My neighbor has laying Hens and all day they walk around foraging for beetles, larvae and worms. It strikes me that the same stuff the love to eat are also fruit tree pests. I’m considering building a coop in my young 20 tree orchard and keeping about a dozen hens.
Anyone do this?
I’m currently doing this now, but you need to be vigilant of predators,
if you let your chicks free range. They’re fair game for foxes, coyotes, raccoons, cats, dogs, raptors. You name it. Having a rooster won’t protect your flock.
We have hens and guinea hens. I could not grow squash without the guineas. The only problem is that they dig beds terribly. Often I have to cover young plants with bird netting. In an orchard situation they would be great and I know some local orchards that keep ducks or geese for the purpose of eating bugs. If it’s fenced it’s helpful to keep predators out. Hawks can still get them. The guinea hens usually do the best against predators but they are very very loud so if you have neighbors it might not be a good idea.
I keep a small flock of 7 hens that free range around the orchard. There are a few issues with this, however, with pre-planning, they are a great addition. The hens love to scratch the mulch around the trees, and if you are like me and like to have mulch around the trees, and have it look nice, forget the chickens. They will spread that mulch out quicker and further than you can imagine. They also like to eat young fruits that they can reach. Ive had them roost in young trees and peck the fruit. Ducks or geese might be a better option for some situations.
One added bonus is that they will clean up the fruit that is thinned off in june drop as well as hand thinned.
peck the fruit
That’s definitely a con. I mulch strictly for the added organic matter and water conservation. Regardless of looking nice, spreading it all out would hinder both. Hmmmm
I love the idea of cleaning up fruit on the ground. Got an apple with a PC bite? That thing won’t live to see the next season.
@Rach Guinea hens sound like the ultimate predator. A couple things I’m wondering and hoping to get your thoughts…
I’ve had guineas, chickens , ducks and geese. the 1st 2 are hell in a orchard and guineas don’t necessarily stay home. mine preferred to roost on my neighbors garage. they don’t roost in the coop like chickens did. like was mentioned they dig up everywhere. id suggest female ducks. khaki campbells are a good laying breed. they eat lots of bugs and don’t scratch. the eggs are huge and rich. they also are more hardy and disease free. going to have to fence them in the yard for their protection. i give them water outside as they make a mess in the coop with it. its fun to watch them dive in a kiddie pool.
They can fly very high, a fence won’t hold them but if it is a large area they may stay put if there is enough food and foraging. Mine roam within about a tenth a mile of my house. Most days they are closer but they do wander sometimes. Mine just sleep on a branch above my goat pen. They do not like to be confined at all but I do know people who have convinced theirs to go into a chicken coop overnight. They are loud for no reason but especially if someone strange walks by, like your spouse who isn’t their caretaker but more so for real strangers and any wild animal or predator. They tend to be loudest during breeding season but they are seriously loud everyday at some point. I don’t recommend if you have close neighbors-we have 80 acres set way off the road so it works here. Look up a YouTube video of them vocalizing. I love them but they aren’t for every situation.
I grew up with guinea hens roaming the property. My neighbors have a few, but his guineas spend half their day across the street at a different house. That lady hates her nieghbor’s guineas. She is always chasing them out of her yard. In my opinion, it’s not fair to let your animals roam onto your neighbor’s property. Just one thing to consider.
We keep guineas. I put a coop on the edge of our orchard. For the first several years we tried fruit trees, grasshoppers damaged or killed everything. Literally. I tried nolo bait, kaolin clay and a pesticide I don’t remember. No effect. I got the guineas and after several months they got the hoppers under control.
Ours go into the coop at night. I Have an automatic door that opens in the morning and closes at night. They can get quite loud, but we are probably a mile from the closest neighbor. D
Guineas have the advantage of being almost completely carnivore. You need to train them when they are young (force them to stay in a coop for a long time until they get the habit). They hunt at night also, so if they stay put and you have a mice problem, the mice will disappear in short order.
The time for bug control is the fall and early spring, when there are overwintering larva in the soil.
This is exactly why I want Guineas. As far as foraging, they sound perfect. I’m worried I’m a bit too close to my neighbors for the noise and wandering. Totally agree with @Sparty, totally not fair to let animals roam onto your neighbor’s property. Hmmmm, tons of awesome feedback. I’m either going to run Guineas by my neighbors or go with ducks.
One more Guinea question… My orchard is right against a huge wooded area behind my house. Any chance these guys would just prefer the woods? If they do, I think I’d be all set because it’s over the hill a bit and in the woods. That would dampen the sound greatly and keep them out of my neighbors area. I only have one close neighbor so that’s the only concern.
Just wanted to put it out there that different chicken breeds have significantly different temperaments. Brown egg layers tend to have a heavier body, be less “flighty”, and stay closer to home when they free range. Most of them can be kept confined with a 3’-4’ fence. White egg layers tend to be the opposite in personality.
Ducks taste great, and are large enough to feed a family. Duck eggs are rich & sweet. They do not tear up the ground like chickens. They tend to move as a flock, which makes them easier to control.
I made a partition in my coop so we can introduce keets to the coop and let them all become accustomed to each other without contact. That lasts about 60 days, then we remove the partition and they work out the pecking order.
Our guineas probably roam a 300 yard radius from their coop. They spend time in a mesquite thicket as well as our fruit tree plantings. They will go all over the place! D
Never thought about keeping ducks before. Do they eat as many bugs as chickens? It sounds like they are easier to keep and do less damage than chickens.
I have a 50x50 fenced orchard, is that big enough for some ducks or do they need more room to roam?
That would be big enough for some ducks. You need to provide them with a source of clean water at least big enough that they can dip their heads in. A dishpan is fine, but they really appreciate a kiddie pool that they can get completely into. They do not return to the coop at night naturally like chickens. You generally do not need to treat them for internal or external parasites. Otherwise, care is similar to chickens.
Also, if noise is an issue for you, female ducks are the loud ones. Males are much quieter. Unless you get Muscovy ducks, where both sexes just make a soft hissing sound. However, Muscovies can fly, so be prepared to clip wings if you go that route.
Good point. I am surprised no one has mentioned how delicious guineas are.
the ones i ate tasted a lot like pheasant.