Guineas are an interesting homestead addition. I've had a flock of these birds off and on over a period of 20 years. They are one of my favorite types of poultry, but definitely not for every homestead. I'm going to give you the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of these amazing creatures...
THE GOOD: These birds are a ticks worst nightmare. The guinea is a tick eating predator. They devour ticks and tick eggs, as well as many other pesky insects. A small flock of guineas will decimate a tick population very quickly on your homestead. Guineas rarely hunt deep into wooded areas, so they will primarily patrol your open pasture and fringe areas. They move as a unit, and rarely venture away from the flock. They remind me of dinosaurs moving in perfect formation, and just like Forrest Gump- if they are going somewhere they are running!
THE BAD: Guineas are wide ranging and don't respect property lines. They will wonder across roads and seem oblivious to the danger. Mine will actually sit down in the middle of the road and challenge someone to hit them. Their wide ranging habits can also disturb your neighbors. You need lots of space to get the full tick gobbling benefits of guineas. They won't eat any ticks if cooped up all the time. Guineas need space to roam.
THE UGLY: Guineas are LOUD... really loud...EXTREMELY LOUD!!! They are constantly making noise- sometimes harsh, piercing, and shrill noise! While this can be useful in alerting you to visitors or predatory intruders, they'll make the same alarm for seemingly nothing at all. I kinda like their chatter, but definitely from a distance. They also tend to make a big ugly mess if they happen to roost in the rafters of your barn .
HONORABLE MENTION: Guineas are good to eat- similar to pheasant. They will attack small snakes and harass larger ones. If they find a nest of baby mice they will eat them- yes EAT THEM! They will warn chickens of airborne predators, and they are strikingly beautiful and unique looking- kinda like walking decorative footballs :)
Well, there you have it! Hope you like it!
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