As someone with first hand experience raising Guinea Fowl, I can say that they do extremely well with respect to predators. There are very few losses, as these are smart birds. They are NOT like chickens in this respect. They travel as a flock, and one bird always will perch above the group to act as a look-out. It is nearly impossible for anything to sneak up on the flock without the flock sounding their alarm. (That is the downside, they are noisy birds) At night, they will roost in trees for safety. They do not need much if any shelter, even in the cold winters of New England. Just food and water, and they are all set.
Davidof MA10:12PM March 25, 2009
Get tick tubes (www.ticktubes.com). You can rid your property of ticks without having to spray.... much more eco-friendly. Keep your grass short, too. Installing Guinea fowl sounds cute, but they wouldn't stand a chance against predators such as (in my area) raccoons.
Zoeof CT11:24AM March 12, 2009
If you are worried about being exposed to Lyme disease carrying deer ticks, you may want to treat your yard with Tick Tubes. The product has been around for 20 years and is very effective. Rather than treating yourself to a dose of deet or permethrin, you can use Damminix Tick Tubes to kill ticks on mice with permethrin cotton - http://www.ticktubes.com
Jenniferof MA7:22PM March 11, 2009
If you live somewhere where keeping guinea fowl on your property is feasible, then get some. Guinea fowl are nature's very own tick control solution....since they eat them.
barneyof CA4:22PM March 10, 2009
The deer tick is very small, small enough to miss if you normally use reading glasses. However, the immature instars, the juvenile forms of the ticks, also carry the spirokete agent. These immature forms are very small, and even a fairly rigorous inspection with your reading glasses on or with assistance of another person, the immature form of the deer tick could easily be missed. We are talking about something the size of a period or small grain of sand. If you have any hair on your legs or chest, you have very little hope of ever spotting the immature form of a deer tick amid the jungle.
We need a vaccine. The commercial vaccine for humans was not good and was pulled off the market. The one for dogs is still given but it is not reliable. It is an embarrassment that we don't yet have a working vaccine, since the disease is nearly impossible to completely cure in many individuals if not diagnosed at the earliest time.
busterof WI11:23AM July 02, 2008
Deer ticks can also infect folks with coinfections including Babesiosis, Bartonella, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and/or Tularemia. The Lyme Disease Association has a pdf Lyme[R]Primer that explains about Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases. http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/LymeRPrimer.pdf
Educate yourself about Lyme and associated diseases and become your own advocate.
Barbof ME11:26PM June 30, 2008
http://www.lymecryme.com
http://www.donttickmeoff.info
Arm yourself with the scientific data.......for you, for your loved ones.
Freethinkerof IL10:51PM June 30, 2008
Even though I caught it early, still needed to go through two, month long rounds of antibiotics and 10 months of being in a fog until I finally got better. As my infectious desease specialist told me. All I can tell you is that everyone who gets treatment "eventually" gets better. Funny long term side affect. Can no longer golf when it is over 90* and humid. My body cannot regulate the heat. I no longer take hikes in the woods. This stuff is nasty.
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David of MA 10:12PM March 25, 2009
Zoe of CT 11:24AM March 12, 2009
Jennifer of MA 7:22PM March 11, 2009
barney of CA 4:22PM March 10, 2009
buster of WI 11:23AM July 02, 2008
Barb of ME 11:26PM June 30, 2008
Freethinker of IL 10:51PM June 30, 2008
NAK of PA 1:53PM June 30, 2008