Guineas, the true dinosaurs of the poultry world and the best natural pest control available, are probably the most underrated farm bird out there. These wildly crazy, beautifully feathered, voracious eaters, are neurotic to the bone, uncommonly unpredictable and fantastic hunters. They are not only invaluable in the garden, they are highly entertaining and lay some of the most delicious eggs out there. As a small scale flower farmer growing organically on about a quarter acre, guineas have been an asset like no other when it comes to pest control, and morale.
Guineas are often written off as shrill, obnoxious, stupid birds. And while that description is not entirely wrong, it certainly doesn’t paint a full picture. When I tell people I have guineas in the garden the most common response is “but aren’t they loud?”. The answer is yes, and no, and yes. The wonderful thing about guineas is that each flock is different. While our first crew were skittish and endlessly yelling, impossible to put away at night and incredibly stupid, our second batch were quiet, well mannered and while still lacking any shred of intelligence, would march reliably into the coop at night.
This is what I love about these exotic and witchy birds. You never quite know what you will get, and yet, they are my favorite farmyard creatures, both for their antics and their value as farm hands. Unlike chickens whose personalities are fairly well predicted by breed, guineas are birds of circumstance. The ones we raise by hand are friendlier to humans, but incredibly flighty outdoors. The ones left to their own are often much more like wild birds than domestic creatures and will wander farther and farther afoot as they age. We have come to allow our chickens to raise them, which instills them with a sense of where to roost and results in more of a structured, commonsense, homebody mentality.
Guinea fowl are endemic to Africa and there are several different varieties, but it is the helmeted guinea fowl that we see most commonly on farms today, and which are the hardiest in colder climates. They come in a variety of colors from pearly white to a striking purple, to the classic speckling of white, grey and black.
Guineas are conditioned to live in a tight, flock environment, sticking ridiculously close to one another and traveling as if they were one large snake-like creature. They have much less independent habits than chickens, for instance, yet are purported to be monogamous creatures in nature. And while they are naturally prone to mate for life, I have seen little evidence of such behavior in my own flocks, perhaps because they think they are chickens. The birds are communal in almost every way, from their hunting techniques to their shared nests and endless games of follow-the-leader.
Guineas are also often used in their native lands as food, commonly cropping up in French cooking as well, due to the historic colonization of several African nations. And in addition to being a good meat source, they also lay small rich eggs that can be collected and eaten like any other domesticated poultry egg. But only if you can find them, out in the woods somewhere, under a bush.
Guineas do not do well in confined spaces and must be aloud to free range. Coming from the flatlands of Africa they enjoy lots of room to roam, tall things to perch on (like pine trees or that brand new roof on your barn) and ample areas of brush and low hanging undergrowth.
Our adventure with guineas started several years ago when my husband got lyme disease for the first time. With no intention, or really even any inclination that they would become such a mainstay on our farm, I adopted 10, day-old keets (guinea babies) and raised them in a box in my basement, because I had read somewhere that they ate ticks like no other.
I fully expected, on my semi-suburban farm, to quickly be told off by my neighbors. This first flock of guineas were loud, raucous and had no sense of boundaries. To my surprise they became the stars of our street, visiting each neighbor daily, with at least three households competing to keep them around. My 90-year-old neighbor fed them under his birdfeeder and loved watching them come running for treats every morning. Another neighbor delighted in the fact that they used her picnic table as a day-time perch and when I told her they ate ticks, she started giving them watermelon treats to keep them there longer.
After that guineas became a regular fixture on our little micro farm, and here is why.
Pest Control:
While their initial task was only ticks (10 guineas can clear about an acre an hour and I haven’t seen a single once since the birds moved in), I soon found that my guineas had developed a taste for Japanese beetles, a pest that I had been in a loosing battle with for quite some time. They quickly moved on from beetles to grasshoppers, another devastating pest in our flower beds, as the season progressed and it didn’t end there. And like magic, I suddenly had healthy raspberry bushes and dahlias without holes in the petals.
Guineas travel in packs, they bathe together, sleep together, eat together, hunt together. And they hunt a lot more than I ever expected. While their heads are down constantly in search of tiny bugs and seeds, they are also hungry for meat. As a group they will circle any small rodent they find, and basically peck it to death. And while it’s a vicious scene to observe, its extremely effective in keeping voles out of our flower beds. Usually the birds will kill, and then parade their kill around the yard. One guinea will run off with it in its beak, chased closely by the others until a different bird secures the now-dead prey, and so on and so on, and this can go on forever. Sometimes I find the rodents dead at the edge of the coop or garden, but mostly they eat what they kill. And they are far more prolific than the cat!
Guineas also get bonus points for not scratching the way chickens do, making them virtually harmless to established plants.
Predator control and natural alarms:
While you will often read about guineas’ guard dog capabilities, their protective instincts sometimes go further than simply sounding an alarm. Despite their relatively small size, guineas are also great at keeping predators at bay, similar to roosters. Mostly they hate hawks. As a bantam chicken enthusiast I often loose a few of the oh-so-tiny hens each year to our resident hawk or the odd escaped dog. On several occasions I have seed a blur of guinea madness rush at a startled retriever or circle a bird of prey in the lawn and chase it off. Sadly, the guineas are not as good at protecting themselves and there is a significant attrition rate, especially if you are new to the breed, while you get acquainted with their particular strain of stupid.
More famously guineas will alert you to the presence of unwelcome (as well as welcome) guests on your property. They are excellent “watch dogs” in this way, and will scream at anything out of the ordinarily be it human or predator. However, this can, sometimes annoyingly, apply to things you really don’t want to be alerted to; fresh snow, a car parked in an unusual spot, leaves falling from trees, a garden fork left by the coop door, a new water bowl, unusual compost, the hose, frogs hopping… the list goes on. Some will be repulsed by their high pitched screeching, I personally find it sort of oddly mesmerizing, a cacophony of weird, unnatural sounding noises, and its usually over in moments!
Eggs and Meat:
While I use guineas as organic pest control and choose not to eat my birds, they can also be valuable as a food source for those who choose to use them as such. Their meat is dark and leaner than that of chicken or turkey and carries a slightly lower calorie count. They also lay gorgeous, small, hard-shell eggs that are rich, nutritious and flavorful, if you can find them. For me, the guinea egg is the tastiest of all the eggs.
If eggs are a main aim in raising guineas, its wise to create a dense, brush-like structure in your pen or nearby where they feel safe and secure close to home. Once a nest is established, the ladies in your flock will all share it, taking turns throughout the day to lay there, often guarded by at least one of the males. When collecting eggs, it is important to leave a few behind, or substitute them with golf balls or faux eggs to ensure that they continue to use the same nest. Their natural instinct is to abandon ship if they find a once-full nest emptied out. For us eggs are secondary and its usually mid-summer before I find a pile somewhere in the woods, usually all still entirely edible. The danger with this approach, is that if you do not find the nest before the hens go broody, you may loose a few birds to the night prowlers.
Low maintenance entertainment:
Perhaps my most faoviret thing about these strange birds though, is simply watching them. When content, they make a constant soft cooing sound as they move across the lawn like a wave searching for snacks. Occasionally one will get startled and run, only to be followed by a swoosh of feathers and fluff as the others run in tow with absolutely no idea why. When they run their heavily feathered undercarriages flop from side to side like arthritic old ladies running in pantaloons. They have large blinking, jet-black eyes surrounded by the most beautifully long eyelashes tucked into the ugliest faces and are always inquisitive, but tentative. They are endlessly looking for the highest thing to perch on and when they attack their prey, they do it with their wings held back like little body shields. They can go from sweet to evil and right back again in a heartbeat and are my favorite farm personalities, even when they are assholes.
Guineas are easy to raise and adorable when they are young. Keets grow and change quickly and while extremely susceptible to cold and wet in their first week, they become incredibly hardy and virtually disease free birds soon thereafter. They adapt well to different environments, especially when raised by chicken mamas, and can live harmoniously with other birds (ours live with ducks, chickens and geese) so long as there is no food competition. While they do have a tendency to be slightly and momentarily aggressive (mostly towards one another), especially with older and smaller hens, they have never done any real damage and almost always lose interest in their chase within seconds. They are actually quite terrified of our runner ducks and keep their distance in the pen. Guineas need little in the way of shelter, ours prefer a three sided box with a roosting bar, but do prefer the highest perch possible and will compete for it. If space is limited it’s a good idea to be sure there is room for each member of the flock at the same height in order to regulate the pecking order.
I wouldn’t say that guineas thrive in snow, but after a good week of yelling at it, they will adjust and do just fine, though they should be kept away from deeper drifts as they need a running start to fly and escape danger. As natural desert creatures they also tolerate heat well and though they look pathetic when wet, the rain doesn’t bother them much either. They eat what all the other birds eat, they go where all the other birds go and if you ever wanted to own a dinosaur, this is as close as you’ll get.
Getting to know guineas is learning to love them!