Foraging And Feed Effeciency Comparing Breeds

[maranfarmer563]

I added 6 white guineas to the flock this fall,I love to see them come flying out of the woods to me like grouse. They fly 60 yards with no problem. The old guineas hatched chicks but they disappeared, some had their wings and roosted in the rafters of the goat barn with their mother.

 

[RedRidge]

The first year I raised BSF I feed en as i raised them. I realized by the end of the summer that was silly since they get plenty of bugs on their own all summer. So the last 2 years I've frozen them all summer so I can feed them over the winter. But be prepared - the chickens LOVE em. Lol
Caution - do not feed BSF to chicks- way too high in calcium.

Guineas. .. We got then years ago for tick control and frankly I dislike them. But they did solve the tick problem. They really have no other benefit to me. They eat bugs that the chickens could have, their eggs are small (when you can find them), and they aren't tasty. After ours were feathered out we turned them loose and haven't fed them since. Not having to feed them is the only reason they are still here. There are a few select things they really seem to like in the main garden (cauliflower leaves and cabbage) but other than that they dorms most of their time in the woods surrounding the barn and then sleep in the barn rafters at night.

 

[maranfarmer563]

I never found any guinea eggs and the babies have wings so I could not catch to sell them

 

[maranfarmer563]

What is bsf

 

[islandgirl82]

The first year I raised BSF I feed en as i raised them. I realized by the end of the summer that was silly since they get plenty of bugs on their own all summer. So the last 2 years I've frozen them all summer so I can feed them over the winter. But be prepared - the chickens LOVE em. Lol
Caution - do not feed BSF to chicks- way too high in calcium.

Guineas. .. We got then years ago for tick control and frankly I dislike them. But they did solve the tick problem. They really have no other benefit to me. They eat bugs that the chickens could have, their eggs are small (when you can find them), and they aren't tasty. After ours were feathered out we turned them loose and haven't fed them since. Not having to feed them is the only reason they are still here. There are a few select things they really seem to like in the main garden (cauliflower leaves and cabbage) but other than that they dorms most of their time in the woods surrounding the barn and then sleep in the barn rafters at night.

Thanks for that warning!

Guineas - I know that post wasn't meant for me but - I had considered them years ago when I first started keeping chickens for tick control. I'm really glad I didn't get into them. There's a local shop that I frequent and right across the busy main road there was a farm that kept them. These things were constantly escaping and heading straight into traffic. They didn't lose any to predators...every one of them became road kill. I remember how traumatized all my chickens seemed to be after losing one of their own to a predator and they became more cautious each time but those guineas...man oh man! They never learned...not even that very last one, that playing in traffic was a bad idea! They also made too much noise for my liking.

 

[islandgirl82]

What is bsf

Black Soldier Flies

 

[maranfarmer563]

Are they a native fly? My guineas don't go near our busy road,natural gas trucks every where,boom town,Pa found shale gas

 

[RedRidge]

Are they a native fly? My guineas don't go near our busy road,natural gas trucks every where,boom town,Pa found shale gas

They are native in certain parts of the country where they are really attracted each spring. That's what we do here in TN. In other parts of the country a lot of people simply order some stater larvae each spring.

We have no roads anywhere around so predation is guineas biggest enemy here. They don't stick with the Maremma like the poultry does for protection but they are quite self sufficient and roost high so we loose only a few each year.

 

[islandgirl82]

They are native in certain parts of the country where they are really attracted each spring. That's what we do here in TN. In other parts of the country a lot of people simply order some stater larvae each spring.

We have no roads anywhere around so predation is guineas biggest enemy here. They don't stick with the Maremma like the poultry does for protection but they are quite self sufficient and roost high so we loose only a few each year.

I just did some more reading on the bsf and read that they can invade beehives...? I'm more interested in keeping bees than bsf so for me, if it's an either/or, I'll have to go with the bees.

I'm intrigued by Maremmas...I grew up with Great Pyrenees and Newfoundlands. I currently have a Newfie and he's a great farm dog; very protective of everyone here and unlike the Pyrs...doesn't roam.

 

[RedRidge]

The only time bsf would be a threat to a bee hive is if the hive is weak and there is no other food. We have lots of bee hives... Never had a problem.
Keep in mind that the adult flies live for only 24 hrs and have no mouths.