Guineas in the garden

[larryj57]

Ok, so I got my guines to help with the insect problem,and so far they have helped a lot. Yesterday as I was looking over the vegetable garden the guineas were following as usual, one of them walked up to a tomato plant and started pulling the small green tomatoes off the vine and throwing them on the ground , in about 30 seconds all the rest thought this was the greatest fun ever so they joined in. It took me about 5 minutes to run them all out of the garden. I thought guineas only ate the bugs from the plants what gives here? All the guineas are in guinea jail until I figure out what to do, if anyone has any advice please chime in.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Gosh, I don't know. I thought Guineas did not do that either. Are they very young? And do you feed them a lot of grain?

I do not feed my free ranging birds except at night about an hour before they coop up in the summer months. There is way too much on the farm they need to go find and eat (especially since I do not mow much) so they can spend their days being constructive eating the bugs and seeds, instead of full and bored and destructive.

Sorry, that is my only thoughts on it since I have only had a grown Guinea for less than 2 weeks and keets hatching now in the bator. I do notice the male is coming back to the barn more and more during the day since he has found where the chicks have starter out all day. He doesn't eat much and just picks at it a minute before moving on for a drink and off into the pasture again.

Have you read the booklet "Gardening with Guineas"? It doesn't have very much info in it for my tastes but was a decent read.

 

[jcatblum]

My guineas don't like any veggie scraps I give them. I can't imagine them eating veggies off my plants but yours must be VERY tasty! Seriously mine have picked at a few left over strawberry tops but they don't gobble stuff up the way my chickens do. My guineas free range, have game food always available & I call them in at night with cracked corn. Might have to put a fence around the garden next year. Sorry we are having an extreme drought this yr so I didn't attempt a garden, but I will say I haven't caught them messing with my fruit trees.

 

[larryj57]

These guineas free range by day and go to the coop at night, I know it is not a starvation thing, I feed them daily and the have lots of bugs, seeds ect. I do know they follow me around whenever I'm outside like a dog would . I have had a load of fun watchhing them and listening to their call but as i said they are now in Jail until the garden season is over i think

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Could it be possible that there were some bugs on the plants that you didn't see right off? And they were being ""over exuberant"" in their job? Were they eating the tomatoes?

 

[britt_irvine]

My guineas LOVE to eat my onions but I've never had them eat anything else....yet.