We added guinea hens for the tick control. That was the only reason. Two seasons later, they've become one of the most legitimately useful additions to the property — and also the most disruptive. Here's an honest account of both sides.
The Tick Control: Does It Actually Work?
Yes. Unambiguously yes. Before guinea hens, we were pulling 5–10 ticks off ourselves after any time in the wooded edges of the property, particularly during peak season (May–July). After the first full season with a flock of 15 guineas free-ranging the property edges, we went weeks without finding a single tick on ourselves or the dogs.
Guinea hens are relentless, methodical foragers. They move in a line through vegetation, picking insects off grass blades and low plant surfaces. They cover more ground per day than chickens and they specifically seek out ticks, beetles, and grasshoppers in the vegetation rather than scratching the ground like chickens do.
The Noise: We Cannot Stress This Enough
Guinea hens are extraordinarily loud. They make a repetitive, high-pitched alarm call that carries across the entire property and into neighboring land. Anything unfamiliar — a delivery truck, a hawk overhead, an unfamiliar person, a plastic bag blowing in the wind — triggers a full flock alarm that lasts 5–10 minutes.
This alarm system is actually valuable. Every time a predator comes near the property, the guineas go off before we know anything is happening. We've caught coyotes at the treeline, hawks circling the chicken yard, and a stray dog on the pasture because the guineas raised the alarm. They are genuinely better than any electronic perimeter alert we could install.
Integration With the Chicken Flock
Guineas and chickens can share a coop and yard, but integration requires patience. Guineas establish their own pecking order separately from chickens and initially will chase and bully chickens — particularly smaller breeds. We kept them separated for 3 weeks, then used a wire divider in the run for another 2 weeks before full integration.
After full integration, they mostly ignore each other. The guinea hens tend to range further from the coop than chickens, which is exactly what you want for tick patrol on the outer property edges.
Housing and the "They Won't Come Back" Problem
Guinea hens have a strong instinct to roost in trees rather than return to the coop. This is the most common problem new guinea hen owners face — the birds free range, then roost in the woods, get predated overnight, and the flock disappears one bird at a time. We lost two birds this way in the first month.
The solution: keep keets (young guineas) in the coop for at least 8 weeks before allowing any free range. They need to imprint on the coop as home before they're allowed to roam. Even after this, ours will still occasionally decide a cedar tree is preferable on warm nights — but the instinct to return to the coop is strong enough that most nights they're inside.
Egg Production
Guinea hens are seasonal layers — they lay heavily from spring through fall and stop almost entirely in winter. Eggs are small, speckled, and have very hard shells. The yolks are rich and flavorful, noticeably denser than chicken eggs. Our flock of 15 hens (after accounting for males) averages 6–9 eggs per day in peak season.
Guinea eggs sell immediately at our farm stand at a premium — customers specifically seek them out. The hard shell gives them a longer shelf life than chicken eggs, which customers also appreciate.
What We'd Do Differently
- Start with fewer birds. 6–8 is plenty to learn the species. 15 at once was overwhelming.
- Extend the coop confinement period. 8 weeks minimum. 12 weeks is better.
- Maintain a 1:4 male-to-female ratio. Too many males increases aggression dramatically.
- Warn your neighbors first. Seriously.
- Plan for tree roosting in the first year. Have a strategy for getting birds down before dark.
Would we add them again? Without hesitation. The tick reduction alone justifies the noise. The eggs, alarm system, and insect control are genuine bonuses. Guinea hens are a net positive on this homestead — just not a quiet one.