deciding what to get

[Flock Runner]

i already have chickens ducks and a turkey but i wanted to get some thing different like a quail or guinea. does anyone have suggestions on what to get and who to get it from? i've been thinking quail because of how pretty they are but how are they with temperment and noise?

 

[hollyk]

Guineas were great to hatch, so cute! I like them for their bug control, but there are some very colorful birds. I did not have much luck with quail, but I will try those again. The housing seems to different for the quail but the noise was not a problem. Happy hunting for the new addition.

 

[chicken farmer 1997]

guineas.... they are very hard to keep alive when every them get sick.

 

[nurse_turtle]

Consider Bobwhite quail. Hatch a bunch and they can be released. They usually stay in the area where they are released. Set up a feed station for them and you can enjoy seeing and hearing them around your home.

 

[Flock Runner]

i once went to a barn with guineas. they were very pretty but extremely loud and obnoxtious. are they all like that?

 

[MNShepherdess]

Guinea fowl are the watchdogs of the barnyard, even more so than geese. ANYTHING new presents itself, they go off. So yes, they can be very noisy, but if you free range them, they are WELL worth the noise, and come in lots of colors now

They are rather hardy, though they need access to get out of the wind in the winter, the only problem we've had is sometimes during winter storms they'll roost in trees, and you'll have to go catch them as they fall out of the trees after their mouths and noses have frozen over. They unthaw fine, but you really have to watch. LOL. That and if you have long grasses, take the babies, or they'll loose them in the morning dew. You'll go from a batch of 40 to 20 to 12 to 4 in a matter of days. They're awesome though.