Will guinea fowl eat your garden?

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Debating on chickens or guinea fowl. Don't need the eggs. Prefer lowest maintenance birds.

I've heard that guineas will eat seeds as fast as you plant them if allowed. I know that they are the best at roaming and eating grasshoppers (which I have swarms of) and that is the main reason for getting them. I have a 10 x 10 covered dog kennel on dirt. I'd prefer to raise the keets and then let them live loose outside of the cage. I have plenty of trees for them to roost in. Also know they are noisy when disturbed by unknown people or potential predators.

So will chickens eat your garden?

 

[hunterridgefarm]

I have heard chickens will peck you tomatoes but have no first hand knowledge of this. Here is an old thread about guineas I started when we were thinking about getting them.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/95728-anyone-have-guinea-fowl.html

 

[creekbend]

Sincerely hope the following helps. Will chickens eat my garden? | Becky's Homestead

 

[randy41]

yes. chickens will eat your garden.

 

[KYErik]

Yes- chickens love ripe tomatoes fresh on the vine- and chickens can jump and peck/bite the tomatoes that are hanging 6" above their heads.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Yes- chickens love ripe tomatoes fresh on the vine- and chickens can jump and peck/bite the tomatoes that are hanging 6" above their heads.

My dog used to steal tomatoes; and squirrels will get them also...not to mention turtles like the low hangers...and I suspect some of those "peck" holes are the work of bluejays.

 

[DFB]

My last dog the brittany would eat tomatoes too

One summer I had wild turkeys roaming thruout my garden rows eating the bugs. Cleaned up all the japenese beetles!

 

[2LaneCruzer]

My last dog the brittany would eat tomatoes too

One summer I had wild turkeys roaming thruout my garden rows eating the bugs. Cleaned up all the japenese beetles!

Turkeys don't seem to bother my garden much, although they do appear to eat the bugs and anything that seeds out, they appear to peck at the seeds (like old radishes, etc.). They tell me ducks and guineas are good at keeping the bugs down.

 

[whistlepig]

Debating on chickens or guinea fowl. Don't need the eggs. Prefer lowest maintenance birds.

I've heard that guineas will eat seeds as fast as you plant them if allowed. I know that they are the best at roaming and eating grasshoppers (which I have swarms of) and that is the main reason for getting them. I have a 10 x 10 covered dog kennel on dirt. I'd prefer to raise the keets and then let them live loose outside of the cage. I have plenty of trees for them to roost in. Also know they are noisy when disturbed by unknown people or potential predators.

So will chickens eat your garden?

My neighbor has guineas. They are constantly noisy from the crack of dawn until well after sunset whether they have been disturbed or not. My wife says they are good for eating ticks. I would prefer the ticks.

 

[Dozernut]

Guineas are very noisy but are good watchdogs. They do eat ticks and they will peck at some of your veggies. Deer and rabbits are far more destructive on our garden. They do get old because they will scold you every time you step out of the house. We had them for a couple of years until the coyotes got them all. Go with the chickens and keep them penned.

Peacocks are a lot worse. A neighbor had Peacocks and they would fly up to the second story of his closest neighbors home and peek in the windows. The Peacocks would make that obnoxious wail they do while peeping, this was just after sun rise. They mysteriously disappeared one day, I think a Chupacabra must have got them.