WARNING! WAY TOTALLY OFF TOPIC...
Yes, I've read all the articles both for and against Guineas. I've been noodling about getting some for about 5 years now and finally decided to go for it. It's an experiment. Hopefully any aggravation will be worth reducing the tick population.
1. They are loud. Yes they are. But when in ideal conditions they are almost silent. My neighbour up the road has some and has yet to hear them make a huge squawking fuss. He came by today asking me if I would sell him some of my chicks. Yes, he's getting 6 of them.
2. They can be bullies. Yeserrie. Guineas are the bikers gangs of the fowl world. They are tough, wild and hardy. That said another neighbour houses them with his chickens with no problems at all.
3. They love to roam. I don't care. There is lots of land for them to roam. I have 300 acres of unpopulated land in front of my place and 800 acres behind me.
4. They will brood and breed. The more the merrier as I expect that we will lose some to predators. But Guineas are not great brooders and often will abandon the nest before the eggs hatch. In that case I would need to incubate the eggs myself if I want more. But if they do the job for me, that's great! If by some chance they over breed, the hunters will thin them out.
5. They are stupid. I would think so, but they can be trained to come for treats. They don't have a great sense of self preservation and are easy pickings for predators. They are about as stupid as the wild turkey around here. Quite clueless.
Guineas are delicious. Maybe we'll BBQ a loud bossy one! I'll provide a variety of herb from my
garden and my Skelator.