Guinea Fowl Update

Back in May of this year we added 9 guinea fowl keets to the Red Clay menagerie. The idea was that they would patrol the garden and property for insects and eliminate them. We were able to control the keets until they were about 5 weeks old. At that point, they were too large to keep in the brooder and it was getting warm outside so we moved them to their own place out behind the garage.

That arrangement didn't last very long. Soon after they moved outside they found a way to get out of their enclosure, which, at first, wasn't a problem. They hung out around the house most of the time and went inside to roost each night. But as time went by, they began exploring further and further away. First it was the front yard, then they were in the front pasture. One day I went to pick up the mail and found them on the far side of the highway foraging in the grass along the road as cars wizzed past. I figured they were gone for sure at that point. Every night they would find their way home but their numbers would dwindle each time we saw them. One morning we awoke to find a pile of feathers in the front yard. We never did figure out what got that one (I suspect Buddy the Farm Dog had a good meal that day).

And then one day there were just two left. These two must have been the smarter of the group because once it was just them, they decided to stick around the house and do their jobs. They have stayed in the area ever since and hang with the other chickens in the pasture.

They have proven to be very useful birds. I don't know how much of a dent 2 guineas can put in the insect population, but they do a great job of scratching up and spreading the horse manure which is good for reducing parasites and improving the soil quality. On top of that they are hilarious to watch. I'm pretty sure that these must be some of the dumbest birds on the planet and they provide hours of entertainment for the whole family.

Natural Pest Control

Wouldn't it be great to have built-in, organic pest control for the yard and garden that doubles as an alarm to let you know when people are visiting? Guinea fowl to the rescue! Nine guinea keets of varied colors (helmeted, lavender and white) and joined the staff here at Red Clay last Friday morning after hatching on Thursday and are doing well. Of course, it may be time to get them out of the dining room and into something more secure before they start escaping from their make-shift brooder.

Guineafowl are great for pest control. They patrol the area searching out bugs and sometimes even snakes. I understand that they especially enjoy ticks. They are much more garden-friendly than chickens because they don't scratch the ground looking for food like chickens. As an added bonus, if somebody enters their area, they will raise the alarm and let everyone know. These guys will have the run of the property and hopefully will help us with some outdoor bug control over the summer. Boy, do we need it!

If you're planning to add guineas to your place, here are a few tips:

Don't buy adults because they will most likely wander off an disappear. Guineas imprint on the place they were raised and will feel little attachment to a new home as an adult. They must be brought in a keets if you want them to free range.

Find a reputable local source for your keets. You can buy them from hatcheries for reasonable prices, but hatcheries have rather large shipping fees tagged on to the price at checkout. I found my source on craigslist.org and had a long conversation with her before agreeing to buy from her.

Keep your keets warm and well fed for the first few weeks of life. You can find an abundance of information about brooding guinea keets on the internet by doing a quick Google search so I won't attempt to recreate that info here. The bottom line is this; for the sake of the birds, do some research before jumping in.

These little guys are fun to watch. They are much more amusing than the chickens ever were. Get yourself some guineafowl today and enjoy!