Are guinea fowl the best poultry for ticks?

[Chickenduck lover]

Are guinea fowl the best poultry for ticks and if not than what is the best poultry for ticks and if you could I what like if you would rank them

 

[CrazyChicken Lady]

Are guinea fowl the best poultry for ticks and if not than what is the best poultry for ticks and if you could I what like if you would rank them

I have never had Guineas, but a close friend does and I've pet sit them...... My friends have never had any problems with Ticks and everything I've heard says guineas are the way to go if you want tick control. But also guineas are super mean, loud, and don't roost in a coop so these are all things to think about as well.
I would probably say chickens are next in line since I imagine because of their beaks they can peck them up easier ( versus waterfowl who's rounded bills make it harder )
1~ Guineas
2~Chickens
3~Quail.....? Thats me guessing
4~ Turkeys....? Also a guess
5~ And the worst would probably be ducks and geese.
Once again this is just me guessing, please correct if I'm wrong.

 

[Chickenduck lover]

I have never had Guineas, but a close friend does and I've pet sit them...... My friends have never had any problems with Ticks and everything I've heard says guineas are the way to go if you want tick control. But also guineas are super mean, loud, and don't roost in a coop so these are all things to think about as well.
I would probably say chickens are next in line since I imagine because of their beaks they can peck them up easier ( versus waterfowl who's rounded bills make it harder )
1~ Guineas
2~Chickens
3~Quail.....? Thats me guessing
4~ Turkeys....? Also a guess
5~ And the worst would probably be ducks and geese.
Once again this is just me guessing, please correct if I'm wrong.

Thanks so much

 

[Isadora]

Guineas are great for tick control, but they come with their own set of unique hurdles, so a lot of people don't prefer them. We have waaaay less ticks since our guineas started free ranging a few months ago, and I thank the Lord for that!
Some problems guineas are known for:
Tendency to wander off
Flighty and skittish
Hard to coop train and prefer to roost in trees outside where they make easy owl food
Bully other poultry

 

[esme13]

They are great for ticks , but they are hard to manage. They are the easiest pray for all predators. The foxes took them like nothing and the red tail too! Very difficult to get them back in the coop, we had to track them down a lot of the times. Other wise when they’d return (over night), there would be less. They don’t fly away from predators ! It boggles my mind. I hatched the last 2 and they were imprinted on people. They would fallow cars around and still they were eaten.

 

[R2elk]

But also guineas are super mean, loud, and don't roost in a coop

Guineas can be taught to roost in a coop. I have no trouble herding mine into a coop in the evening. Others coop train their guineas using treats.

would probably say chickens are next in line since I imagine because of their beaks they can peck them up easier ( versus waterfowl who's rounded bills make it harder )
1~ Guineas
2~Chickens
3~Quail.....? Thats me guessing
4~ Turkeys....? Also a guess
5~ And the worst would probably be ducks and geese.
Once again this is just me guessing, please correct if I'm wrong.

Guineas are excellent at controlling tick populations but they can only control them in the areas that they have access to.

I have read that game chickens are good at eating ticks.

I have no idea whether quail would go after ticks but it would not be feasible to try using quail since you cannot free range them.

I have never heard anyone claim turkeys were good at tick control. While they might take a few, they are typically after bigger prey such as grasshoppers and foraging greens and seeds.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

They are great for ticks , but they are hard to manage. They are the easiest pray for all predators. The foxes took them like nothing and the red tail too! Very difficult to get them back in the coop, we had to track them down a lot of the times. Other wise when they’d return (over night), there would be less. They don’t fly away from predators ! It boggles my mind. I hatched the last 2 and they were imprinted on people. They would fallow cars around and still they were eaten.

Sorry to hear that esme13! We have guineas, ducks, and chickens , and the guineas are much better at evading our predators (knock on wood!). I do think that predator avoidance is something they need to learn, and that they learn it best from older guineas.

 

[CrazyChicken Lady]

Guineas can be taught to roost in a coop. I have no trouble herding mine into a coop in the evening. Others coop train their guineas using treats.

Guineas are excellent at controlling tick populations but they can only control them in the areas that they have access to.

I have read that game chickens are good at eating ticks.

I have no idea whether quail would go after ticks but it would not be feasible to try using quail since you cannot free range them.

I have never heard anyone claim turkeys were good at tick control. While they might take a few, they are typically after bigger prey such as grasshoppers and foraging greens and seeds.

Well that was just what I had heard.

 

[esme13]

That was the problem we had was tracking them down. If we were out and no one was there to track them, they would roost- who knows where. And I’d have a fewer return back. We had a few generations, but they just never were smart enough to avoid predators. Even when we were watching. It really got me, when the fox had one and we are chasing it and it grabs another one! I do miss them , but for here it didn’t work out. We have fields.

 

[Chickenduck lover]

Guineas are great for tick control, but they come with their own set of unique hurdles, so a lot of people don't prefer them. We have waaaay less ticks since our guineas started free ranging a few months ago, and I thank the Lord for that!
Some problems guineas are known for:
Tendency to wander off
Flighty and skittish
Hard to coop train and prefer to roost in trees outside where they make easy owl food
Bully other poultry

Thank you