# Do bees and poultry mix?



## dirtywhitellama (Aug 20, 2006)

I was reading some information about guinea hens just sitting at the mouth of a hive and eating the bees up! Well I have neither bees nor guineas but I would like both in the future. Is there a way to make this work? And are ducks or chickens a problem?


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## dcross (Aug 12, 2005)

I would be surprised if a guinea would sit still long enough to catch many bees You could put the entrance at the top of the hive, or put a little fence around to keep the birds away from the entrance, or watch them get stung...


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## dirtywhitellama (Aug 20, 2006)

Here's my source: http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Guineas/BRKGuineas.html

Don't guineas fly and perch? how would putting the hive entrance at the top stop them? 

Every animal I've seen when they find out where a free lunch sticks around! 

Well, Im mainly asking for experience of anyone who's had this situation and whether or not it's as bad as the site makes it seem or if it is actually workable.


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## beaglady (Oct 7, 2002)

I don't know about guineas, but chickens around bees are no trouble. They ignore each other, except that the chickens keep any dead bees cleaned up. They may help in preventing small hive beetle by keeping the ground scratched up, though theres no scientific studies to back this up.


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## foxtrapper (Dec 23, 2003)

I've run guineas with my bees, no problems. I'm sure I've lost a bee or two to them, but never had any issues with them sitting outside the hive feeding. 

If that were to happen, it's easily attended to with some snow fencing or such to keep them out of the bee yard.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

We have bees and all kind of poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks, pea fowl, geese and yes, some guineas, some years up to 30). We've had no problems keeping them all. there is a fence around the bee yard, but this is to keep the horses, cows and 2-legged creatures away from the hives. We've had both turkeys & guineas brood nests in the bee yard with no ill effects


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