Guineas, Grasshoppers and Gardens??

emulkahi1 · #1 07/27/09, 12:11 AM

Hello everyone. I was hoping that you could tell me a bit about guineas, how they might like grasshoppers, and how badly they might damage my garden? I have 60+ chickens that are enclosed in a movable yard....I currently don't let them out to free-range because I also have a market garden that I would hate to see seriously damaged (I've heard stories about chickens in gardens.....). The movable yard is, at the moment, stationed next to the garden but the grasshoppers seem smart enough (who'd have thought...) to avoid it, and still find their way to my plants :-P.

However, the point about the chicken damage might be moot because--between the blister beetle infestation that is raging, and the oncoming onslaught of grasshoppers (just read in the paper today that they are finding 37/sq.yd in surrounding areas...15/sq.yd is apparently considered really bad), my garden is suffering badly. I have been hearing rumors that guineas don't do the damage that chickens do. Can anyone tell me their experiences that confirm (or don't) this?

I do know that they are loud as a friend that I used to visit had some. So I don't really have any illusions about that.

A concern I have is that, even if I were to order them from a hatchery right now, I'd still have weeks before they were out of the brooder and able to do their bug eating duties...right? Anyone know of a place to obtain older birds? Is it a good idea to get older birds? I think I remember reading that they can be terrible at coming back home to roost w/o being kept cooped up for a month or two first. So, whether I order keats, or adult birds I guess I still might be looking at almost 2 months before I can count on them for bug control?

Also, I wonder how many I'd need to provide effective bug control over 13.5 acres. Only 1/3 of this is currently really used though (garden/chickens/goats, etc).

Anyway.....thank you for any advice. I am a guinea greenhorn, so please don't hesitate to share any input you might have (including "this is a terrible idea because ____" sort of stuff). I am all ears. Thanks!!!!!

Erin

copperpennykids · #2 07/27/09, 03:32 AM

We have Guineas and are just getting ready to let them free range. We read a book "Gardening with Guineas" so have no qualms at all about letting the guineas loose - we purposely housed them next to the garden!

My husband is from the midwest and he recently was telling me about his aunt that had a house down by the lake. The whole area was infested with grasshoppers, and the lawns at all of the homes were so dry and brown - except his aunts. Every June she would get 4 or 5 ducks and they would scarf up all the grasshoppers. Her lawn was green and lush. She would butcher the ducks in the Fall, and then repeat the following year. So maybe you could get some adult ducks while waiting for your keets to grow up.

HTH!

Cliff · #3 07/27/09, 07:30 AM

Guineas are great in the garden. They won't concentrate in that area though, they make their rounds of the property every day. It's funny, if you pay attention they will be at the same place in their rounds at the same time every day.
The worst damage they really do is fluff and make holes in weather when the ground's dry enough for that. If you have mulch they generally don't disturb that much, where chickens will scratch it to oblivion looking for earthworms and bugs.
They won't fly over a fence to get into the garden, they are so stupid that fences baffle them. If one happens to fly out of a fence away from the other guineas i'll run back and forth up and down the fence line till desperation before they finally fly back over in a panic.

Callieslamb · #4 07/27/09, 10:53 AM

What would guineas do to a garden if there weren't many bugs in there for them? I love them....but wonder what I would really do with them. Though maybe next year will be our turn for overwhelming bugs in the garden.

emulkahi1 · #5 07/27/09, 11:08 AM

Thank you all for your replies! Another question for those that have had experience......How long would it be till I could let the little keets out, even for just a couple hours each day? I know that--with my chickens, they were in the brooder for 5-6 weeks. I didn't try letting them graze in that time. If I made a little "tractor" for them that I could move about, maybe I could have them out in that on warm days (we've had plenty of 90+ days lately)? That way they could get a start on the bugs a bit earlier, and maybe get to stretch their legs a bit in the fresh air too. What do you think?

Erin

Cliff · #6 07/27/09, 11:12 AM

If I remember right they have their wing feathers mostly grown in by 3 wks. If it's fairly warm outside they could go out then. You'll know if they get cold, they're very loud about it lol.

Maura · #7 07/27/09, 11:55 AM

You could let a half dozen chickens out and let them in your garden. I'm sure your plants are big enough now that they won't eat them. They scratch the ground to work up bugs, but from what you write, they won't have to. They will see bugs that you don't. Let a few out and watch what they do. At night they will want to go home to roost, so you can put them back in the pen and let a half dozen out the next day.

EasyDay · #8 07/27/09, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maura

You could let a half dozen chickens out and let them in your garden. I'm sure your plants are big enough now that they won't eat them. They scratch the ground to work up bugs, but from what you write, they won't have to. They will see bugs that you don't. Let a few out and watch what they do. At night they will want to go home to roost, so you can put them back in the pen and let a half dozen out the next day.

I don't recommend this. Been there, done that.