Hi, I live in central Oklahoma, and in the summer I typically just let my three-year-old sulcata roam the yard. I am considering getting a couple guineas to patrol for snakes, since I have a creek that runs behind my house. Do you guys think it would be safe for me to have them in the yard with my sulcata?
Guinea Fowl with Tort
- Thread starter Tortstrip
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jeannettep
Active Member
We have 7 guineas that patrol the area. They looked at the torts last year when I put the torts in a new area, but never got close to them. They don't seem to pay them any mind, but if you feed your torts something guineas want to eat, they will come eat it. But mine can't get to where I feed the torts & cannot access their water. I don't feed the guineas, so they are busy hunting for bugs. They will come when chickens get fed, but they only get a handful. We still have the occasional snake. So I use snake b gone by ortho on the outside, not where torts can get it or the runoff if it rains and I don't pick grass from that area. I have had a lot of animals in the past, guineas definitely got lost when brains were handed out. They are comical, but if your plan is to put them in a pen at night and free range during the day, don't bother it will just be aggravating after awhile, they are doing good if they can figure out how to go under the fence (they can fly, but probably dont remember how, lol). They roost up high and will sound a very loud alarm to something that doesn't belong, rather hawk, car, snake, person, dog, fox, coyote, armadillo, etc. If we have a hurricane or bad storm coming in at night, I do work to put them in the chicken coop. It usually takes 2 people to herd them like cows. Feed helps but I always end up with 1 or 2 that can't follow the group and go inside, which is why I gave up penning them every night. I figure safer in numbers. If something happened to my guineas I would replace them. Haven't had a tick since & decreased fire ants! But like all animals, some work & some don't. Mine work.
Same answer I just gave another member about keeping farm animals with his/her sulcatas - tortoises are grazers. Guineas poop wherever they happen to be in the yard. I wouldn't want my sulcata to have to eat grass and weeds that other animals have been pooping on.
Except they already are if you think about the wild birds and animals that we can't keep out of our yards. But I understand what you are saying.
Yes but a wild bird is here or there, not concentrated like an enclosed flock that shares the space.
I wouldn't let them share the same space.
Just know that if you do, something bad is likely to happen, so don't be surprised, and get that credit card ready for the vet bills.
