Thinking of getting Guinea for tick control

[slippednfell]

I was thinking about getting guinea to eat the zillions of ticks we have here in AR. I have a few questions. If you buy a "hatchery special" does it matter how many of them turn out to be male? Do they forage in groups or do they break off in different directions? I want them to eat the ticks near the house at times but they will be cooped much further away from the house. We have 55 acres but really want the area around the coop, house and workshop focused on.

 

[ocap]

I was thinking about getting guinea to eat the zillions of ticks we have here in AR. I have a few questions. If you buy a "hatchery special" does it matter how many of them turn out to be male? Do they forage in groups or do they break off in different directions? I want them to eat the ticks near the house at times but they will be cooped much further away from the house. We have 55 acres but really want the area around the coop, house and workshop focused on.

Male? no
groups? generally one group in a long line similar to a search party

 

[slippednfell]

Male? no
groups? generally one group in a long line similar to a search party

"search party" struck me as so funny!

Thank you for the info. I was hoping for several small groups in different directions, but it is what it is.

 

[R2elk]

"search party" struck me as so funny!

Thank you for the info. I was hoping for several small groups in different directions, but it is what it is.

How big your flock is will determine how many groups they split into. All of the groups will keep within sight of each other. The only case where individual guineas may split off from the flock is if they have their own individual hidden nests or if the individual happens to be one that is being rejected by the flock.

 

[ocap]

you will like guineas if you are deaf, I got new hearing aids after I had owned my flock a year, wow, they never stop talking
They also take a long time growing up mentally, I tried to force them to roost out of the barn where they called home, a huge mistake

 

[SueT]

We had free range guineas for years. Never more than 8. They circled around and around about a 2 acre area although they were free to go much further. They ranged thru our yard and around the buildings. I felt like it made a difference in ticks, but recently read that chickens eat just as many ticks. Now I have chickens and let them free range and they circle the same general areas.
Good luck!

 

[wvchickenchick311]

My guineas Gibby and Gibrella
Are the loudest creatures on earth!
Lol. They never ever stop screaming.

Mine have kept the ticks down though. Mine aren’t nice to my flock of chickens and if you have two boys they will most likely fight. I have one boy and one girl and they are good most of the time but they have their wild spells. Lol

They usually stay in groups of 15 or 20 and if there are more they will branch off.
Hope this helps you! The pics are of Gibby. The girl isn’t tame enough to pet

 

[wvchickenchick311]

@guineapeeps might be able to help hint the name. Lol

 

[slippednfell]

How big your flock is will determine how many groups they split into. All of the groups will keep within sight of each other. The only case where individual guineas may split off from the flock is if they have their own individual hidden nests or if the individual happens to be one that is being rejected by the flock.

Good to know! Thank you.

 

[slippednfell]

you will like guineas if you are deaf, I got new hearing aids after I had owned my flock a year, wow, they never stop talking
They also take a long time growing up mentally, I tried to force them to roost out of the barn where they called home, a huge mistake

I have heard they are loud. Where we plan to keep them when not free ranging is a good deal away from the house, maybe a little less than 1/4 of a mile. I'm hoping that will keep the noise far enough away that it wont bother us.