What are guineas for?

[chickenlittle32]

I have about 25-30 guineas and love them all. Keeps insects away...especially mosquitoes. They are noisey...but none of us mind it. They alert us if strangers are around. A couple of weeks ago, we had a cat wondering around the run...the guineas would not allow it to come into "their" run!

 

[happytxchick]

Quote:
When you get your guineas in the fall do you keep them cooped up until spring before turning them out?

I bought my first guinea keets 10 years ago since then I hatch my own. When we find nests we set the eggs, it is like a grown up Easter egg hunt.

We sell 95% of the chicks. Along towards the end of the hatching season we will keep a batch for ourselves. We brood them till they are about 8-10 weeks old and then we turn them loose. At this point they are able to fly up into the trees (although that doesn't mean they will) and they are on their own. It is basically survival of the fittest, which is why we turn loose more than we really want. Young free range guineas are creative when it comes to meeting an untimely end.

When we sell our chicks (less than a week old) we try tell people to buy twice as many as you want to keep, stuff happens. I sell the chicks locally for $1.50 each and $1 each if you buy 20 or more and I wont sell less than 10. So you see that I am not trying to get rich, just trying to rid the world of grasshoppers one guinea at a time.

Bob

So, is it a good idea to get them in the fall so that they are grown by spring, or is getting chicks in spring good, too???

 

[lotzahenz]

I got my guineas to eat ticks and fleas. They are great in the garden as they don't bother the produce usually and they don't "scratch" like a chicken. They are loud and alarm if something disturbs them, they also run to check out any new car that drives up. They can intimidate the new-comers too

And we had one take on a coyote, but the coyote is relentless and finally won that battle. Out of three, who reproduced in the wild, we have four left. Four males, no girls left. They are funny looking too, so comical. Great yard ornaments. HenZ

 

[blackred]

Quote:
If you want them to get bugs and such I would get them now and have them ready to do their job in the spring. The earlier they get started the better job they do.
If you try to buy keets locally they may not be available till late spring because they usually don't start laying till March and it takes 28 days for them to hatch. So you are looking at April till you get keets and 6-8 weeks of pen time till they are ready to go to work.
By then the bugs are getting bad.

Good Luck - Bob

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Do you have to pen them at night or can they roam? Also, what type of shelter for the winter?

 

[blackred]

Quote:
Some pen them at night but I do not, they are 100% free range. I have heard of people who are able to get them to pen at night like chickens but I never could, but maybe I didn't try hard enough.

As far as winter shelter- Some one in Central Texas should not be giving someone in Idaho advice on Winter shelter.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Thank you for the reply. Good to know.

Anyone know about shelter for guineas in the winter. For a few months we see twenties. Not alot of snow most years.

Mid Jan thru Feb are the cold ones.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I had them long ago and just liked watching them and enjoyed having something different than the rest of my flock....they obviously made different sounds and had a different appearance. It was a good conversation piece. I had intended on eating their offspring, but they hid their eggs and eventually disappeared, due to local preditors.
I plan on getting them again next spring.
My husband has been reading about them in, "Gardening with Guineas" and he informs me that we need to coop them for a laying season so they understand where we need them to lay, that we shouldn't allow them to raise their own keets, and that they will keep our garden vertially free of most bugs, without disturbing the plants (that part I have got to see).....they will peck the bugs off of leaves and it will appear they are munching on the leaves but upon closer inspection they are doing us a service.....Okay.....lets hope so. Also, they won't scratch, as a chicken will, so the ground won't be disturbed. And then their is the safety factor. They make awesome guard dogs (that part I do remember). They will be the first to sound an alarm when a danger arrives, such as a dog, chicken hawk or cat....even a person. The other birds learn to pay attention to the guinea's distress call and they all run for cover. That could potentially save your flock.
I am looking forward to having them again and being so very much older and hopefully wiser, I plan on doing it with something to show for my investment and troubles.
I know my chickens eat a few ants. Considering that guineas are supposed to loves bugs so very much, can anyone speak of guineas taste for ants?

 

[TheGoldenRoo]

We have about 10 of them and we like them for several reasons...

1. They eat ticks and bugs.

2. They alert you when someone comes to your farm.

And 3. They are very very pretty fowl.

 

[Rosecomb-Ryan]

I keep mine to annoy the neighbors

lol No they are just neat birds. WE have a 10 acre field infront of our house and they fly over our house and into that to range and come back at night and to eat food food.