Guinea Fowl

[Peppygal]

Wow, I can't remember the last time I have been on this forum. Time seems to get away from a person, but since it is -43 out there today, I've got some time to chat. My question today is about Guinea Fowl. Does anyone have any experience with them? I am thinking of ordering some due to the fact that I have a neighbor who had a few and she informed me they completely got rid of her horsefly problem. Horseflies up here are horrible and the livestock actually has to be kept indoors during the day or in a shelter that has a tarp over the front just so they can get some relief from the flies. If the Guineas could help with that it would be amazing. I know they are loud but pretty sure that would be better then the flies. My biggest concern would be my chickens. I have layers that I got last spring and they are doing exceptional and I would hate to see anything happen to them or cause them to be unhappy, so I am a little worried about introducing Guineas. Any experience you can pass on to me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you and stay warm:)

[niglefritz]

We have some. Ours have always been indoors even though we would like them out. We have sly foxes and a horned owl, so they would not last long. ONE day, we will have enough to let some free.

They are quite clean, so that is nice. They are not picky with feed. We found screenings are good.

They will certainly get rid of your bugs. Ducks will too, however they are more messy. Guineas will cross with your chickens and can be bossy. Ducks won't of course. This was our pecking order when they (except for the guineas) were all loose: runner ducks, brahma chickens, muscovies.

Muscovies are known to be avid fly catchers. They are really not very noisy either. Guineas are, but I really like having the sound of exotic birds.

We found that we needed to keep guinea beaks and toenails trimmed in the winter. That is interesting to accomplish as they are very nervous birds. Haha...a guinea day spa. Trim and file.

You can train them from little wee to come in for the night. Ours were adults, so we never got that chance.

My advice, try both and see which you prefer.

[Peppygal]

I'm going to have to research Muscovies now. They sound interesting.

[Fowler]

Muscovies are nice. When we had them, I liked the females more. Just seemed nicer and kept themselves cleaner. I remember they used to go and sit near the post where the dog was tethered (she was young at the time and I was tying her inside the pen to get her used to the birds but unable to hurt them if she got too excited). Well the females figured out that they could sit by her post and she'd keep the males from bothering them. Too funny watching her fend off the two males who were hissing and pacing just beyond her reach.

I also remember that the young birds could fly. Funniest thing is that they never flew beyond the fence. Just went in a big circle. You'd think there was an invisible force field reaching to the sky.

[niglefritz]

Peppygal, just so you know, the hissing is not a bad thing. It is not like when a goose makes that noise.

Yes, we were sad when we had to put the ducks in. No more flying. It was a beautiful thing to watch.

In the winter, they do not like to walk on snow. We had some fly a good distance to try to get to a particular area (they knew where the feed came from and they loved to steal dog food). When they landed, they left the most beautiful wing impression in the snow.

Muscovy drakes get too heavy to fly, but we read that they can scale a 6' fence if they want to.

Another interesting thing, when the boys got amorous in the spring/summer, they got a bit more aggressive . We found that to herd them or whatever, that a straw broom worked well. We could bring that thing out and they knew.

Watching the drakes fight was something. When that happens, you don't want to be close. They are strong and heavy and have sharp claws and a strong bite. Otherwise, they were quite docile.

I read before we got them that you treat them as livestock, not pets (feeding out of hands, holding them), as then they imprint and can get very aggressive. We never did this and so we never had issues, even with the kids. They do have personalities and we enjoy talking to them, calling them and such. They are nice birds overall.

Ah, the eggs are HUGE and the hens are good broodies. The eggs are good for frying and such, are are prized for the lift they give to cakes. They are large. The egg whites do not whip.

[Peppygal]

Well, I pick up 10 Guinea Fowl on the 26th. I'm super excited about them. Hope they help keep the bugs down:)

[niglefritz]

I am sure you will like them. I am still looking for more for our one GF hen. She is the odd one out with the chickens at the moment.

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