How Cute is that! This year I could use the watering can over my hosta! :)

That is a novel idea!

I have a bird question also - do you have Guinea Hens or know much about them?

Alexa

Keep sending more pictures. I enjoy seeing what every one can do with plants and garden art.

Connie

Alexa, I'm about ready to fall out of my chair laughing at your question. Be forewarned, get ready for a long story.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a number of barnyard birds, geese, turkeys, ducks and chickens at the moment, but have also had pigeons, pheasants, doves, quail and top that off with a number of bird feeders to draw in the wild birds, alot of which are actually getting very tame, had a hummer sit on my finger the other day, wish I had the camera. And anyone who knows me also knows that I adore my birds, they are all pets with names and such.

What you don't know is that when I moved into this place over 20 years ago, I was bird phobic and swore I would never have a bird here other the the wild ones I couldn't do anything about. Want to talk weird, give me snakes, spiders, bats, insects, I have absolutly no fear of those, just not birds back then. The reason I was bird phobic is because when I was about 6 years old, my dad thought it would be funny to get a movie of me chasing a guinea hen, never figuring I would catch it. Well I did catch it and it in turn tore into me and actually chased me after I threw it down. In short, guinea hens are the only bird I refuse to have, lol. Oh yea, the way I got over my phobia was because my mother had to open her big mouth and say we needed geese for the pond, and despite how much I protested, a little day old gosling was forced on me. Not only is it kind of hard to be afraid of a few ounces of fluff, but anyone who has ever raised a gosling knows the meaning of total devotion, they have the sweetest eyes and look at you like you are the greatest thing that ever happen. That little few ounces of fluff is now 22 years old, around 15 pounds, still considers me her mommy, and still has the sweetest eyes. Thanks to good old Koose Goose, birds are now a welcome and totally enjoyable part of my gardens.

Now to answer your question about guineas, I do know people who have them so do a little about them, but I won't claim to be a expert, and the people who have them love them, think they are great. The problem with guineas is how they like to roam and that roaming may include your neighbors yards, there are a few feral populations in my area that started from birds that decided they like the surrounding fields better than their owners yards, this of course is not always the case, as I said, I know people who have them roaming around and they do stay in their own yards, sometimes even my birds sometimes take a walk through the neighbors yards, I fortunally have tollerant neighbors that love my birds and don't mind the occational trespassing. So you have to decide if you don't mind them wondering through your gardens, maybe stepping on plants or scratching up labels, or if you are prepared to make them a totally enclosed area.

I don't know if you are asking as far as them in your gardens or as pets in an enclosed area, but I will tell you as someone who does have birds roaming the gardens, they can and do cause damage. I have a few now unknowns because the chickens scratched away the tags while I was recoving from an infected foot and couldn't get out to replace the tags, the ducks big feet squash the smaller hostas, the geese take nibbles on the leaves and took out a whole row of sweet corn, but personally, I tollerate it because I love my birds as much as I love my hostas, but that is me, to me, they complete the picture. That is not everyone, it is up to you to decide, your gardens, your work, your world, live it in the way that makes you happy (I only say that to defend my birds, lmao).

Wow - what a story about the Guinea Hen! That is amazing that you were phobic and have come full circle. I have witnessed what you mention - the devotion of a goose to a human. One of the barns I rode for (many years ago) had a resident goose. SHe was the owners pet and she would follow the owner all over the farm.

Anyway, the reason I asked about Guinea Hens is because I saw on Gardener's Diary (repeat from years ago) that one woman keeps a couple because they are wonderful as an alarm system as well as eating slugs and baby snakes. Those would be HUGE pluses in my book!

Any thoughts on those benefits?

Thanks

Alexa

Alexa
We once had a couple of guinea hens. They roost in the trees and you could put a bucket under them and fill it in a couple of days! They would go in the garage in the highest spot they could find and poop all over!!!! We had chickens also at the time and the hens decided they were in love with the male guinea (we called him Elvis) It was a sight to see the lovesick hens follow him around. They would have nothing to do with the roosters as long as he was around. Very strange indeed. Because of all the poop we got rid of them. They also continously make noise--someone said they scare away critters. If this is true it is probably cause they can't stand the racket.
Over the years we have had every kind of fowl except peacocks.
because they badly damage young plants if allowed to roam loose, we admire them now in someone elses yard. My sister still has chickens and just told me today how they ripped in to some hostas that I just gave her. You won't find a slug around the place but your plants may still look ratty cause if they find a slug they will all scratch till they are sure there are no more--and this may happen to be in the middle of a nice hosta.
Just my experience with them. (Established plants fare better than small defenseless ones.) They also feel that impatience is chicken candy.

Yikes.

I'm not sure you all realize this, but the whole reason I am considering them is the supposed affinity for baby snakes. This lady on the Gardeners Diary insisted that the Guinea Hens thought snake was a delicacy.

I am overrun with garter snakes this year and literally at my wits end. I cannot STAND being startled by something slithering in the grass and really hoped that Guinea Hens might be a solution.

Again, not to hijack the thread, but if you know if a better solution to rid my gardens of snakes than Guinea Hens I am all ears.

Alexa

Alexa, didn't know before why you were asking, but now that I do, I've been trying to come up with some ideas that might help you and maybe some others can think of some as well. If you don't get many suggestions in this thread, maybe you can start a whole new one in conversations or another forum, I think there is a wildlife forum, but not sure of that. Don't worry about hijacking this thread, I started it and it doesn't bother me.

Let's see, Have you tried your local Guenea Hen rental company? Sorry, had to throw in at least one joke.

Personally I love snakes and would love to solve your problem without harming the snakes. Wish you could ship them to me. Since they are babies, they most likely come from the same hatching and if you can grin and bear it a little longer, when they get larger and need more food, most of them will probabally leave on their own to reduce the compition for the available food. Others will fall prey to their natural preditors, coons, skunks, herons and other snakes to name a few, dogs and cats might also take a few. I'm sure that soon you'll start seeing less and less snakes as the natural course of things starts happening.

Your local wildlife department might be willing to capture and rerelease them in another area for you. Or you can find someone who is willing to catch them for you and rerelease them.

I also want you to remember, little snakes eat slugs and larger snakes eat voles. But as much as I personally love snakes, I know not everyone does.

only good snake a dead snake. amen. dunno bout the birds but my mama kat a killing machine. so far this yr 4 baby snakes a rabbit cple lil mice n lots a ground moles.:)

Guineas and chickens will devour a snake (baby or adult) if they find one. It is pretty funny to watch a chicken when she catches one, she will take off at a dead run to make sure no one else gets it, all the while squawking (with a full mouth) about her fabulous find! We just crack up and love that they do it every time and are really confused when all the other hens give chase.
The problem is in order for them to do the job they have to have free range. The chickens will trash an established perennial bed in hours and they have a particular affinity for hosta!
Guineas aren't as hard on the plants, but they are EXTREMELY messy and screech all day long.
I currently have about 30 chickens who are in a large fenced area. I occassionally let them out to forage but have to keep a very close eye on them and send them back to their pen as soon as they discover the "buffet".
I haven't owned Guineas myself, but quite a few neighbors have and a few took up residence here, until I couldn't stand the destruction and the neighbors finally took them to live on a farm about 80 miles north.
If you really want to find out the true story, see if you can track down a book called "Gardening with Guineas". I think you can find it at McMurrayHatchery.com.
Annette

Thanks for the info on the Gionea Hens. It doesn't sound like a great solution for my 1/2 acre suburban lot. LOL! I can just imagine my neighbors reacion. LOLOLOL!

Just to get back on track, I thought Choc might be interested to see one of the winners form our recent Flower Day here in my home town.

The watering can was on top of a shepherds hook, and achored to the ground with metallic blue wires coming out of the holes. There were blue flowers all over the bed and the entire arrangement was titled "a sprinkling in blue"

{{gwi:908776}}