I might want guineas... pros? cons?

[lablover]

I have 9 chickens, but I really need something for tick control. I have a lot of questions about guineas though, such as... Would they roost with the chickens? Would they travel with the chickens? Will they stray away from home if a neighbor has several types of fowl? How much do you feed them? How is their flock set up? 1 male and the rest hens? Will they roost on houses? I have a barn, will they become pests?

 

[TOP KNOT]

I have 9 chickens, but I really need something for tick control. I have a lot of questions about guineas though, such as... Would they roost with the chickens? Would they travel with the chickens? Will they stray away from home if a neighbor has several types of fowl? How much do you feed them? How is their flock set up? 1 male and the rest hens? Will they roost on houses? I have a barn, will they become pests?

I had a neighbor that had them

they ran loose

they cleaned out my bird feeder and squawked me to death

at the crack of dawn under MY bedroom window. They are so annoying and noisy! They NEVER shut up! EVER! They were even on the roof of my house. I would never ever get them!! Sorry thats my opinion. Chickens are so nice. A little crow here and there, and they sing to you so nice.

 

[PeaChick C]

Guineas are my favorite birds but they are a blessing and a curse.
Pro- they are loud guards alerting everyone to predictors.
Con- they are SO loud.... Naps are impossible.

Pro- they roam around all day long eating fleas and ticks.
Con- they roam around all day crossing the road repeatedly... Sometimes gettin hit

Pro- they are communal loving and protective of each other
Con- they can pick on other birds in your flock. My younger roosters have their tail feathers pulled out by angry males.

Pro- they are quirky and funny. They whistle and call and make the funniest reactions...
Con- they are quirky and irritating. You just have to know that one will always do something you don't want... You go out to shut the coop and everyone is in except on male guinea taunting you 5 feet from the door.

My guineas roost with the chickens. They get along except in the early spring. Guinea Roos also hold grudges against chicken rooster that attempt to top their mates. And guineas and ducks don't get along with the ducks usually getting the raw end of the deal.

The biggest pros are tick control and the sweet little whistle they make as they roost. Warms my heart. That being said, more swear words are said at our house over guineas than anyone thing.

 

[lablover]

That's pretty much what I was thinking.

Getting hit on the road wouldn't be too much of a problem, but picking on the others would be. I have a 10x10 coop with a 10x25 run attached that will hold 8 hens and a roo. Would there be room for guineas? Would it be hard to train them to the coop? My chickens free range.

I've never had them before, but the neighbors have had a few flocks that have roamed over a few times. I love watching the funny antics of the chickens, and would love to see what guineas do.

 

[PeepsCA]

Your coop is not big enough to add Guineas to, and you may end up with aggression issues. Personally, I'd build the Guineas their own coop and run, raise a decent sized flock of 10 or more of them (they are flock oriented birds and need plenty of their own kind to stay content), and then let them free range with the chickens only after they've been acclimated to their own coop and run long enough (6 wks confinement in their own coop and run is recommended, once they are off heat and able to go outside at 6 wks old).

Lots of pros to owning Guineas, but there are just as many cons. I prefer Guineas over chickens any day tho (I'm just not a chicken-person, lol). If the Guineas are started off right, conditioned/trained to coop up each night and all of their basic needs are provided for they eventually become pretty low maintenance.