Guineas: snake killers or just loud birds?

[jjdward]

Before I get started, I want to say sorry.

BECAUSE I HATE SNAKES!!!!!

I know that they eat rats and some even eat deadly snakes, but I just can't stand them. This morning I was walking back to my house and almost stepped on a snake!! I will admit I killed it on sight. I can't help it. If I see one from a distance and can tell for SURE it is not poisonous I will let it live. If however, it surprises me or is an unknown type, it is dead. No questions!!!

I live in Georgia so we have many snakes that are poisonous and on top of that I live in a kinda swampy area.

With that being said, I was wondering are guineas really snake killers or is that just hype? I could put up with the noise if I knew that they would do the trick. Thanks in advance.

 

[The Wolf Queen]

Ive heard that guineas make good guard dogs sound wise and can be bullies to chickens but im not sure. Probably but...

 

[cawooduck]

While talking to the lady that i got my guineas from, she mentioned that they will indeed kill snakes, but she said the only ones that she has seen them kill are the rattlers that are able to buzz, she said that she seen a gopher snake (non toxic, no rattle) and the guineas didnt even bother with it. She also said the baby rattlers with no rattles arnt attacked by the guineas either.

She did go into detail on how the guineas kill the rattle snakes, and it is pretty amazing, not to mention how much they impact the tick population as well!!! I am still waiting to see how noisy they are, since mine are still keats!!!

 

[cw]

guineas are loud and for the first year they will even make more of a fuss
as far as killen snakes my kill small frogs, and mice but i have yet to even see a snake in the yard, since they have been free ranging our property, all in all we enjoy having ours around

 

[CurlyLindsay]

I bought adult guineas 2 or 3 weeks ago. I don't free range them yet, but they live out in the coop. I have to say, based on what everyone told me I expected them to be MUCH louder than they are. Maybe it's because they are penned up in close quarters and don't feel such a need to chatter, but they really aren't that loud.

Even when they sound their call- yes, it hurts your ears if you are standing 5-10 ft from them- but I can barely hear it from the house (maybe just 60-70ft away from the coop) I could definitely sleep through it.

I have three adults, for reference.

 

[Marlinchaser]

I dont know about the rattlesnake thing, thankfully we dont have those here, but mine do not kill large black or garter snakes, however I have seen them attack smaller ones. Maybe they think they wouldnt be able to kill the big ones.

Mine will however circle a large snake and sound the alarm so I will come do something with it (I let it go in the woods).

 

[embkm]

I only have one, and she did not kill the 6ft long black snake that nearly gave me a heart attack when I saw it curled up in the nest box. Maybe it is because she's the only guinea I have and the chickens wouldn't help her, or she's a big wimp, or she didn't feel it was a threat, I don't know.

 

[Kennyog]

I have seen a guinea kill a black snake and peel it like a bananna.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

We live in the lowlands of Eastern North Carolina where the mosquito's show up on radar as low flying planes and seeing snakes is a daily thing. I have seen guineas chase snakes but never kill one.

Steve in NC