Guinea Fowl

[Vicious_Fish]

I was just curious to see if anyone here keeps or has kept Guinea Fowl. I just picked up 11 keets today and I plan on introducing them to my Barred Rock chicks when they get bigger. The goal is to help bring down the stinkbug and tick population around here and NOT have these guys go wild and run off! I've been doing some research and I'm hoping they'll bond with my chickens and stick around with them.

 

[Neervana]

do you know what i actually didnt understand a word of what you wrote on here lol. stinkbug? keets? rock chicks?! i always wanted a few hens lol but this is something else! they look so cute. did you hatch them yourself?

 

[Vicious_Fish]

do you know what i actually didnt understand a word of what you wrote on here lol. stinkbug? keets? rock chicks?! i always wanted a few hens lol but this is something else! they look so cute. did you hatch them yourself?

Haha, sorry Neer, let me clear that up for you. First off, we have a major stinkbug issue in some of the states here in the Eastern US. In the summer they're everywhere, crawling all over things, getting inside your home and destroying crops. My hope is that these guys will help to eliminate some of them from around my home and garden. Second, baby Guinea Fowl are called "Keets", not chicks. And last but not least, I got a dozen chicks about 3 weeks ago and the breed of chicken they are is called a Pymouth Barred Rock. I eat a lot of eggs so free range, organic chickens sound like a good idea for me since I have the space. I hope that cleared things up!

 

[woofy]

They are sooo cute! But my uncle did the same thing to try to reduce ticks also and i think they didt reduce the numbers that well maybe he didnt have as many though.


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[Vicious_Fish]

They are sooo cute! But my uncle did the same thing to try to reduce ticks also and i think they didt reduce the numbers that well maybe he didnt have as many though.


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I ended up buying all 11 keets that they had at the local feed store over the weekend. That should make a pretty decent sized flock I hope. I lost my dog last year to Lyme's Disease (even though she had the updated shots) so anything that helps to kill ticks in the area is a plus in my book!

 

[krichardson]

Keets,I like the name lol.We have a bit of a stinkbug problem up this end but not to bad.They always seem to find a way into my front bedroom.Kind of let's me know just how cheap my windows are.

 

[Vicious_Fish]

Keets,I like the name lol.We have a bit of a stinkbug problem up this end but not to bad.They always seem to find a way into my front bedroom.Kind of let's me know just how cheap my windows are.

They're BAD up this way. On some days there will be thousands of them covering the outside of my house and outbuildings. And they can get indoors through the smallest cracks. The stinkbugs did a number on my garden as well.

 

[krichardson]

You answered it,I was going to ask what they ate as I dont know much about them....I have heard of the guinea fowl name before but wasnt aware they were in the chicken group.I did have a rooster chick about a a year ago,someone gave it to my son and like always,I ended up caring for it.I loved the way it would follow me around the house.It reminded me of a little dinosaur.

 

[Vicious_Fish]

You answered it,I was going to ask what they ate as I dont know much about them....I have heard of the guinea fowl name before but wasnt aware they were in the chicken group.I did have a rooster chick about a a year ago,someone gave it to my son and like always,I ended up caring for it.I loved the way it would follow me around the house.It reminded me of a little dinosaur.

Guineas are from Africa and kind of run around the grasslands eating bugs while making a lot of noise. They get a little larger than chickens and can actually fly but would rather run. The ones kept and bred in captivity are the domestic version of the Helmeted Guinea Fowl....in this case mine are French Guineas. They were bred to be larger than the other breeds and are primarily used in culinary. If you've ever ate pheasant in a restaurant you probably had Guinea Fowl. But don't worry folks, I don't plan on eating mine.

 

[krichardson]

No I've never eaten pheasant,wouldn't mind trying it though.