Why do people raise guineas?

[Marlinchaser]

just reread the original post

question 3/4

yes they can live in coops, some have a guinea only coop, or you can have them in with the chickens(my preferred method)

They come in many colors

 

[Katy]

I grew up eating guinea...more like pheasant than chicken.

You could eat their eggs if you wanted.

Mine refuse to go into a coop and roost in the trees year round. In the summer they roost in the elms....in the winter the cedars.

I have mine because they're good bug control. My garden is pretty much pest free. Plus I just like them.

Tick control.

 

[Lophura]

Quote:
A couple of good Guineafowl links that should help out -

http://www.guineafowlinternational.org/

http://www.gfba.org/

Dan

 

[shelleyd2008]

I have not eaten guineas or their eggs, mine are just for pest control. We had ticks so bad here last summer that I had to do something to get rid of them! Putting expensive flea and tick treatments on the dog didn't work. And my son couldn't even play outside without having them all over him. Mine originally roosted in the trees when I first got them, but after they got caught in a cold rain, they decided it was best to roost with the chickens in the building. Plus there are many, many colors. I like the unusual ones myself. I have 3 buff dundottes and 2 buffs, and I did have 2 lavender and one lavender pied, but the hawks got those, they were young ones

 

[ozark hen]

I keep guineas for insect control. They do not bother anything in your garden except for weed seeds! We have no grasshoppers...NO SNAKES....they warn if anything unusual happens or someone comes on the property...they stay in the coop with the keets until the keets are full grown and then like to roost outside all summer. My chickens tolerate them and no blood has been drawn from the guineas. I hear they taste great but have not eaten any. They are loud but you do learn to tune them out..at we do. If you watch a documentary on Africa and they show animals at the local water hole you will see these birds running around in the background.

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
yes, but you almost need a hammer to break them

yes, in some restaurants they are treated like pheasant..

Not mainly, just a nice fringe benefit..

Mine do .. a freerange guinea is a dead guinea around here..

I think there are 16 registered colors..I may be wrong about this.

They are great for tick control.. I have heard they were good for snakes, also.. I threw a 40" pine snake onto the lawn, they just ignored it.. I did watch mine locate a fox and harrass it until t made a rush at them and then they all flew back to the yard and laughed like a bunch of little kids,
scared out of their wits..

 

[ozark hen]

oh, yes, we do eat the eggs. The shells are harder than normal chicken eggs but not that hard. At least, ours aren't.

 

[crazedguinea]

what a question!!! mine do not eat ticks but other people have had success with that(mine turn up their beaks and get offended!) , but mine do love japanese beetles-in fact i can't seem to pick enough beetles for them during that time of year. i think they are amusing and their crazy antics are a hoot. i love to watch them run around-ever seen a guinea run???. i keep mine in a coop with chickens and peafowl, all is well the guineas are in charge. they are adorable in their own unique way. the noise they make-they are loud! some people eat them, i have not tried but they are supposed to have all dark meat except for the white ones. they chase and torment the neighbor's cats who are TERRIFIED of them. we eat the eggs-everyone loves them; they have a flavor to them which i think is gourmet. my cousin's wife likes to collect the feathers-i guess she uses them for crafts. i'd reccomend getting them as keets instead of adults if you get them because they'll be easier to "train". mine keep me on my toes chasing after them and keeping them on our property-the neighbors love to watch me guinea herding so i am providing free entertainment unintentionally. i have fun breeding them because of all the color varieties and the genetics(not that i've figured THAT out well though yet!). i have pearls, lavenders, royal purples, an opaline, a coral blue, a slate, browns, and pied (pearl and brown). mine hate snow and rain too. i enjoy selling keets to other small farms and meeting people. so there are many reasons to keep guineas, but there are also reasons why it might not be the best choice so it's best to consider your circumstances(and patience) before committing to the joys of guinea ownership.

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
I am confused a bit here.. How do you know what they do and do not eat when they are working through the tall grass??

I had 3 outside dogs (one just died)
and we have found only about a half dozen ticks total in the past 4 years.. prior to guineas, I would pick 3 or 4 off myself after just mowing the lawn. I have not had 1.

I do not think this is coincidence..

My guineas cannot wait for me to open the coop so they can get out.
It is -8F and snow covered here in wisc. I leave the doors open during the daytime.. the chickens stay in; guineas and turkeys come out..

 

[sundance]

My GS bought 10 guineas, which like everything else ended up at grandma's house. I love them both for the pest control and they make a better watch dog than my dogs.They roost in the cedar trees but i hear them flying on top of the house as soon as the sun comes up, wanting breakfast.If they lay eggs we have yet to find them, and they don't like my chickens. marrie