Popular guinea fowl breeds
Today, often in private farmsteads you can find not only the chickens and geese that are familiar to us, but also such unusual representatives of the order of chickens as guinea fowl. The ancestors of these domestic birds are wild guinea fowl breeds, common in Africa and Madagascar. According to external data, the domesticated bird is similar to wild representatives, but during all this time it has acquired a number of differences. Let's consider the most popular representatives.
Guinea fowl breeds
Domestication of the bird
Wild boar guinea fowl looks like a domestic turkey. Today, active selection of new species continues. The size of the birds rarely exceeds the size of ordinary chickens. Winged ones are distinguished by strong muscular limbs, they can cover long distances in a short time. Habitat - Africa. Most often they settle in dense forest bushes, less often in the fields.
The bird is completely unpretentious. Well adapted to arid climate. Birds do not need a lot of water, they get the necessary amount of liquid from roots and other vegetation. The plumage has a bright color: black with white blotches with a silvery and bluish tint. The neck is elongated.
Wild guinea fowls are characterized by a lean, strong physique. The muscular system is well developed. Birds live in small flocks. The diet consists of acacia bushes. They fly over short distances from 50 to 500 m. Birds are very sensitive and at the slightest danger they quickly run away and hide in bushes.
One flock consists of 20-30 individuals. Flocks of up to 70 birds are occasionally found. During the mating season, guinea fowls form pairs. Birds go for food in the early morning hours, and they choose territories near which there are bushes, so that in case of danger they can quickly hide from sight.
In comparison with non-domesticated relatives, representatives of domestic guinea fowl breeds differ in larger parameters. New species were bred to obtain meat and egg products. The taste of meat is highly appreciated by gourmets. The average annual egg production is 150 pieces. The egg has an unusual pear-shaped structure and weighs 42 g.
Most popular variety
Guinea fowl breeds with original photos will allow you to recognize the species more accurately.
The most popular is the speckled breed, it is most common on the territory of our state, however, in recent years, technological progress has gone far ahead and many new species have been bred, so that the number of speckled representatives has significantly decreased.
Characteristics of the gray-speckled guinea fowl breed:
- the body is set horizontally, knocked down, slightly elongated;
- the head section is decorated with a hard keratinized growth of a pale blue color;
- the head has practically no plumage;
- dark pink beak, earrings of rich scarlet color, oval;
- the cervical spine is slightly feathered;
- the wings are well developed, rounded, tightly attached to the body.
The tail is curved downwards, not long. The cervical region is painted blue-gray. Flight feathers are marked with horizontal stripes of a darker shade compared to the bulk of feathers. The rest of the feathers are dark gray with white splashes. The body weight of the male is 1.5 kg, the female - 1.7 kg.
Zagorskaya white-breasted
As you can see, such a chicken differs from previous relatives in color. The wings and back are gray-speckled, while the front, including the neck, thoracic region and abdomen, is white. The feathers are loosely planted.
Meat and egg data are highly valued. The breed was bred by blood transfusion from roosters to gray-speckled guinea fowls. In the process of selection, the color of the skin also changed: the carcass of the representatives of this breed is colored yellow.
Siberian cream
The species is represented by individuals of cream color with snow-white splashes. The beak and paws are deep pink. Siberian white was obtained by crossing 3 representatives of white color. A characteristic feature is an elongated body, a well-defined keel, and a deep thoracic region.
The muscles of the sternum are better developed in females. Egg production in comparison with the progenitors is 25% higher. Also, such birds are much more hardy than the original form.
Suede birds
You can look at the photos of such a representative for a very long time. The birds are a little similar to the previous relative in appearance, they also have a white color. They are distinguished by higher production indicators.
Their main feature is a quick degree of adaptation to any climatic conditions, which many other breeds cannot boast of. At the age of ten months, live weight reaches 1.5 kg. The hatchability of the offspring is 70%.
Blue
The external data of this representative made him in demand in the poultry houses of connoisseurs of the true beauty of the species. The bulk of the feathers are painted in lilac color with snow-white splashes. On the cervical spine, the plumage is purple. The body structure remained the same as in the original individuals of the gray-speckled variety.
On the flight feathers, white blotches merge into horizontal stripes. On the tail feathers, the dots are arranged in vertical rows. For juveniles, a gray-brown color is characteristic, which changes after the first molt. The breed was bred to obtain the cape of the guinea fowl. The weight of an adult male is 1.5 kg, and females weigh 2.5 kg, the average annual egg production is 120-150 eggs.
Snow white representatives
The Volga white representative was bred by a tough selection. The mutated individuals of the Siberian white were taken as a basis. Today their total number is more than 20 thousand. The white feather and light color of the carcass make these individuals more popular with buyers.
Representatives of the species adapt perfectly both to the conditions of the northern latitudes and to the conditions of the southern regions. The hatchability of young animals is 75-80%. To date, breeding work to improve the meat and egg qualities continues.
Curly hen
The curly bird lives in the northern latitudes of Africa. The feathers are black, interspersed with a teardrop-shaped form of a pale blue hue. The skin around the eyes and the neck are scarlet. The crest is very soft, wide feathers form a kind of cap.
Representatives of the species can often be seen in zoos. In captivity, the bird is very active, moves around the enclosure a lot. Breeding at home is not at all different from caring for domestic representatives.
Corydalis
Crested guinea fowl, or crested, lives in central Africa. Crested guinea fowls are distinguished by a large comb and large earrings. Their main difference is the spurs on the paws, like those of chickens.
The description of the crested guinea fowl breed is as follows:
- on the head there is a bunch of feathers resembling hair in structure, black in color with a velvety effect;
- the cervical spine is painted bluish black;
- the ends of the feathers are bordered with pearl drops, which are arranged in the form of a necklace;
- beak and paws are light blue.
In the wild, they live in flocks of 50-100 birds. The same color of plumage is characteristic for males and females. They perfectly adapt to life next to humans and lend themselves to domestication.
The progenitors of modern representatives
Guinea fowl, or gray, lives throughout Africa. It was the common guinea fowl that became the progenitor of domestic breeds. The bird is distinguished by a knocked down physique. The feathers are densely set, painted in a dark gray color with helmet-shaped spots. The upper part of the cervical spine and the head are bare, have a light shade. Scarlet earrings. The beak is light pink with a red base.
Such chickens settle mostly in forest glades. Birds are terrestrial. They nest in grassy thickets. The number of eggs in one egg-laying is from 5 to 10. The incubation period is 25 days. A female is engaged in incubating eggs. Chicks very quickly become independent and leave the nest.
Vulture
Representatives of this group inhabit the southern regions of Africa. The unfeathered parts of the head and neck are blue in color. Feathers are lancet-shaped, elongated, with white stripes on the stem. The lower back, lateral parts and tail feathers are black with small round spots and white blotches. The lower abdomen and sternum have a cobalt shade with a black center.
The female is slightly smaller than the male. During the mating season, birds create pairs. At home, more often than other wild breeds are bred to obtain meat and egg products. With the open-air cage method, the birds create nests under the bushes and lay 10-14 eggs in one clutch. The incubation period is 25 days. Juveniles, before reaching puberty, have a black fluff with a brown tint.
Description of the external data of the vulture guinea fowl:
- the body is oblong;
- the cervical region is elongated;
- the head is naked, decorated with a peculiar collar of their velvety feathers;
- the beak is bent and strong;
- there are several spur-like processes on the legs.
Final part
All domestic breeds descended from wild guinea fowls living in Africa and Madagascar. After domestication, intensive breeding work began. The subspecies used have been improved over the years and adapted to the climate of our territories.
In the wild, birds form flocks of up to 20 individuals, occasionally 70-100. During the mating season, they mate and build nests in grassy areas. The incubation period is 25 days. Chicks very quickly adapt to independent life and leave the nest.
Birds prefer bushy terrain with tall thickets of grass. Lead for the most part a terrestrial lifestyle. They are very shy, so at home, pets should be protected from stress. Birds quickly get used to one owner, are distinguished by an inquisitive character. Domestic guinea fowl breeds lead an active lifestyle, therefore, for home breeding, they will need an open-air cage with a large area.
The proposed breeds for obtaining high-quality guinea fowl meat are the most optimal options. The quality indicators of meat are much higher than that of chicken. Guinea fowl can lay 150 eggs per year. Females differ from males in greater weight.