Um, I'm thinking I'd rather have the ticks...

[happydog]

seriously, don't chickens eat ticks as well as guineas? I've about had it with all the screaming. For crying out loud - it's MY house! And I'm the one who feeds you and houses you! It's like living in a trailer with 12 hysterical teenage daughters screaming perQUAT? perQUAT? at me incessantly until I just want to knock their ugly little heads off.

Would they really regress into unthinkable antisocial behavior if I only had, say, four or six of them? Is it either a big flock or you shouldn't have any at all? They free range so really don't cause any problems. Except for how they've turned my once peaceful barnyard into a soundtrack for The Screaming Of The Dam*ed.

 

[bunnibird55]

Wish I lived closer - I would take them off your hands! I love their b'deep sounds - except when they are standing in the middle of the road looking at a car hurtling toward them yelling b'deep b'deep b'dee..........................

 

[Higins00]

Gees, I knew a lady who had only 2 and they drove me crazy. You must be out of your mind with 12. Chickens eats all bugs, and they are pretty quiet too!

 

[beesong]

You either love guineas or you hate 'em. There is no in-between.

 

[featherz]

I had 17. I feel your pain. Good thing was, after I rehomed my guineas, I figured I could keep a rooster or two. Neighbors didn't complain about 17 guineas standing on my front lawn hollering, so they can tolerate a rooster.

I am told they quiet down a LOT after a year, so if you can hold on that long, you may like them better. I just couldn't take it anymore. I had almost all girls and they went to a happy guy who had only males.

 

[SilverPhoenix]

I'm giggling pretty hard at your description. Guineas are, indeed, quite something.

I have three and I like them and find them rather hilarious, but when they pass away naturally...they won't be replaced by more guineas.

 

[robin416]

I don't hear them any more. Not quite true but I've grown accustomed to the noise. Spring and under a year old they are all more vocal. It does get quieter but then you have to decide do you have enough for the next several years and not add any more young until then or not? As a matter of fact I don't hear mine at all right now because they are off on our 20 acres some where.

Chickens are not as good as Guineas for tick control. I don't know why that is but I've found that the places the Guineas hang are generally more bug free than the chickens. But if you watch a chicken it is busily digging down below the surface for whatever lives below ground while Guineas focus on what is on the surface.

 

[wegotchickens]

DH saw a guinea at a show and thought they were sooooo cool!! He was standing there admiring them, wondering how hard they'd be for me to hatch....

And then it hollered at us.

He said, "We are NOT having ANY of those EVER!"

 

[awesomefowl]

Quote:
Love 'em!

 

[Katy]

I'm one who loves them. At one point I had between 30 and 40 running around, but now I'm down to 7. Hopefully I can find one of their nests and hatch some more out this summer.