Thinking About a Guinea Fowl

Ted

Ted

The pilot formerly known as Twin Engine Ted
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We have a pretty bad tick problem here at the farm. Apparently it's bad all over this year. So, we're looking at ways of handling this.

A friend of my wife's said that we should get some guinea fowl. This friend used to have them and they were noisy, but they eat their weight in ticks. Plus they're pretty self sufficient and interesting critters. Although not immune to predators, they seem to hold their own pretty well. We have coyotes around, although not a ton. We also have 3 outdoor cats. One came with the house and is feral, the other 2 are domesticated.

As I understand it, cons is that they're really loud. But we have 11 acres, and the "home" we'd try to encourage for them is a barn that we otherwise don't use. Seems a perfect fit, had chickens in it at one point. We don't have neighbors particularly close, although the neighboring 10+ acre plots on either side of us do have homes.

We've considered chickens for a while, but the main reasons we've not bothered are that we don't want something that will require any significant extra care when we're home or when we're gone. We have enough to do already and don't want to make the home care so burdensome when we're gone that we can't find anyone to help us out. Chickens would provide eggs which would certainly be great, but my understanding is they typically require more work.

In this case really the question is what people think about having guinea fowl around as extra animals on the farm with the purpose of eating ticks, and how self-sufficient they really are.
 
Buddy has them at his place "up north" - he's really sold on the idea and says he has gone from picking up a few ticks per day to no ticks per day. He leaves them food and water during the winter (near Rogers City, MI) but they are pretty much on their own (he lived down here near Detroit). They are in an enclosure with an open top (tall fence) to keep out predators. They will get around and visit the neighbors.
 
Guineas are a regular sight around here. They are indeed pretty much no maintenance critters from what I understand. Do it.

P.S. Ticks are terrible down here this year too.
 
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I've always considered getting Guinea Fowl, but afraid our dogs wouldn't cooperate.
Unrelated but interestingly enough, during our last two visits to Charleston SC we noted one of the high dollar homes on the Battery had a flock of about a half dozen free ranging Guineas. Surprised the neighbors thereabouts tolerate them.
 
This lady posts about some cons, might be worth reading so you are not surprised -I like that she allows contrary viewpoints on her blog's comments section.
 
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Ted DuPuis said:
We have a pretty bad tick problem here at the farm. Apparently it's bad all over this year. So, we're looking at ways of handling this.

A friend of my wife's said that we should get some guinea fowl. This friend used to have them and they were noisy, but they eat their weight in ticks. Plus they're pretty self sufficient and interesting critters. Although not immune to predators, they seem to hold their own pretty well. We have coyotes around, although not a ton. We also have 3 outdoor cats. One came with the house and is feral, the other 2 are domesticated.

As I understand it, cons is that they're really loud. But we have 11 acres, and the "home" we'd try to encourage for them is a barn that we otherwise don't use. Seems a perfect fit, had chickens in it at one point. We don't have neighbors particularly close, although the neighboring 10+ acre plots on either side of us do have homes.

We've considered chickens for a while, but the main reasons we've not bothered are that we don't want something that will require any significant extra care when we're home or when we're gone. We have enough to do already and don't want to make the home care so burdensome when we're gone that we can't find anyone to help us out. Chickens would provide eggs which would certainly be great, but my understanding is they typically require more work.

In this case really the question is what people think about having guinea fowl around as extra animals on the farm with the purpose of eating ticks, and how self-sufficient they really are.
Click to expand...

We always have 4 or 5 with our chickens and they get along, aside from eating ticks they also kill snakes
 
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OMG don't do it!!!! They are very noisy and obnoxious. Im not kidding, save your ears! haha

My brother in law has a flock and many chickens and he just made the comment on the amount of ticks they have. So im not sold on the fact they decline the tick population. Though it could be said also that his tick problem could be worse. hahah But he has had them for years and this year is worse than previous years.
 
Not to mention they will roost in a tree or something off the ground. The area underneath will turn white with semi liquefied guinea poo.
 
If you get guinea fowl my wife is coming to visit for a few days. She is dead set on getting a small farm and has mentioned guineas. You don't happen to have a few goats do you?
 
They make great alarm sounders. Interesting birds for about a week, then they start to be annoying, mainly because of the noise. Don't know much about the tick eating aspect. The ones we had mainly wanted to hang around people. They do lay eggs, never tried to eat one.
 
JCranford said:
If you get guinea fowl my wife is coming to visit for a few days. She is dead set on getting a small farm and has mentioned guineas. You don't happen to have a few goats do you?
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No goats yet, although we've considered it.

If your wife comes up you need to come too - I could use some lessons on shooting a golf ball from 200 yards. ;)
 
Ted DuPuis said:
No goats yet, although we've considered it.

If your wife comes up you need to come too - I could use some lessons on shooting a golf ball from 200 yards. ;)
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Deal! I'll bring golf balls and the appropriate 'hardware'. :D
 
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My wife's second cousin has a flock of about 8 or 9 on her farm down in Brazil. They do cut down on ticks but it comes at a price - the constant clucking.
 
I had no idea people raised guinea fowl. I saw huge wild flocks in Botswana. They came to a waterhole near the camp in the morning. They were pretty cool. As someone else pointed out, they move as one. They do make some noise, but not as much as your train, and that's when there are hundreds of them. ;)
 
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Peacocks/hens. Back in a previous life, I used to get up before dawn to run. I'd go past a place that gad those things. First time I ran by I thought some was being murdered before I figured it out.
 
Rebel Lord said:
We always have 4 or 5 with our chickens and they get along, aside from eating ticks they also kill snakes
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Utterly counterproductive. Most ticks that can use humans as a host can also utilize rodents. Serpents can keep the rodent population in check, also modulating the tick population.
 
That's one thing I like about POA...discussions take you places you wouldn't not normally go.

Farm animals. Who woulda thought?

Brian
 
My uncle had some Guinea on his farm. They didn't last long before their necks were wrung. Silence is golden.
 
Matthew said:
Peacocks/hens. Back in a previous life, I used to get up before dawn to run. I'd go past a place that gad those things. First time I ran by I thought some was being murdered before I figured it out.
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Yeah, peacocks can be a little noisy.....:lol::lol::lol:
 
While in Guatemala I thought I heard Tarzan one night. Turns out there were some peacocks a little ways away. Surprised they lasted long
 
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