Yes, they will drive you mad...in more ways that one.

They are not very good brooders or mothers. The young die easily.

I once hatched 13 under a non -guinea hen. It was quite funny at first, they didn't speak the same language and the hen went crazy trying to get them to understand her when she was callin to them, they just ignored her. It took 3 days before they got that she was their mom.

I got rid of them becuase I couldn't stand all the noise, & then went they decided to stay on the roof of the barn at night, that did it.
M

I guess as they say...different strokes but I loved having them...they can get noisy but it's usually when they are disturbed or someone or something is on the property that shouldn't be.....

Unless you keep them penned you will never know where the nest is without tracking them...as a young kid, one of my choes at my Aunts house was looking for nests in the weeks...

I bought little keets and gave them to a hen that was setting (another story) and she Mothered them like no body's business..they were huge birds and still following her around the yard...a funny sight to see when all she wanted was to be free of the monsters...She was a good Mother to them though..

I love them and they will clean your yard of ticks and lots of no good critters like that...

I love my guineas too - and haven't had a hard time with them being the 'poor mothers' that some evidently have experienced.

One of the challenges I have faced with them is that they do like to hide their nests, and a hen sitting outside all night is an easy target for lots and lots of predators. This is how I've lost 95% of my birds. I would think your trees and cover are also great cover for the predators and would actually be detrimental to broody guinea hens. The way I get around this is lock them up in the coop and pen in late april/may. They make a nest inside and once most/all the hens have gone broody on it (several hens will sit one nest if physically possible) I open the door again. The hens stay put and the cocks get to free range again and keep my acreage tick-free. My hens have all been great mothers, very protective. Though I don't let them take the keets outside till they are a week old or so. If there's dew the keets can get chilled.

Are you going to have a coop or other shelter for them to go into at night? I've heard of some people successfully letting their guineas roost in trees, but they also experience a lot more loss from predators. If you want the flock to be self-sustaining then some kind of predator-proof shelter would be a great help.

The noise certainly was something to get used to. And numbers definitely make it worse. I started out with six and they weren't bad at all - a flock of 30 teenagers might have been too much even for me. Though really, I work away from home so I don't hear them most of the day, and when they are in their coop it's muffled enough to not be annoying. I love it now, because I know when someone drives up, or someone walks by, or a stray dog is in the yard or a hawk overhead. They are a great alarm sys.

If I may ask, why are you thinking about guineas? I got them because my property was overrun with ticks and that is the one bug that really creeps me out. Plus, I have lots of gardens and didn't want chickens digging them up.

thanks guys

Yes I want them mostly for tick control and also because of a general fondness for birds. I think I'll sit this one out this year, because yes, I was thinking to let them roost in trees (having read that some people have successfully done this) and I don't want to build a shelter for them this year... but surely next year! I also don't know where to get them in smaller batches-- the McMurray catalogue requires a minimum of 30. We have 32 acres so we could perhaps handle that many but it seems like I'd better try a handful first to see if I can stand the sound....how far do they range when they free-range?

Kristen

Kristen the guineas will free range farther out than chickens....that's part of why the noise shouldn't be a huge issue...At first they will wander out a little bit but each day they get braver and braver...You can certainly try letting them roost in trees, but as the other poster suggested...probably not a great idea..The ones that I lost were all at the point when they were roosting in the trees...I had a dickens of a time gettting them to roost inside but finally they learned....I just took a handfull of feed and tossed it into the pen/house so they ran in for supper and I closed them in....

You can smaller orders of guineas from Best Hatcheries here in Texas. I ordered four along with 12 chicks. You also might check with your feed store for someone who raises them locally. Kit

McMurray is expensive... guineafarm is cheaper or try something local so you dont have to get so many. There is a lot of good advice above: highly recommend keeping them in a coop at night... I love the noise they make, it isnt that bad at all once you get used to it. (guineas in a coop are quieter than ones roosting in trees, also young birds are noiser, & hens are more talkative than cocks) You will eventually learn where to find nests-preferred areas, a cock will stand "guard" during the day, and a hen makes a loud cry when laying an egg. It's still hard to find the nests tho-you could be right by one and not see it. If you leave the hen to brood her nest outside, she will likely be fox food. That is one reason its hard to get keets raised by guinea hens. I only let my guineas brood nests in the coop, or place eggs under chicken surrogates or in the incubator.

I have 16 guineas (5 pearls from '04 and 11 royal purples hatched June '05). They roost in old cedar trees in our yard and to this date have done so safely. The only one that we have lost was taken by a fox during the daytime before we got our second Great Pyrenees dog.

We got them for tick control and have had very few ticks this year. Have heard others complaining about them so we feel that the guineas are to be thanked for a great job.

Yes, they can be very "talkative" but this is sporadic....with more talk during their "teen" days. Have only rarely found it annoying....certainly NOT to any degree that would make us want to be without them. Rather their antics are very comical and they add a lot of character to our farm.

Ours were raised in close contact with us....they were started in a box in our utility room and later put outside during the daytime and brought in at night. As a result they are very tame and like to accompany us as we go out around the yard and barnyard areas. They have a "shoe fetish" that is evidenced by them pecking at our shoes and shoe strings. They are experts at untying shoes.

Also, have "saved my bacon" more than once when a mean roo had me cornered! They do not hesitate to attack any offending rooster and have seen tail feathers fly more than once while the chicken was trying to make a getaway.

We Love our Guineas!

Good luck with your decision and your birds.

Judy

Wow, the guineas I had must have been real 'wusses', or else I had the horniest rooster alive. He would chase the guineas for all he was worth, hoping to breed them, I suppose, but they'd run for all they were worth, then take off, flying to safety in the nearest tree.

Never could get 'em to come into the henhouse - they roosted in a big old persimmon tree in the barnlot fenceline.

All I can say is that guineas need it dry and open with lots of insects if they are successfully raise their young on their own. Trees may invite many predators like hawks, owls, fox, raccoon, skunk, weasel, opossum that will destroy nest and adults. I always raise mine with a chicken and have better success than with raising chicken chicks.

Kristen....please, please, don't get 30 guins. I already think you're a little crazy ;) and I fear that this would push you over the edge!

I have 2...2 is my limit. They are very, very, very loud. You'd destroy any speck of peacein that valley.....

Tracy