BY ALDONA BIRD
This spring I almost bought guinea fowl. I discussed it with my family, and we were on the verge of adding this new (for us) type of bird to our homestead. I looked closer at the listing on the hatchery website: minimum order of 30 keets.
A keet is a baby guinea fowl. Guinea fowls are game birds native to Africa. A bit larger than chickens, I’ve heard and read that they are less domesticated. They have featherless necks and heads, and the most common type has white speckled grey feathers.
They possess a few traits that interested me. The biggest is their purported skill at hunting ticks. My dogs and cats and family always need ticks removed. I recently even pulled one off the comb of a chicken.
Any animal who could cut down the tick population even a little seemed like a great idea. But I wasn’t ready to commit to a flock of 30.
Recently I’ve revisited the idea of getting guinea fowl and learning more strengthened my conviction that a large flock wouldn’t be a good way to start. The very same reason I would like to have guinea hens — their bug-eating capacities — is the reason I hesitate.
I found many sources describing how great guineas are at eating all kinds of bugs. One gardener’s account related how their guinea hens rid the garden of pests, including June bugs, which had been a huge hindrance to growing food. Along with this highly praised attribute comes the claim that guineas don’t scratch around in the dirt and don’t eat many plants.
On the other hand, another’s experience warned that bees need protection from guineas, as the hens may perch on the hives and eat the bees as they emerge.
Bug control sounds wonderful (especially as my own garden this year is practically non-existent due to bug problems), but I do wonder what impact a large flock of these birds would do to the ecosystem.
If they are truly as good at annihilating insects as claimed, I could see that a disruption could be in order if they ate too many of one type — or just too many altogether.
Another positive trait I read about was their guarding instinct. They are apparently very loud and will sound the alarm at any sign of danger and will even attack perceived predators.
This behavior is actually one reason I’m considering them again — predators (fox, mostly) have targeted my sister’s chicken flock, leading her to consider poultry guards. She asked if I would split an order of five keets with her, as she only would want one or two.
I read that despite supposed low intelligence guinea fowl learn to recognize people and cars and so won’t sound the alarm or attack those they know. But some breeds are more likely to attack everyone — even their owners. I wonder if having a few guinea fowl around could cure my dog of his habit of chasing the chickens.
Guineas are flock animals, and need to be with other birds. I read that they integrate well with chickens. But then I also read they sometimes bully chickens.
The non-domesticated nature of these birds means that the whole flock can wander quite a ways, especially if not trained to return to a coop at night. They also like to roost high up in trees, and can fly and soar quite well.
After learning more about these birds I am still on the fence as to weather to incorporate them into my little homestead ecosystem.
ALDONA BIRD is a journalist, previously writing for The Dominion Post. She uses experience gained working on organic farms in Europe to help her explore possibilities of local productivity and sustainable living in Preston County. Email columns@dominionpost.com.
