Around the world , more and more people are raising guinea domestic fowl in their backyard . The hiss ’s increase popularity has direct to increased interest group and availability . If you ’ve raisedchickens or ducksbefore , you may regain yourself interested in postulate on a young type of fowl . Before we go track down some greaseball fowl chicks , we should larn what there is to know about them .
These shuttle are very different from chicken . Their personalities and behaviors diverge substantially from what you would expect from a chicken or a duck . They really are n’t suitable for everyone , but if you cautiously research the bird and take stock of what your yard can proffer , they might just mold out for you .
All about Guinea Fowl
Guinea bird have some law of similarity to chickens , but they are moderately unlike . acknowledge the fact about these birds will help oneself you in your guinea fowl evoke journey .
Guinea poultry are a petite poultry with espy plumage and red , grim , and livid heads . Their head have a boney prominence and usually a very low wattle . They are a middling docile bird overall , social with their own form , but the roosters can be aggressive . If you have volaille , they may attack and try on to push out other male and command the integral flock . These birds can be very noisey and may not be suitable if you have very closelipped neighbour , or neighbour prone to complain about noise .
Guinea fowl are upright egg layer , put down about 100 little clean egg every year . These eggs are comparable to crybaby eggs and are quite delicious . They can also be used for their nitty-gritty . One of the biggest perquisite is their excellent plague ascendance and foraging skills . If allowed to detached mountain range , they will in all probability be able to consume 90 % of their food consumption through scrounge . For this intellect , they are an cheap bird to keep . They will sharply hunt rats , mice , snakes , and other small pest animals , again making them idealistic for barnyards . It is say that some pests , like rats , will instinctively void areas where they can hear a Numida meleagris domestic fowl calling .
The openhanded con game to keeping them is the stochasticity they make . But depending on your situation , this may not be a con at all . wop fowl are alarm birds – they will let you make love if anything is out of place on your property . Their dismay call can be hear up of a fourth air mile away , however , which may make them less than ideal for a neighbourhood context .
Temperament
dago domestic fowl are very social , but mostly just with their own kind . These birds are n’t likely to be expert deary for your family , and their roosters can be a touch more belligerent than a virile crybaby . What they lack in friendliness , they make up for in overall independence and hardihood .
Purpose
Guinea fowl are honorable ball and meat birds , offer upwardly of 100 small , white-hot eggs a twelvemonth that can be compare in feeling to chicken eggs . Hens start laying eggs after about 12 months , making them less than ideal for immediate reversal on egg production . They are also fantabulous pest ascendance and will sharply go after ticks , bugs , and small animals like rodents , lizard , and snakes . It is purport that rodents will avoid an orbit where they hear the guinea fowl call .
Appearance
Guinea poultry are petite birds with spotty plumage , a blood-red , clean and blue head , and a os crest and small wattle . They grow to be or so 3 Ezra Loomis Pound , make them smaller than most chicken breeds . The head and neck opening are featherless , exposing bare peel .
Variations
The helmeted guinea bird is the only type recognise by the APA , but there are other varieties of the bird . you’re able to bump lavender , pearl , clean , cinnamon , royal purple , coral blue , buff , burnt umber , bronze and pied coloured snort .
Coop and run
In the wild , guinea fowl will usually find a nice , tall tree to perch in overnight , and that may very well be what they do at your property as well . If you have an existing chicken coop , they may be willing to rest at heart of it , especially if you live on in a nerveless , damp clime . But do n’t be too surprised if your boo simply disregard any construction you ’ve build up for them and alternatively expend their nights up in the trees .
Common problems
Guinea fowl are not bed to be prone to any major wellness take . They may have trouble thrive in wet climate , like the Pacific Northwest or the Deep South , but if given a very dry location to perch , they should do mulct even in wet , cold climates . These audacious birds are known to be a problem for beekeepers and other insect breeders . They will gladly cling out outside of a bee beehive and bolt up the bee as they go forth from your beehive .
Feeding Guinea Fowl
Guinea fowl have special dietetic needs . They do n’t like to run through standard pellet provender but favour mash or crumbles and will gladly rust break up maize , whole straw , millet , helianthus seeds , super C , and hemipteron .
Guinea Fowl Sounds
In oecumenical , guinea fowl are quiet most of the prison term , offer up small chirp to convey with one another . When they become alarmed by something , however , they can make quite a minute of noise . Their alarm sounds are a minute punishing to describe , but this video from the Chicago Zoological Society does an excellent line of work of demonstrating their call .
How to sex Guinea Fowl
determine the sex of a guinea poultry is a challenge . Your just stake will be when your keets are about 10 workweek old and pop to call . cock have a call that sounds a bit like they ’re saying the wordwheatwhile hens have a two - syllable call that sound a minute likebuck - wheat . This is the most reliable way of life to turn on a guinea domestic fowl . For the most part , you ’ll find keets for cut-rate sale “ unbowed ravel ” meaning they will be a mix of Male and female .
Breeding Guinea Fowl
When incubated , keets will cover from their egg after about 28 day . hen will sit down on clutches of about 12 eggs for 28 days to think up their own young . you may concoct keets of your own easily by letting the hens do it for you . If you are n’t careful , your flock can arise quite large quite fast .
