Security Guard Guinea Question

[Nwygle93]

I can't seem to find an answer to my silly question in another thread...so excuse me if it seems like a goofy question. So, some may have read my article a couple weeks back about my beautiful, sweet hens being killed by a stinking mink at our new house. You all had awesome suggestions! We are getting some traps for them.
Now, I have a new problem. My sister spotted these "mink" climbing on top of the ROOF of the shed at 2 in the afternoon!!! My husband ran for his gun, but by the time he got back they had jumped off the roof and ran away (Boy was he mad, too). She said they were huge! That same day, I noticed my neighbor that lives on the same creek had some Guineas running around. I've always heard that Guineas are loud, obnoxious, weird (seriously haha), but that they make awesome guard dogs. Is that true? Would they literally attack the mink when they come back, or just make a bunch of noise?
Sorry, if this is a weird question. I'm just trying to find a good long-term solution to this issue.

 

[R2elk]

I can't seem to find an answer to my silly question in another thread...so excuse me if it seems like a goofy question. So, some may have read my article a couple weeks back about my beautiful, sweet hens being killed by a stinking mink at our new house. You all had awesome suggestions! We are getting some traps for them.
Now, I have a new problem. My sister spotted these "mink" climbing on top of the ROOF of the shed at 2 in the afternoon!!! My husband ran for his gun, but by the time he got back they had jumped off the roof and ran away (Boy was he mad, too). She said they were huge! That same day, I noticed my neighbor that lives on the same creek had some Guineas running around. I've always heard that Guineas are loud, obnoxious, weird (seriously haha), but that they make awesome guard dogs. Is that true? Would they literally attack the mink when they come back, or just make a bunch of noise?
Sorry, if this is a weird question. I'm just trying to find a good long-term solution to this issue.

If you had searched the Guinea Fowl forum, you would have found more information on guineas than you would want.

Guineas can be loud, obnoxious, weird and many people make the claim that they are awesome guard dogs. Guineas are not good guards and in many cases cannot even protect themselves from predators. In large groups, a whole flock of guineas have been known to go after daytime predators en masse. Sometimes this works as a deterrent but in more cases than not, it exposes the guineas to the predators who will pick the guineas off one at a time until there are none left to return for.

At night time, unless in a secure coop, guineas are very susceptible to predators because of their poor night time vision and the fact that they sleep at night.

Guineas will become extremely noisy when sounding an alarm, however there is no guarantee that the alarm will be a valid alarm. They may go off simply because you are wearing different colored clothing than you normally wear or you approach from a different than normal direction. They can alarm at any imagined threat to the extent that their constant alarms get ignored and when a real threat occurs it gets ignored.

If you think you can get a couple of guineas and expect them to chase off your mink, it isn't going to happen. To do any good you have to have a large flock of guineas and even then they are more likely to become predator food than they are to chase off your mink.

If you want a long term solution to your mink problem, learn to trap them and do so on a constant basis rather than once you just happen to see them.

 

[Nwygle93]

Thank you! I did check into that forum, but perhaps I need to look further into it haha. I'm cracking up about what will stir them. It puts me into mind of a silly horse we had once. She would startle at ANYTHING. I suppose my neighbor just has them because they like them, rather than my thought that they keep them to help with our area's issue. I think he had a group of maybe 6-8

 

[R2elk]

Thank you! I did check into that forum, but perhaps I need to look further into it haha. I'm cracking up about what will stir them. It puts me into mind of a silly horse we had once. She would startle at ANYTHING. I suppose my neighbor just has them because they like them, rather than my thought that they keep them to help with our area's issue. I think he had a group of maybe 6-8

Guineas can be very entertaining but they can also be very frustrating. Most people have a love/hate relationship with their guineas. The number one reason people give for keeping guineas is for tick control. There are many stories of people going from being overrun with ticks to not finding any ticks after they got guineas.

 

[Chickassan]

If you do decide to go with guineas I can offer one piece of advice. Raise your guineas with some chicks, it makes things sooo much easier and both bird types will get accustomed to each other's different alarm types. Oh and get some earplugs, good ones.

 

[R2elk]

If you do decide to go with guineas I can offer one piece of advice. Raise your guineas with some chicks, it makes things sooo much easier and both bird types will get accustomed to each other's different alarm types. Oh and get some earplugs, good ones.

I very strongly recommend against imprinting guineas with chickens. Once the guineas mature they will not see a difference between guineas and chickens. Chickens do not understand guinea behaviors and can become very stressed when the guineas go through their breeding season rituals and apply those tactics against the chickens. Guineas that are raised in sufficient numbers to form their own flock and are not imprinted by chickens will leave the chickens alone.

 

[Chickassan]

Never had a problem, only had issues when they were not imprinted with each other. Maybe not the case with all but here with only very small groups of each it was the best method for my flock. Both groups were also only female. In large flocks with mixed sexes I totally concour with your statement.

I very strongly recommend against imprinting guineas with chickens. Once the guineas mature they will not see a difference between guineas and chickens. Chickens do not understand guinea behaviors and can become very stressed when the guineas go through their breeding season rituals and apply those tactics against the chickens. Guineas that are raised in sufficient numbers to form their own flock and are not imprinted by chickens will leave the chickens alone.

 

[Nwygle93]

Thanks! I'm still debating if they would be right for our house or not. We have neighbors very far away, so it's only us who have to put up with their shenanigans. And I would not mind the entertainment anyways, it can get dull out here. Regardless, I can't in good faith bring out any new babies until I find a good solution to the mink overpopulation. I suppose though, if there was a way to protect a flock of chickens naturally, somebody would have already suggested it to me.

 

[R2elk]

Thanks! I'm still debating if they would be right for our house or not. We have neighbors very far away, so it's only us who have to put up with their shenanigans. And I would not mind the entertainment anyways, it can get dull out here. Regardless, I can't in good faith bring out any new babies until I find a good solution to the mink overpopulation. I suppose though, if there was a way to protect a flock of chickens naturally, somebody would have already suggested it to me.

You may want to check out some of the threads recommending electric poultry fencing.

 

[RWise]

In my experience, if there are Guineas close by, in ear range, the smaller flock will join the larger flock and they are gone! Here there is a large wild flock, and thats where our Guineas went.
Before they left, I did see them attack a horse that was to close to their nest. Run off predators, no not at all!