 |
| Foraging for bugs |
A few of you asked about my guineas I posted a picture of the other day. Their names are Heckyll and Jeckyll. Both are boys and they're not chickens or turkeys, lol! They are fowl, though. My son says they are relatives of the dinosaur since the have hard helmets on their heads.
 |
| Helmet head |
They spend most of the day foraging for food. They require very little purchased food. They hunt for bugs all day long. Guineas are great at keeping the flea/tick population under control. They are different from chickens in that they won't tear up a garden. They will go in to look for and eat bugs, but not to destroy it. Guineas are also good at flying. They'll fly in trees to get away from predators.
 |
| Keeping watch during the snow this winter |
They do make high pitched sounds. You can tell if they are males or females by the call they make. Females make a two syllable sound similar to "buckwheat", while males can only make a one syllable sound. They will sound their "alarm" if they feel they are being threatened, or if someone new comes in the yard. They always try and stand by my bedroom window and holler if they think I'm asleep! Bad boys!
 |
| Dust/Sun bathing |
If you've read my blog awhile, you may remember that I started out with 12 guineas. At first they roosted outside at night, that's how 10 of them ended up being killed by coyotes. These last two have gotten smart and stay in the chicken coop at night. Thank Goodness, cause I love my boys!
9 comments:
Enjoyed the photos. Glad these two are sticking with the chicken coop hotel.
Ohhhhh! I want some! I think they would be great to have around. I am glad to shared your photos and info. I am going to look into these. Blessings!
Very neat! They eat all the bad bugs AND warn you when there are strangers in your yard...almost like they're watching out for you! :-)
Oh they are pretty, but they sure do make alot of noise. We had a couple and they didn't like our cats so we had to take them back to the farm.
Carol
Awwwwwwww.. That's terrible, those BAD coyotes!!!.. I did enjoy seeing the photos of Heckyl and Jeckyl though, and learning more about this species of fine feathered friends!.. Hope you're enjoying your weekend! We're having our big St. Patrick's Day dinner today, so I'm still wearing my green!! ~tina
Glad for the info on Heckle and Jeckle. I enjoyed the pictures.
Enjoyed your blog. Esp the design. Very nice. Loved looking at the pics of the guineas. I didn't know they were such nice animals.
Beautiful too.
Thanks for sharing this.
Come visit my blog. I'm a writer and always looking to meet more bloggers.
Blessings. Barb from Ohio
www.barbwhitti.blogspot.com
Writing: the ups and downs
Sounds like there's a lot of benefits to guineas. I've heard their noise can be obnoxious though. Glad you enjoy them and that they've learned from those who went before.
~AnnMarie
I learned a lot from your post - very interesting and I'm glad these two are smart and safe. They are wonderful, Nancy.
Post a Comment