Using Guinea Fowl For Insect Management
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If you’re looking to expand your backyard flock, it’s time to think beyond chickens. Guinea fowl are small birds native to African scrublands. Today, they’re a popular choice for homesteaders due to their ability to act as an alarm system and their voracious appetites for insects.
These striking birds have dotted feathers that come in an array of creams, greys, and blues. Despite their plump appearance, guinea fowl weigh just two pounds and measure about one foot in length. They love nothing more than roaming yards and eating slugs, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and especially ticks. Sometimes, a flock of guineas will gang up to attack and eat mice, small rats, and even snakes. Thanks to this passion for foraging, guineas require less feed than chickens and are relatively cheap to keep. Best of all for gardeners, these birds tend to leave plants alone and are unlikely to ransack your garden.
But what guineas are most known for is their piercing alarm call that alerts everyone nearby the second someone or something unexpected enters their line of sight. While this distinctive call can be a great benefit if a weasel approaches your flock, it’s less appealing when sounded for the UPS driver.
While the guineas are domesticated, they aren’t tame like chickens and don’t tend to bond with people. Though the birds are flock animals, they have a propensity for roaming and may consider their home to extend over half a mile in every direction. It’s not unusual to find a bird or two roosting in nearby trees when all their flock mates have returned to the coop. Unfortunately, this can put them at high risk of predation from raccoons and other nocturnal opportunists.
I’ve noted with my home flock of guineas that the phrase “bird brain” fits this species perfectly. No other poultry on our property struggles with fencing, but the guineas consistently get trapped in corners and require rescue. Despite this propensity to trap themselves, guineas can fly better than chickens. They also take longer to acclimate to a new home, so it’s essential to leave new birds locked in their coop for several weeks to give them time to establish a sense of home. If you don’t let them free range, be prepared to put a net over the top of the coop. Most guineas get along, but you’ll occasionally see tensions develop between rival males. Ensuring they have plenty of space to roam can quell their testosterone.
Guinea eggs are smaller and richer-tasting than chicken eggs. Rather than using nesting boxes, these birds lay eggs in large clutches that are often in places you might least expect them. Hens have mediocre mothering instincts and tend to abandon the eggs soon after laying them. Don’t be surprised if you stumble on a nest with a dozen or more within it (a float test will help you determine which ones are still safe to eat). If you want guinea chicks, you’ll have better luck putting fertilized eggs in an incubator and raising the young birds (known as keets) by hand.
Guinea meat veers towards gamey and is primarily dark meat. Tastewise, you can consider it similar to duck.
Learn more about guineas and find breeders near you by connecting with the Guinea Fowl International Association.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Guinea Fowl International Association (www.guineas.com).
Using Guinea Fowl For Insect Management If you’re looking to expand your backyard flock it’s time to think beyond chickens Guinea fowl are small birds native to African scrublands Today they’re a popular choice for homesteaders due to their ability to act as an alarm system and their voracious appetites for insects These striking birds have dotted feathers that come in an array of creams greys and blues Despite their plump appearance guinea fowl weigh just two pounds and measure about one foot in length They love nothing more than roaming yards and eating slugs caterpillars grasshoppers and especially ticks Sometimes a flock of guineas will gang up to attack and eat mice small rats and even snakes Thanks to this passion for foraging guineas require less feed than chickens and are relatively cheap to keep Best of all for gardeners these birds tend to leave plants alone and are unlikely to ransack your garden But what guineas are most known for is their piercing alarm call that alerts everyone nearby the second someone or something unexpected enters their line of sight While this distinctive call can be a great benefit if a weasel approaches your flock it’s less appealing when sounded for the UPS driver While the guineas are domesticated they aren’t tame like chickens and don’t tend to bond with people Though the birds are flock animals they have a propensity for roaming and may consider their home to extend over half a mile in every direction It’s not unusual to find a bird or two roosting in nearby trees when all their flock mates have returned to the coop Unfortunately this can put them at high risk of predation from raccoons and other nocturnal opportunists I’ve noted with my home flock of guineas that the phrase “bird brain” fits this species perfectly No other poultry on our property struggles with fencing but the guineas consistently get trapped in corners and require rescue Despite this propensity to trap themselves guineas can fly better than chickens They also take longer to acclimate to a new home so it’s essential to leave new birds locked in their coop for several weeks to give them time to establish a sense of home If you don’t let them free range be prepared to put a net over the top of the coop Most guineas get along but you’ll occasionally see tensions develop between rival males Ensuring they have plenty of space to roam can quell their testosterone Guinea eggs are smaller and richer-tasting than chicken eggs Rather than using nesting boxes these birds lay eggs in large clutches that are often in places you might least expect them Hens have mediocre mothering instincts and tend to abandon the eggs soon after laying them Don’t be surprised if you stumble on a nest with a dozen or more within it a float test will help you determine which ones are still safe to eat If you want guinea chicks you’ll have better luck putting fertilized eggs in an incubator and raising the young birds known as keets by hand Guinea meat veers towards gamey and is primarily dark meat Tastewise you can consider it similar to duck Learn more about guineas and find breeders near you by connecting with the Guinea Fowl International Association Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Guinea Fowl International Association www guineas com
