Does anyone use them for insect control?
Do they behave in the garden?
I’d like to use them to eat ticks, but I think they’d destroy my carnivorous plants with traps full of bugs.
Just a thought from personal experience: My family had guineas several times. They fly extremely well. Well, for domestic fowl, anyway. These aren’t turkeys or chickens. We never were ever to keep them just for that reason. They always ended up flying away–not all at once. But they would fly away just a little bit farther each time until they decided they were definitely bugging out.
And good riddance I said. They had to be some of the ugliest damn birds ever put on this earth.
I don’t think you could rely on them to control insects, though they might help a bit. They might make better watch dogs than exterminators, as they can raise quite a ruckus when strangers, coyotes, stray dogs, etc. show up.
My family used to keep a few of them when I was a kid and I always thought they were pretty hideous and cool-looking. We used to clip their wings just enough to keep them from straying too far, but they could still fly into our trees to roost at night.
The family had a bunch while I was growing up with the intention of insect control. We didn’t have a tick problem to begin with, so I can’t really speak to them being useful for that, but I don’t think they did that good of a job on the grasshoppers. The turkeys did a much better job on the bugs I think. But they did leave the garden alone.
They were self-sufficient though and took care of themselves pretty much. They are low maintainance birds if that’s what you’re after. If you want them to go into the roost at night, be sure you get them inside before dark. After dark their poor little bird minds just shut down and you can’t do anything with them, not that they were very bright to begin with. For the most part I just find them to be loud, stupid, skittish, and horribly ugly birds. Just get some turkeys, and you can eat them come winter.
A friend of mine has a vineyard and uses guinea fowl to keep the invertebrate pest population under control - apparently it works quite well, but all of the soft parts of the vines are up out of reach of the birds - in a garden, I’d expect them to damage anything herbaceous and anything with new growth within reach.
My grandparents had Guinea fowl along with chickens and turkeys. The Guinea fowl were totally wacked out birds. I mean you can’t help but wonder about a creature that runs around the yard in single file ,30 strong, making the most ungodly racket you can imagine. If you’ve ever watched the movie “Mars Attacks” directed by Tim Burton, then think of the Martian leader giving orders. GAAK GAK GAAAK GAAK! coming out of the heads of thirty birds on some kind of steroids. Oh, I’m not sure but I think they lay their eggs in communal nest because when we did find a nest it would have about 30-50 eggs in it. The birds don’t taste worth a crap but the eggs are decent. Don’t know about them being bug assasins but there wasn’t much grass in the yard from all the damn running.
These are the noisiest damn birds that ever existed. I don’t care how many bugs they might eat, they will keep you awake all night with their never ending, mindless, metalic sounding cackle. You will grow to hate them, wish you had never heard of them and will do your part to hasten their utter and final extinction. I don’t like 'em and that’s a fact.
I’ve not tried the eggs (I have eaten turkey eggs though), but I found the meat very pleasant; superior to chicken, I would say.
My mom had some. I have to agree with everyone here: they are a pretty noisy bunch.
Are you only considering Guineas? My mom has chickens now and they seem to do a really good job at getting rid of all insects. I am not sure about the garden bit, as my mom only has a flower garden, and the chickens leave that alone.
if you like the guineas because they look so unusual, chickens also come in some pretty weird varieties. Here is a site: http://www.ideal-poultry.com/
You will still have to buy feed though.