wiil guineas help in protecting my chickens and other ?s

[ninejw]

I have heard that they will mob hawks and foxes etc and will alert the chickens to predators. Also, do they roam for miles off your property? someone told me that theirs did. what size is a good flock to keep. I'm not wanting too many but would like for them to not be lonely. Are they prone to same disease as chickens or are they in any way uncompatable to keep with chickens? thanks in advance!

 

[Akane]

Somewhat. They make a huge ruckus over everything. If a shadow goes overhead they'll scream their heads off and run for cover. If you get a larger group of adult guinea fowl they may even face down predators but mostly they work as alarms instead of guard animals. They roam farther than chickens but if they are acclimated to their coop properly and have enough food they usually don't go wandering for miles. Mine go maybe 500-1000' when I have 40acres for them to roam. They don't go over the fences but will go through gaps. However if you have a small space or you don't acclimate them very slowly to your coop and property they will go over fences and they may run away for good. Generally they get along fine with chickens. Every now and then someone has guineas that get agressive toward their chickens. It's debated whether raising them with chicks helps or does more harm. I have 3 guineas with my chickens and they seem happy. The more the happier they are though since they are flock animals.

 

[ninejw]

Thanks Akane! I have about 4 acres and just didnt want them out in the road or in the non farmers yards. I am in a farm area though but there are other houses backing mine. the noise doesnt really matter to me b/c i have so many noisy pheasants roosters and peacocks. Come to think of it they will probably try screaming over each other lol I like to free range my birds but have had to stop b/c of fox problems. I heard donkeys chase off foxes. Most of my chickens are not to clever in the predator area...

 

[Akane]

Llamas hate all canines. They are used to protect sheep flocks a lot. If your problem is mainly foxes, coyotes, stray dogs, etc... a llama might work. Not sure how they'd do with chickens but most larger animals ignore chickens and most chickens just get out of the way while stealing the larger animals grain and scratching up the manure. I don't think the guineas would help unless you have a safe place for the birds to run to when they sound the alarm or a really big flock of bold guineas. Otherwise the fox will just follow and probably still get the chickens while the guinea fowl fly over the fence, to a tree, or on top of a building. Given enough space they usually only fly fences when spooked but they can easily clear most any fence if they really think they need to. Geese might even do a better job than guineas but I have no experience with them aside from the ones my neighbor had for a short time that always attacked us when we went across their yard.

 

[ninejw]

Lol geese can be pretty nasty swans too! They'd end up in my neighbors pond I'm sure. Llamas are fairly pricey I think... Maybe they have an adopt- a- llama protection program

 

[Akane]

I've had plenty of people offer me llamas for free so I dunno what they cost near you. Petfinder shows a rescue with some in new york. You might try equine rescues.

 

[pacetruckguy]

I had three Guineas show up at my place about two years ago. They are noisy and messy. They perched in the trees and poop all over the place. I have a pit bull and she completly ignored them. Any way after a while there were two, and then one, and then none. Don't miss them much, except that I here their favorite food is ticks, and we do have our share of them. They didn't have a coop to sleep in so I'm guessing something got them at night. I didn't have chickens back them either. I probably would feel diferent about them now.

 

[Cacklin" Hens]

They are good flock protectors. Read the post I love my guineas. They can get noisy at times yes! They do use the bathroom a lot, but it is not as bad as the chickens because it is drier! In the 13 years that i have raised guineas, mine have never left within 100yds of my house and a good flock I believe is 5-8. That is just from personal experience. i have never had any guineas get any diseases, but i think they can get coccidosis. They are fine with chickens, but some guinea males will beat up chicken roosters! Hope this helps!

 

[Cara]

My guineas got killed along with the others.

 

[ninejw]

Here is a great website that talks about the llamas guarding this girls chickens...so cute!!! It's worth a read. http://poultrykeeper.com/chickens/p...stories/llamas-as-guardians-for-chickens.html I guess you need a gelded male who is brought up to know to protect his flock. Pretty cool.