Do guinea fowls eat Colorado beetles: how to properly use birds against pests

Guinea fowl are rarely seen among domestic farmers. Perhaps the reasons for this are the late domestication of this bird and its homeland - distant Africa. Nevertheless, about 20 new breeds have already been bred. The delicate taste of meat and cholesterol-free eggs give these birds the right to be called a promising new poultry, which, moreover, benefits by destroying pests in vegetable gardens. Many farmers ask if guinea fowls eat adult Colorado potato beetles and their larvae.

Do guinea fowls eat Colorado potato beetles?

The diet of these funny birds includes grains, fresh green grass, insects and small animals.You also need free range and access to pasture. They gather in flocks and survey the territory for food. They can peck at worms, centipedes, locusts and even mice. But Colorado beetles are considered a special delicacy of guinea fowl, due to their bright, noticeable color and large clusters in one place.

Beetles cause tremendous damage to potatoes, reduce profits from its sale and the taste of the root crop. A flock of guinea fowls on the farm will save the farmer from two problems at once: the crop will be saved, and the wards will always be full.

How to properly use birds to eliminate pests?

If someone from the flock finds a colorado, he will make a loud cry, calling the fellows to the feast. When a guinea fowl notices a beetle, it lowers its head into the thick of the plant and examines the prey with interest.

To ensure that potato crops are always free from parasites, it is enough to release guinea fowl in them a couple of times a week.

The larger the land area, the more feathered wrestlers will be needed. In addition to the fact that birds eat adults of the beetle, they also destroy larvae of any age, carefully studying the leaves and stems of the potato bush.

Unlike other birds (hens, turkeys, partridges), guinea fowls do not dig up the ground at the base of the stems and do not damage the leaves of plants when they are looking for food. But, letting birds into the garden, you need to remember about safety. Plants should not be treated with insect poison 2 weeks before the proposed "sweep".

Guinea fowl, along with beetles, will also eat chemicals. At best, this will cause intestinal upset, at worst, it will be fatal.

In order for birds to successfully cope with potato pests, they need to be “trained”. To do this, a few days before grazing, they begin to put beetles and larvae in the feed so that the birds understand the value of the delicacy and remember its appearance.

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