It's the invasion of the Grasshoppers.....eeek!

[Dover]

Grasshoppers have got to be the worst pest to deal with. When I stepped outside earlier this spring and it seemed that the entire ground moved like a wave under my feet with tiny grasshoppers...I knew it was gonna be a difficult year. Actually the past few years have been really bad too. It's just so overwhelming and defeating. I guess I'm going to have to enclose my entire garden with window screen or something equivalent. I don't know what else to do.:(

[ThomWV]

1. I know they can be a plague

I don't know if its possible where you live or not but having a few bug eating birds running around can go a long ways toward extermination of the pests. Chickens won't do because they will eat your garden faster than you can imagine, particularly tomatoes that have just got exactly ripe. We got some guineas last spring that did wonders to do away with bugs around here. They don't seem to be interested in earth worms and while they will do a little damage now and then as they pass through the garden they leave plants alone, but they do eat just about everything with wings that gets within their keen sight. The only thing I've noticed that they won't eat are Japanese Beatles. Anyway, we've got 3 of them patrolling roughly an acre of yard but otherwise surrounded by woods. The resulting decline in bugs is noticeable, particularly in one area that is very important to us - they eat ticks. We have 5 large dogs and before we got the Guineas it was a nightly thing all spring, my wife and I would be yanking the ticks off the dogs and ourselves too. We've seen just 2 so far this year. I don't recall seeing a single grasshopper anywhere near the house last summer but they were very noticeable on another part of this place where there's about 25 or so acres of grass and clover, also completely surrounded by forrest. So I suspect they will eat all the grasshoppers they can find too.

Down side - or up side if you think about it right - about having a couple of the birds running around is they are sort of like a cross between animal burglar alarms and the most horrible and dam near deafening sounds you have ever heard. If you've got neighbors they might not understand - or again maybe they would.

[Dover]

2. Thanks for that information. I hadn't thought of guineas.

I suppose, if my dog and cats could tolerate them, I could. However, I am really concerned about the noise...and not just because of the neighbors. I've heard guineas and they are very hard on the ears. I haven't ever had any, so don't know just how often they do that noise, but it would definitely mean giving up some peace. I wonder if chickens would do as well in the bug eating department if they could patrol everywhere except inside the garden? In other words, all around it.

I know nothing about raising either bird, so don't know what would be involved. But having some fresh eggs would be a great bonus!

[bvar22]

4. We also have a trio of Guineas for Garden Bug control.

Our birds are only 3 months old and have just recently begun their garden patrol (supervised), but it appears that they will be able to co-exist with our plants. We haven't had any grasshoppers yet, so I cannot testify to their effectiveness, but so far, they zero in on any insect that moves. We decided to get them after a late season Squash Bug attack last year.

We love our Guineas. They are hilarious.
Our cat (Maggie Pie) is an accomplished predator and 1st class mouser. She approached the Guineas once and all hell broke loose! :) Since then, she gives them plenty of room. The Guineas are just too big and too loud.

Maggie Pie is much more interested in our young chickens, 10 weeks old and much smaller than the Guineas. We don't leave her alone with the chicks, but in a couple of months, the chickens will be too big for her too. One of our hens has turned out to be a him and is already displaying protective behaviors around his chicks.
The chickens will not be allowed in the garden until late in the Summer.


Maggie Pie on the roof of the coop giving plenty of respect to the Guineas.

[Dover]

5. They are beautiful!

Can you recommend a good website or book about raising guineas or chickens?

I just don't know how much care they need or how you train them to stick around, their nesting/housing and food requirements, etc. I'm not sure where to get them either. Same place you get chickens?

[bvar22]

7. There are a few good websites for info on Guineas.

This is a pretty good one.
http://www.guineafowl.com/fritsfarm/guineas/

Our interest in Guineas began when we noticed that many people who live up in these woods keep Guineas, some in preference to chickens, but most mixed with chickens. There are many natural predators in this area, and Guineas are better able to take care of themselves. They are not as domestic as chickens (closer to wild), and still retain a very cautious attitude watching for hawks or predators and loudly alerting at the least provocation. Chickens mixed with Guineas will respond to Guineas' alerts and seek cover or protection. When our Guineas start alerting, our chicks run for the coop.



Guineas are available from most of the people who supply chicks.
We bought our from a tub at Atwoods, but I recommend getting them from a dealer.

The chicks are called "keets" and are adorable.
They DO require a little more effort to domesticate. Most sites recommend getting them as young as possible and spending alot of time with them.

The site I listed above has a lot of practical information on Guineas.


Most people are split on Guineas....they either LOVE them, or HATE them.
Ours are noisy at times, usually for a reason (like they see a big bird in the sky or something), but it doesn't bother us. We enjoy their company.
We don't have any neighbors, so that isn't a concern.

[Dover]

8. Hehe! That is one fun website!

Andm it covers most everything. Thank you!
I like the idea of combining them with some chickens too.
I'm gonna have to have a long chat with neighbors first so they don't feel like I sprung it on them.
Maybe get us all some earplugs.
And I'll need to study all this and figure out how best to build and where to place their coop/home.

[ThomWV]

11. Chickens and gardens don't mix well

One chicken lose in the garden can do more damage in an hour than moles, grasshoppers, japanese beatles, and a drunk with a lawn mower can in an afternoon.

[hippywife]

9. That is a really great looking coop!

:hi:

[crispini]

3. Howard Garrett, my gardening guru, says

spray Garrett Juice mixed with 2 ounces of citrus oil per gallon, add 1 quart of kaoline clay per 2 gallons of water, with 1 tablespoon liquid soap. Adding garlic / pepper tea to the mix also helps. Dust the plants with all purpose flour which forms a glue as the insects try to feed. Go organic. Plant a strongly biodiverse garden. In other words, use a lot of different plants and, yes, encourage the various insect eating animals (birds). A biological bait, nosema lucustae, is also available and helpful with the overall program. When the humidity is low, dust plants with natural diatomaceous earth. Cover bare soil with mulch and feed the birds regularly.

(use google to find the recipie for Garrett Juice, or you can buy it at some organic stores)

[Dover]

6. Thanks, I'll see if my local nursery carries it and give it a try...n/t

[madeline_con]

10. Try to plant things that attract birds and bats

Put up bat boxes, birdhouses, and plant cobea and other bat attractors (sp?)

Good Luck!