While out driving in the country, we were surprised to see three guinea fowls scuttle across a roadside ditch and up into a yard. 

Also surprised by our unexpected presence, they let out a unique and rather loud bunch of screeches as they quickly headed in the opposite direction. 

Being a native of Africa, and previously only having seen them at a zoo, they were one of the last birds that we had expected to come upon. 

This raised my curiosity about why guinea fowls would be roaming around in a yard way out in such a rural area.  It turns out that raising guineas is becoming more common and has several benefits.  They roam free in yards and gardens and are persistent in their pursuit of pesky insects (including fleas, ticks, flies, and mosquitoes), spiders and small animals such as rodents.  They are also excellent at sounding the alarm if predators such as snakes, foxes or raptors or intruders such as unexpected humans are about.  And, of course, they are a good source of eggs and meat. While raising guineas has many positive benefits, it’s also a good idea to keep in mind that these birds tend to be very noisy, are not very domesticated and can harass smaller birds and chickens which also live on the property.

“I’ll see you when the road decides it’s time for our paths to cross again.” ~Ben Maxfield