumper-dog...

Or I could get some ducks and wait for a couple years for them to get the bug population down enough so that it wouldn't be such a problem. Wait! I can't get ducks! There's no pond here, except the big stock tank, but there are LOTS of ponds around here. They'd take off and live at one of those ponds and I'd never see them again. Unless they were Muskovies, of course, and then they'd never leave.

I guess I'm just going to have to try the Guineas and see what happens. Maybe I'll be one of the lucky ones, and they won't make me shoot them.

Bergere, what about the Salmon Faverolles? Will they do well in cold weather? I'll have to go look them up and see what I can find out... I'm only going to have one breed of laying hens, unless you think the Guineas would beat them up. Are the Guineas bullies? I was leaning toward getting some Red Stars as my laying hens because I've read that they do well in cold winter temps, and will continue to lay, given enough light. My neighbor has Barred Rocks, and they seem to be fine, but we didn't really have a very cold winter this year. I don't know how long she's had this flock, either. They might be last year's chicks.

And this neighbor with the chickens is 2.5 miles from here. The other closer neighbor only has horses and cattle, no chickens, so maybe the Guineas wouldn't be tempted. Unless they decide to go on walk-about like Kathy's did! LOL!

Decisions, decisions...

~Lannie

[bergere]

Lannie,

Ducks do not need a pond. All they need is a Bucket where they can get their whole head into.
Anything else is just gravy.

I used one of those Rubber made large and low black rubber fed pans for them. Held water well was much easier to clean than a kiddy pool, and easy for them to slop into and out of.

Adult ducks would take one winter to clean much of the garden up of bugs. They love bugs and slugs!

Here is some links for Salmon Faverolles. Not sure if they would be good with Guineas or not??

www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGD/Favs/BRKFaverolles.html