Guinea Fowl Questions

[DoubleG]

I was thinking about raising some Guineas but I have a few questions.

How noisey are they really? Is it constent or just when startled? Is it mostly the males making the racket? I don't plan on breeding them so do I need the males?

What is the best breed?

I have 2.5 acres. How many should I raise?

Thanks!

 

[rooster0209]

They make noise, but it isnt constant. If there is something or someone new in the yard they start yaking. The most annoying they have been was when it was really cold out. They parked themselves on the south side entry of my house in the sun and carried on a conversation between themselves. I have noticed a huge reduction in the bugs and ticks. As it warms up, I hope they finish the ticks off.

I think they are great low maintenance birds for free frange.

I have one white & two pearl hens and two purple roosters and about 7 acres.

 

[chickenannie]

although my 5 guineas don't make noise constantly, they can do so at inopportune times and make quite a racket.

Yeah, they require very little attention and just go off and do their thing (mine eat out of the henhouse feeders). Mine also roost in the henhouse at night. They are always in their own spot on the roost and peck at any hens that get too close to their sleeping quarters. I wish they'd roost outside on the fence but they seem to prefer the henhouse and they're always the first ones in, in the evening.

Mine loove to snack on japanese beetles in the garden.

I live on a 40 acre farm, and the guineas range out onto the pastures and fields but only a little farther than the chickens do -- I'd guess it's just a couple of acres.

 

[froggy]

they are great pets and not that noisey and clean up my ticks and bugs great i have 5 acres amd have 31 hatching out on the 28th of may

 

[wynedot55]

they are great tick an bugg eaters.an they dont really make that much noise.youll get used to their racket.

 

[LazyGirl]

The older they get, the calmer they are. It also helps if they are "hand raised". They do make a racket, but mine are 1 yr old now, and have calmed down a lot! They make a racket when strangers are in the yard, or animals, sometimes if a big truck goes by, etc. But they are quiet at night, except for a 15 min period of loud chatter at bedtime. I have 5-7 in a 1/2 acre garden area. They would rather forage and kept Japanese beetles out of my garden last year, even though it was surrounded by JB-infested soybean fields. With an organic produce business, that makes the noise worth it!

We also use their eggs for eating/cooking. Even healthier than chicken eggs! (Although we like to tell people that the guineas make our chickens look like geniuses!

 

[Lophura]

Quote:
Aw, come on now, 2 in the morning isn't that bad!! Agree totally with you, have 6 and they are great at blasting us awake in the middle of the night!! Our barn is only 60 feet away from the house though, so it is loud for us, but I like it!!

Dan

 

[Chick_in_Indiana]

I agree w/ what has already been posted. When ordering, if you get keets, they are not sexed and another thing, order more then you really want. Some of them will wander off and may not come back.

 

[DoubleG]

Thanks for all of your help!

You guys are great!

I'm worried about my neighbors not liking the noise. My closest neighbor is about 350 ft away from my house. They won't mind if they are wondering through their yard eating bugs but I'm sure they will shoot me if they hear these things screaming in the middle of the night.

I do plan on hand raising them so hopefully that should keep some of the chatter down.

Is there one breed that is better than another? I mean, is one hardier, does one eat more bugs, is one louder than the other?

Can I mix colors?

 

[Sunny Side Up]

WHAT???!!! WHAT DID YOU SAY??? SPEAK UP, I CAN'T HEAR YOU WITH ALL THESE GUINEAS SQUAWKING!!!

Ha ha! A little guinea-keeper humor here!

I have 4 lavender guinea hens here on 1.5 acres, started with them + 1 guinea cock 2 years ago but had to dispatch the cock last year when, unprovoked, he pecked my 5-year-old boy all around his eyes while he was sitting in the sandbox. The hens have been much better behaved, don't seem to miss their husband, and give us hard-shelled, very tasty eggs 9 months of the year.

We find them amusing, think they look like something drawn by Dr Seuss, and appreciate their almost complete self-sufficiency. They're always going around pecking at stuff so I guess they're eating bugs & weed seeds, but here in So Fla there's so doggone much of both that I cannot tell if they're making any impact. I wish they would eat fire ants, have even offered them a handsome cash incentive plus central AC & cable TV in their coop if they would, but they do not.

I don't think they make good "watch dogs" because they squawk so often & so randomly that we cannot rely on them to give the signal when someone or some animal enters our yard. They come from the savannahs of Africa & use their voice to communicate to each other through the tall grass. Ours squawk a lot when they get separated & cannot see each other. Sometimes they squawk to the echo of their voices they hear bouncing off the neighbor's houses. Sometimes they get going in a group like some bizarre marching band pacing around the house.

By the way, my kids think the girls are saying "butt-CRAAK! butt-CRAAK!"

You really should try to go meet some in person to fully realize how they sound. I feel like our neighbors are being very tolerant towards the noise our guineas make. Other folks, and you, may not find them quite so tolerable.