guinea fowl

[wildseed57]

Here is one more site you can look at http:www.feathersite.com
guinea fowl.com also has the vulturine and crested types they have a sound track of the
chatter that the male and female guineas make. The vulturine type has a lot of bright blue in the feathers and are one of the more exotic along Crested.
The true to type African variety can have a bony top knot that makes them look more primordial, some guineas are raised just for their feathers which are sold to Fly fishermen that tie their own Flies.

George W.

[steev]

I certainly intend to get ducks, but not until I have a pond. I won't let them range any ungrown garden area, if only because the splat-footed little buggers will tend to trash things just trampling around.

[seedywen]

Have never kept guinea. Observed them on friend's homesteads in the early 1970's when they were touted as the end and be all of farm fowl.

When for chickens and then ducks...several decades now into raising flocks from birth to pot/grave...since then:)

Steev. Have you considered the Muscovy duck? Unlike other ducks(it is actually in a subfamily of waterfowl that includes geese and swans, if memory proves correct)

Muscovies can be raised easily without a pond. However they do need, a deep enough bucket of fresh water daily for immersing
their heads enough for drinking and preening. During many road trips around Mexico, Muscovies were the only duck I saw in the countryside, in quite dry conditions, with only buckets of water provided. And the f;pcls were thriving.

As for the wide feet, trappling crops. Yes, crops are at risk, when young and tender. However once the crops are higher, my Muscovies are allowed back in the gardens to forage as they are death to slugs and sowbugs. They aren't allowed near the corn however until the plants are full-grown as they help themselves generously to the leaves and lower corn cobs.

Unlike chickens that often scratch around the roots of perennials, exposing them whereon the plant sometimes dies, if sustaining too big a hit, the odd bruising of leaves by big feet, usually recovers. Muscovies, like geese, also enjoy grazing grass, and then later in the growing season, foraging on the grass/weed seed-heads.

I enjoy rooster crowing but for some reason, the manical quacking of geese and many duck species gets annoying...at least to me...and the neighbours complained when once had a flock of thirty geese.

scovy males make a hissing sound and the females a low almost 'cooing' sound which I like.

Young males dress out, no tophats or tails At 5-6 pounds at 12-16 weeks. Always has seemed an excellent feed to meat ratio for me.

As you can tell, by what I've written above...am a long-time fan.

P.S. Had a few peacocks once upon a time. Didn't know how HIGH they can fly! Awesome sight to see a peacock on top of a hundred foot fir. However, when they escaped the second time, they took refuge on a neighbour's roof and it was weeks until we caught them...wily devils.

[steev]

That's an interesting possibility; will they eat brome? It would be great to find a fowl that will.

Chickens I will only run confined, in an area they are free to strip, then move to another such.

I like the idea of runner ducks, if only because I think they look goofy. Always room for fun.

[seedywen]

Can't say for sure whether Muscovies would eat brome because don't have that plant on this property.

Runner ducks always make me laugh too. Had a bunch when the kids were young more for entertainment value than anything else.

However these days, want ducks for insect control, eggs and meat. Runner ducks in my experience weren't as suitable for the last two categories, as compared to other varieties of ducks.

[steev]

No brome? I could send you plenty. The locals call it "rip-belly brome", but something must eat it before the seeds dry.