GARDENING WITH GUINEA FOWL
These birds prove to be the ultimate low cost, chemical free pest control.
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An odd but formidable hunter:A collection of guineas and chicken.
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GARDEN & YARD
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BY GAIL DAMEROW
The Ultimate Low-Cost, Chemical-Free Pest
Control
Like officious little men in baggy gray suits, the
guinea fowl scuttle up and down our driveway. Since dawn,
they've been scouring our orchard for beetles, locusts,
spiders, and ticks. Now they are ready to patrol our yard
and garden for ants, cockroaches, flies, wasps, termites,
cutworms, grubs, and snails. The guinea fowl are relentless
in their pursuit...
I can remember a time when my husband and I had no guineas.
Our former flock had roosted in trees and nested on the
ground where, one by one, they had fallen prey to owls and
foxes. While we were guinea-less, our potato crop was
denuded by potato beetles, our hibiscus hedge was decimated
by locusts, and we lost several fruit trees to flat-head
borers. We soon realized that our "little gray men" had
given us far more than just a pleasant diversion (and
occasional good eating). So we got a new crew to work our
land, and I hope never to live without these little guys
again.
Helmeted Little Soldiers
Many people have never seen, much less heard of, guinea
fowl. Visitors, on spying their first guinea, invariably
ask "What is that — a turkey?" Nope, but not a bad
guess. Like turkeys, guineas are Galliformes , a
group encompassing all chicken-like birds. But while
chickens are members of the pheasant family, turkeys and
guineas each have a family of their own. Native to Africa,
they are known for traveling in large, gregarious flocks.
Guinea fowl were introduced into Europe by 15th century
Portuguese explorers, and then arrived in North America
with the early settlers. There are seven species of guinea
fowl, of which the "helmeted pearl" is by far the most
common, and certainly the weirdest looking, with its oddly
shaped helmet, white, featherless face, bright red wattles,
and gray polka-dotted feathers.
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. Orchardists 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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