With my son in law in town this past weekend, we finally got the hen house done where my guineas will spend their nights, all summer and winter. They were so tight in the other box with 13 of them growing in size daily.
I will next cut a hole in the sidewall of the garage to access a ramp down to the yard but until they are fully mature, 5-6 months, they cant free range yet.
The front of this small 1 car garage is perfect with windows for fresh air, away from predators, easy to maintain and feed them. The angled board is actually a ladder type 6' long roosting area, they like to get up higher for sleeping etc.
Cant wait to see them hit the grass for ticks, asian beetles and grasshoppers this fall.

http://www.carsbyjim.com/storage/Farm/GuineaCage1%20001a.JPG

http://www.carsbyjim.com/storage/Farm/GuineaCage1%20003a.JPG

Guineas... the other white meat.

Jim - will they end up depleting the food supply to the point you will have to start feeding them? It would seem for tick control etc you would want that but if you end up feeding them will they still go after the ticks?

Regular feed is still kept available but they are carnivors first and will graze on bugs all day long, then supplement with turkey meal back in the roosting house. In winter, they will eat mostly turkey meal since there are no bugs outside, except frozen ones. The bug supply is virtually endless here, mosquitos, flies, grasshoppers, wood ticks, deer ticks, asian beetles etc. They also supplement with grass seeds, grass, wild flowers and dandelions that grow in the grass.
With our 17 acres, and neighbors 20 acres, they will free range all over but always stay within sight of the coop for safety. I will be feeding them turkey meal from probably Nov.1 to April 1 each year.

Cool. Great Alarm System too..... :)

Would'nt mind a few peacocks here.

Rich

Guinea. Just that word brings carnivore to mind! Life sure is going to get simple for you soon enough :) no more bugs and that means no more spiders! WOO HOO! Cool coop you and your son made though. Hi five

I'm glad you got them!

I came back and have to ask, How much different tasting will they be compared to a **** Ringneck P.??

Dad used to shoot two back when I was a kid before he died when we lived in Champaign, IL. One for T/G and the other for Xmas! All roasted up, talk about GOOD!!

pdq67

When we had 4 hens they used to get feed all the peelings and stuff from the kitchen, plus old chicken carcasses, uneaten steak etc..
We had huge eggs, and the yolk bright yellow, beat anything one could buy at the shop
And the occassional double yolk.

The hen house floor we used wood shavings from a hoobist wood turner....made easy to clean down (shovel) then throw in the compost bin for the veggie garden.

I thiught it was a bad itailian joke when i seen the heading!

A fact regarding the Guinea Hen.....Did you know the Guinea evolved from the Guinea Pig!.....How it ever grew feathers and looks like a chicken is beyond me!

Smoke some more, the G-Pig is a rodent from South America and the G-Hen is from West Africa...

Smoke some more, the G-Pig is a rodent from South America and the G-Hen is from West Africa...


Oh C'mon Denny!....I'm on a roll, a "marijuana roll", that is!:thumbsup::D

Oh C'mon Denny!....I'm on a roll, a "marijuana roll", that is!:thumbsup::D

You should burn one and check out that new G Force movie.

http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/gforce/

I agree with you Paul. Wild pheasants are about as tasty as it gets.

Mark