Guinea Fowl are very interesting and unique creatures. They have many uses. They are kept frequently for a source, of income, meat, watchdogs, and entertainment. They are extremely hardy birds, and forage very well. They are an ideal bird for any farm, and often get lumped together with the chickens.
Like officious little men in baggy gray suits, the guinea fowl scuttle up and down, scouring for beetles, locusts, spiders, and ticks. They patrol for ants, cockroaches, flies, wasps, termites, cutworms, grubs, and snails. The guinea fowl are relentless in their pursuit.
Ask those who keep guineas why they have them and you'll get a different answer every time:
- Chicken and turkey farmers keep them to ward off poultry-eating predators.
- Ranchers turn them loose to discourage rattlers and copperheads.
- Country dwellers like the way they gobble down disease-carrying ticks.
- Orchard owners use them to drive off marauding birds.
- Farmers put them to work patrolling for row crop pests.
Guineas do all this without damaging crops. Sure, they'll take the occasional peck at a cultivated plant, but they much prefer insects, weeds, and seeds.
Free-ranging guineas spend most of their days foraging. They work as a team, marching chest to chest and devouring anything they startle as they move through the grass. When they discover a special treat—a rodent, for example, or a small snake—they close ranks, circle their prey, and move in for the feast. All the while, they keep up a steady stream of whistles, chirps, and clicks, a sort of running commentary on the day's hunt.
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