Guinea Security System ~ Will this work?

[chicken_mama]

I have been trying to find a way to convince my husband that we need Guineas. I have learned over the years that the best way to convince him to let me have my way is to make him think it is his idea. I drop information here and there until he says we should get some...chickens, guineas, whatever it is I want...lol. So far I have tried the following:

1. Great bug control - would make for a better harvest in the garden.
2. Save Money - no need to buy unhealthy pesticides and free fertilizer.
3. Lay eggs we could eat or incubate (something I have yet to try).
4. Entertainment value - we could sit on the porch swing and laugh at them.

My latest idea I am unsure of. I have heard that Guineas are great at letting you know if predators are in the area. This is important to me because we lost 7 chicks earlier in the year when a fox got to them. But I was wondering if they would also let me know if my teenagers were trying to sneak out of the house or if, heaven forbid, a teenage boy should try to sneak in. Would the Guineas let me know?

Also, I have read a lot of posts that say they make a lot of noise and screech. I have looked all over for a sound wave of them so I know what they sound like but I can't find anything. Does anyone know where I can find a sound wave? I would hate to talk my husband into getting them and then have them drive me nuts.

Any input would be great!

 

[the4heathernsmom]

We have a new flock of them 25 . they are now lets say arounf 3 1/2 months old and oh my gosh yes do they make noise. If you go to youtube which is www.youtube.com and do a search for guineas there are several viseos with sound. Ours know when it is feeding time and if you are not out there man do they raise a fuss.....the cats go snooping in their pen and they are hollering.....the goats get to close to the pen they are hollering they see you with a bucket in your hand they are hollering and yes they are hilarious to watch especially when you throw a bug in fron of them. Ours are still young yet and this is our first experience with them so we still have them penned but they were worth the money for them just as entertainment alone. :?)

 

[CoyoteMagic]

We HAD them. I say HAD as I was on chemo at the time and just couldn't deal with the noise. husband refered to them as the Air Raid Sirens! In my opinion, they are a few thousand decibles higher!!

Don't know if they will tell you if the kids are sneaking out or in at night but they will definately let your know there is something going on during the day.

ETA--I raised mine from keets with the chickens. They followed my black-sexies like they were their mother.

 

[jvls1942]

do you have a 5 gal pail? put it over your head and scream all you're worth..

guineas will let you know when predators are near. but somehow the predators still eat enough of them..

I watched a half dozen of my guineas sort of semi circle a fox and torment it with squauking and screams. then they would fly across the field back to the yard laughing all the way.. scared out of their pants , like little kids telling ghost stories..

we have not had more than 6 woodticks of all 3 of the dogs since we got the guineas.. I have not had even one.. I used to pick up to 8 ticks off me every time I mowed our lawn..

we have a lot of trees I mow amongst.. pines, birch and black walnut.. no ticks..

 

[Lollipop]

Yup, go check out that noise on YouTube. You can`t even hear the commentary. Truth is, you either like it or you don`t. Real guinea sound is MUCH louder than the clip and for the first year, after they find their voice, they never stop. I had four to start with. Three males and a female. Females are the most obnoxious and I ended up giving my female away. After the boys matured, they were a joy. I now have a larger piece of land and 20 new keets. I`ll deal with the noise just to get rid of all the bugs and ticks. Good luck with your decision......Pop

 

[Aj1911]

mine LOVE to chase cats and i mean all cats including the feral cats that stalk the chickens too.

also if there is a hawk or such they will scream about, some have been known to tangle with a hawk but that depends on the guinea and where it came from, one of mine is mean enough to attack people so i wouldn't be surprised if he would take on a hawk.

i like mine so much i'm adding 4 more to the 4 i have.

 

[chicken_mama]

Thank you for pointing me in the right direction. I can't get over how vocal those little things are. Now I understand why everyone's post mentioned distance from their neighbors. I live far enough away from everyone I don't have to worry about noise and I love the idea of not having so many bugs about the property and especially my garden. With the exception of the road, my property is completely lines with trees so we get lots of ticks and bugs around here.

How many would you get to start out with? I have about 4 acres that sit in the middle of a corn field. I am new to this country girl thing so I am learning as I go with the help of everyone here and at the feed and grain store. I am loving every minute of it and would love to try guineas next. Do the colors make a difference with the personalities? I have heard some are more aggressive than others and wondered if it was a color thing or just how they are kept.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

I got a dozen of them last May. I decided that they were too little to ride in the back of the truck even in a kitty carrier.

I about went deaf in the hour it took me to drive them home!!!

 

[Rebel Rooster]

Tell hubby that "I" got some! I had 8 out of 12 hatch this past April. They are now 21 weeks old and should start laying soon.
(I hope so!) I love em' They will let you know if predators are around! They'll let you know a stick is laying on the ground an it looks like a snake! They will sound off at anything that resembles a snake! Gecha guineas! You'll love em'