Need some Info about Guinea/Keets

[animalsroc4evr]

Hey All,

We recently moved from Florida to Tennessee. Well the people down the road have about 20-30 Guinea and I was really curious as to why people own Guinea. After some research I read that they are good for tick and snake control. I know the tick thing is true, but will they really keep snakes away, or warn when one is around? We heard that copper heads are real bad up here and if they are good for warning or deterring snakes I want a few! I was telling my mom (I'm 19 but still live w/ my parents) that they deter snakes and she really wants to get some.

Anyways I have no idea where to find Guinea keets, I read that adults will just fly off back home and it's better to start with keets. Do feed stores normally sell keets? I was think that I might ask the neighbor's up the road that have the large amount of guineas if I could buy some fertile eggs off of them and try to hatch myself.. BUT I have never hatched any birds and don't own an incubator. Are incubators expensive? Can I make my own? will they hatch in a homemade incubator?

I really need some help with this, any info you guys can share would be really wonderful and helpful.

thanks to all of you,

Gretchen

 

[beesong]

Quote:
Personality plus!!! Guineas rule. But fair warning -- you either love 'em or hate 'em. There's no in-between.

 

[robin416]

I don't know where that idea that Guineas will keep snakes away came from because they don't. They could care less when a snake is over a foot long, smaller ones they'll kill and eat.

I've removed more four footers than I care to count, one from the Guinea coop. If there are rodents the snakes will show up. We had copper heads in our place in the N. Ga mtns. The only problem they gave us was not getting out of the way when our Redbone was on the hunt. Translated, that means we ended up treating him several times for snake bites.

And as beesong said, love em or hate em. They are not chickens, don't behave like chickens and can be a challenge for anyone that doesn't have the time and patience to learn how to live with them in harmony.

 

[sonjab314]

I have two but I want about 2-3 more. Mine stay close to my chickens and ducks and they don't fly off but I did get them as keets. Check with your local feedstore and see if they are getting some or not. They may be able to special order them for you. You can also buy keets online but the shipping is high. I would love to get my hands on some buff dundotte guinea eggs to hatch. Good luck in your search.

 

[animalsroc4evr]

Okay, thank you or in forming me about their lack in the snake control. do they keep the ticks down? We live right by a national preserve area and we were told there was a bad tick issue around here. I'm not talking about getting a ton of Guinea, I wanted to start out with 2-4 I understand that they are extremely noisy birds, I hear them and the geese down the road all the time, especially when it's feeding time. what else would they do that is something you either love or hate? Like I said I don't know much about them, I'm just in the research stage right now. I'm looking for as much info as I can get on them. if I find that I want to get some after researching I will try out just a few. But I first need to find out if I could "love or hate them" and if they would be a good "pet" to have around. Then I need to find where I would be able to get just the few I want.

OH and I got the whole "snake" thing from online searches, and while researching I found a few hatcheries that said in their description they are good for deterring/eating/warning about snakes. here are some quotes from the websites that came up in my research.

"raising Guinea Hens as they are great at controlling snake and insect populations."

"Guineas are the farm yard watch dog, sounding the alarm whenever anything unusual occurs. They will consume large amounts of insects and seldom bother your garden or flowers. They are easy and inexpensive to raise. Once started, they fend for themselves, living on insects, seeds, and grasses. They control deer ticks, wood ticks, grasshoppers, box elder bugs, flies crickets, and all other insects. Their call will discourage rodents. They will kill snakes, and will alert you to anything unusual."

"Do you have snakes? Guineas hate snakes and will kill any they come across. Do you have ticks? That's their favorite food. They are also known as "the farmers watch dog" because they warn you, your live stock, and each other when anything threatening is in sight."

And there were many many more that had either the same or similar info. Sorry that that was wrong, I didn't know......

Thanks for the help so far.

Gretchen

 

[animalsroc4evr]

Quote:
Thanks, I've been trying to find feed stores and co-ops around here but all I have to rely on is online searches, I don't know many people around here and I haven't ventured out that much yet. I will for sure be complining a list with #'s as I search around!

thanks for mentioning the ducks and chickens, that lets me know they can be around each other.

Thank you for your input, I really appreciate it!

Gretchen

 

[beesong]

The snake control story has been going around for decades. My theory is that it helps sell guineas. Anyway, if you are that close to your neighbor who has guineas, yours are likely to join up with them. The biggest guinea flock in a small area attracts all the others. They fly really, really well!

 

[robin416]

Quote:
As I was reading what Gretchen had found I thought the same thing, it sells birds.

Gretchen, there is a group called Guinea Fowl International, they are a group dedicated to Guineas. You can also begin reading through some of the posts here. As beesong has already stated you might have an issue not having a larger flock and having them leave to live with the larger flocks within hearing.

I keep over 20 most of the time. That way they have each other to focus on and leave my chickens alone.

 

[beesong]

Four of mine just chased off a cat who was wandering through the ranch, but I doubt if that's as big a selling point as the hype about snakes.

 

[Cowgirl71]

I'm a Guinea lover!!!

I've had them for two and a half years!

1 - They are AWESOME for tick control! We and our farm animals (cattle, dogs, and barn cats) get a LOT fewer ticks! Probably about 90% less than we did before we got the Guineas. We've also noticed a big difference with the fleas on the barn cats and outdoor dogs.
2 - IMHO, they are also good for snake control. Not as good as the claims say they are, but still better than nothing. They will kill baby snakes (I've seen them), and so over the long-term will help a lot, I think.
3 - They are very wild birds. They won't make good pets.
4 - They are very hardy and easy to raise.
5 - It's best to have a flock of at least six birds.
6 - The best pricing I know of is from Cackle Hatchery.
7 - Make sure to get dark-colored Guineas (Pearl, Royal Purple, etc.). Most of our light-colored Guineas (Lavender, White, etc.) get killed by predators.
8 - I find that keets are easier to incubate and hatch than chicks. With the exception of having to wait an extra seven days for them to hatch, LOL!