Guinea watch dog

[bmt123]

So I heard that guineas protect the flock from predators is this true? Also how loud are they? I heard they where very loud.
One more question could I just have 1 if they lived with my chickens.

 

[Bunnylady]

I wouldn't count on them for protection. Mostly they raise a ruckus when they see something out of the ordinary (rather like geese). They sound a bit like an adding machine on steroids.

Also, they can fly, so keeping them confined is a little more challenging than for most chickens.

 

[bmt123]

Yah that's what I heard but since I can't have a rooster I was hoping that they would sound the alarm so my hens could run for cover. As far as them getting out I heard you could clip there wings so that they can't fly.

 

[PeepsCA]

If you can't have roosters where you live because of the noise... then I would not even consider getting Guinea Fowl. They are not quiet birds, and you'll need a decent sized flock of them in order for them to be content with each other, which produces even more noise. Just a couple of Guineas will most likely not be happy and pick on your chickens (possibly killing them) rather than warn them of a predator.

 

[silkies mama]

well i had a couple of them, they make a lot of noise thats for sure but i still lost 7 chickens to predators. so they didn`t help me any.

 

[NoisyCricket]

I tried clipping a wing on a handful of my guineas to see if I could keep them in a fenced area. After they were clipped, they couldn't get 30' into the tree without first flying onto the 10' high coop. My fences aren't over 10' high so...

The best predator protection we have is the dogs for ground predators, and wild crows for hawks. We put food out in a certain spot for the crows, so they nest nearby. At least 3 times this year, we have spotted the crows running a hawk off, as the hawk was dive bombing for guinea. Numerous other times we have seen them running the hawk off before it had a chance to launch an attack. I have lost one guinea to a hawk this year, but that day the flock had ventured into my back pasture where the crows don't regularly patrol.

 

[PeaChick C]

Guineas may help with snakes... But for hawks and such listen to Noisy Cricket.

You need 10+ guineas for them to be happy and they would sound alarms for hawks but you'd have noise complaints and angry neighbors. I love out guineas but you have to have the right setup for them (and you) to be happy.