Best Option?

[MiddleAmerican]

I have a relative who is quite interested in getting Guineas for his farm in southeast Kansas. He owns 400 acres of land, and most of it is natural as the main use of the property is for hunting, but he also has a large orchard, crop field, and garden and that is the area he would "home base" any Guinea fowl he buys. He lives about 20 minutes away, and checks on the property daily. He would be able to feed any guineas out there, but he doesn't always spend the whole day out there so cooping doesn't seem like a good option. He wants Guineas to control the ticks and bugs in his garden, orchards and fields. He has a large property so he would likely need a large flock. Roaming or noise aren't a concern as he is in a very rural area and there are no neighbors. If they do free range 24/7 there is plenty of cover and trees for protection and shelter. He also realizes some guineas may get killed, we just don't want the flock massacred. What seems like the best option for my cousin to own guineas? Coop them up? Free range? Something else?

 

[That Quail Lady]

Free range if perfectly fine without a coop, just make sure they have some kind of shelter to run under, and always no mater what have a fresh clean water source. You can't depend on them to just drink out of rain puddles, which can give them womrs\parisites.
Also bugs and plants can't just be their only food source they would still need some kind of feed. Without the proper nutrition they would just die off. Other than that I think its fine.
There is a large risk with prediters though. In my opinion I would just gate of a really large area, or how ever big he wants it, to keep out most ground predictors. Snakes will always find a way though. Can't help much with Flying Prediters.