Questions from a possible new guinea fowl owner

[AliciaM]

Ok..so ive heard that guineas are good for bug control... how good?? Weve got these annoying flying things that hover around in the chicken coop at about head height.. not flys.... but not sure what they are.. very annoying though..

And.. my neighbor has guineas... will mine fly over to her place to be with hers or will they stick around? My chicken pen is not covered.. parts of it is.. but only where there are going to be babies.. once there adults, no cover...And the chickens/ducks/geese free range in a small pasture during the day..

Anything you want to tell me is helpful..

Thanks.

 

[perchie.girl]

I dunno about the flying things.

You might get a net and snag a few and get an ID on them.

The thing is with guineas they seem to have an agenda all their own and you have to be pretty diligent about rounding them up in the evening or you eventually will loose them all. And yep you might lose them to the flock next door.

 

[the Pollo Loco]

 

[the Pollo Loco]

or you may get some from the flock next door

 

[PeepsCA]

You may have a battle on your hands keeping your Guineas home if there are other Guineas within earshot, but like Loco mentioned, you may gain new additions to your flock too, lol.

As far as those pesky hovering bugs go... My Guineas are more ground bug grazers than flying insects catchers (except in the case of grasshoppers and locusts). Have you tried a bug zapper light for those pesky bugs in your coop? (You might want to make sure that nothing but the bugs can get zapped by it tho, lol).

 

[perchie.girl]

Ooooh bug zapper buffet.... I like it.

 

[PeepsCA]

perchie.girl :

Ooooh bug zapper buffet.... I like it.

LOL no kidding, nothing like tasty toasted bugs for those late night munchie attacks