Domestic thoroughbred guinea fowl

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Guinea fowls are domestic birds native to Africa. The name translates as "royal bird". The history of domestication of this species is very long. For the first time it began to be bred in Europe in ancient times. Then the domestic livestock almost disappeared, breeding resumed only in the 15th century. Until now, guinea fowl is a rather exotic bird in home farms, despite the high value of meat and eggs. The main country of breeding is France, they are popular in Germany, Spain and some other European countries.

Guinea fowl

Description of the species

Where does the free guinea fowl live and what kind of bird is it? Guinea fowls are found in the high-altitude arid regions of Africa. They inhabit low forests, savannas and steppes covered with bushes, they try to nest in secluded places and dense thickets. The basis of bird nutrition is seeds and stems of plants, midges, beetles, worms, small reptiles and rodents.

African wild bird has 23 species, the most famous are the vulture guinea fowl and gray-speckled, the forest and crested are also known. The second was domesticated, about 20 breeds were bred from it. In some regions, wild guinea fowls are hunted. After all, you can catch a bird with your own hands; in many countries, whole populations were destroyed in this way.

Outwardly, the bird looks a little like a chicken, a little like a turkey. You can better see what the guinea fowl looks like in the photo. Here is a general description and description of domestic and wild birds of this species:

• The head and neck are completely naked.
• There is a horny growth on the back of the head
• Crocheted beak, average
• Two fleshy processes are visible under the beak, the so-called "beard" or "earrings"
• Large body
• The back is well rounded
• The tail is lowered down, smoothly connects with the back
• Shortened wings, with rounded tips
• The color depends on the breed, most often gray-speckled

Many people ask how guinea fowls cry. These birds are quite noisy, their voice is harsh, somewhat reminiscent of a creak or crackle. Not everyone likes the cry of domestic guinea fowls. Therefore, farmers prefer to keep them away from their own homes. For some, the sound is so disturbing that they may even dream. The dream interpretation says that listening to the voice of a guinea fowl in a dream portends a divorce, but what astrologers will not come up with.

Guinea fowls are semi-wild birds, therefore they require a lot of space for walking. Males are not aggressive, but when kept together with chickens, they can engage in fights with roosters. In fights, the roosters usually win, but after a few days the fights are repeated again. They say that crossing chickens and guinea fowls produces a hybrid, but no one has seen it. Guinea fowls fly well, because they build high corrals for them. You can just clip the wings.

Guinea fowl productivity

Breeding and keeping guinea fowls at home is becoming more and more popular. Of course, the population of this species is not as large as that of chickens, ducks, geese and even turkeys.But more and more farmers are paying attention to the royal birds. The fact is that they have very valuable meat. Breast contains about 95% amino acids, in broilers this figure is slightly more than 80%. Guinea fowl meat and eggs also have a very high iron content.

The meat tastes like game, soft and tender. French cuisine, for example, cannot do without it. The pheasant has a similar meat. Eggs have very thick shells and can be stored at 10 ° C for up to six months. In addition, the guinea testicles are very beneficial.

The productivity of royal birds on the farm pays off, since they are unpretentious in keeping and eat little. Here are the main product metrics:

• The weight of the male guinea fowl is 1.6-1.9 kg, the female is 1.5-1.7 kg
• Egg production - 80-180 eggs per year
• The mass of one egg is 40-45 g
• Pear-shaped egg shape
• The color of the testicles is brown or brownish-red, speckled

Guinea fowls begin to rush from the end of February and end in the second half of September. Egg production begins at 6-7 months and lasts up to 2-3 years. Therefore, the parent herd for breeding guinea fowl at home is advised to keep for two seasons. We must not forget that this species of bird has beautiful decorative feathers. They look especially original in the gray-speckled breed. The main color is dark gray, in the center of each feather there is a white dot surrounded by a black rim.

Of course, the productivity of different types of guinea fowl does not compare with the productivity of other poultry. But do not make a hasty conclusion, it is very profitable to breed and grow them. The cost of a one and a half kilogram carcass is about 1000 rubles, and a dozen eggs cost 200-300 rubles. We must not forget that egg storage is permissible for 6 months.

Guinea fowl breeds

Over the centuries of breeding guinea fowl at home, many breeds have been bred. They differ in color and plumage pattern, live weight, egg production. Most species are adapted to cold climates. Below are the features of the guinea fowl breeds and a brief description of them.

Gray speckled breed

The gray-speckled guinea fowl breed is the most popular. It is not very productive, but it is completely unpretentious, has magnificent decorative feathers. They are of a dark gray shade, with white spots bordered by a black rim. Black stripes are clearly visible on the wings in flight. The earrings under the beak are bright scarlet, and the growth on the back of the head is blue.

The weight of the female speckled guinea fowl is about 1.6 kg, of the male - 1.8 kg. You can distinguish them from each other by the fact that the male has a larger head, a tubercle under the beak is more pronounced, and larger than an earring. The egg production indicator of the gray speckled breed has an average, at the level of 80-90 eggs per year, the weight of one testicle is about 45 grams. The properties of carrying well are preserved up to 3 years, then young birds are needed.

White Siberian Guinea Fowl

Siberian guinea fowl is very well adapted to cold weather. The breed was bred on the basis of gray-speckled, descended from albino parents. A distinctive feature of the species is white matte plumage. Productivity is slightly higher than that of gray-speckled. For a year, she can lay up to 120 eggs, an adult bird weighs 1.6-1.8 kg. If white guinea fowls are well cared for and properly fed, they recover very quickly.

Cream or suede guinea fowl

The breed is very young, it has just begun to be bred. As in the previous case, the speckled gray guinea fowl, which had a mutation, became its ancestor. Unlike the Siberian species, the feathers of these birds on the breast are of a delicate cream shade, on the back - gray with a white speck, the neck is bare. This breed is in the process of formation, cannot boast of its high food indicators. Weight ranges from 1.5 to 1.7 kg, there are not too many testicles, up to 70-80 pieces per year, weighing up to 45 g.

Blue guinea fowl

The blue domestic guinea fowl is a rare breed with high productivity. The guinea fowl's feather has a special, lilac or blue hue.Against this background, specks are clearly visible, which form even rows and stripes on the wings. Males weigh 1.5-2 kg, while females weigh 2-2.5 kg. Laying hens lay 120-150 eggs per year, brown in color, with small black dots, with a very hard shell. The mass of the testicles is 40-45 g. Unfortunately, breeding and keeping this breed at home is not yet popular, it is rarely found in the backyard.

Volga white guinea fowl

White Volga guinea fowl is bred from white Siberian. It is particularly adaptable. The plumage is white, without a creamy shade and yellowness. The productivity of the Volga variety has an average, weight of birds from 1.65 kg to 1.75 kg, egg production in the range of 85-90 pieces per year, individual layers can lay 100 pieces. Chick hatching is just over 50%.

Zagorskaya white-breasted

Guinea fowl of the Zagorsk white-breasted breed also comes from speckled. A distinctive feature of the variety is a white, very lush monochromatic plumage on the breast and tummy, light yellow skin. The product indicators are quite good. Females weigh 1.7-1.9 kg, males 2-2.2 kg. For a year, the female carries 120-140 testicles, retains these indicators for up to 2-3 years.

Crested guinea fowl

The crested breed of guinea fowl comes directly from a wild ancestor and is quite rare at home. On the top of the head, the birds have a beautiful tuft of feathers, similar to a cap. The color of the feathers is black. The rest of the head and neck are bare. The plumage on the body is dark with white dots and a blue tint. The beak is blue and its tip is yellow. The weight of the birds is about 1.5 kg, the length of the body is within 45-50 cm. The number of testicles per year is 55-100 pieces, depending on the regime of keeping and feeding.

Maintenance and care

We told you what a guinea fowl looks like and what breeds can most often be seen in backyards. You have received information about the productivity of the species. But it is advisable to learn everything about guinea fowls before you start these beautiful birds at home. Only proper care and maintenance at home can make their breeding cost-effective and profitable. This is especially important for novice farmers.

Semi-wild birds need free range, cages are not suitable for them. They need a fairly large area, approximately 30 m of territory per individual. The place should be open, with sparse bushes and tall grass. A plot in a field or small meadow is ideal for this. To prevent domestic guinea fowls from flying away, you need to build a two-meter fence around the walk. If you do not provide free-range livestock, drive it into a shed, its productivity will drop sharply - the number of eggs will decrease, and the rate of weight gain will decrease. Through this cellular content is absolutely unprofitable.

Despite the fact that the guinea fowl is an African bird, it perfectly tolerates the cold. The house can be built without heating. No more than 2-3 individuals can live on one square meter. It is imperative to make the royal birds of the guinea fowl perches so that they do not sleep on the floor. The bedding is made as standard for chickens. Its thickness should be about 10 cm. Straw with sawdust and peat is best suited.

The poultry house for keeping guinea fowls at home in the summer can be mobile. In the corral, they make with their own hands a small house with perches, like a large cage, where birds can hide for the night. In the morning they leave the house and graze in the pasture all day. The livestock should be released for a walk from the barn only after the laying hens have laid eggs. Otherwise, they will lay anywhere and a large number of eggs will simply be lost.

In winter, the guinea fowl should be kept in a stationary barn. If you make it heated, you can prevent many diseases, colds and increase the productivity of the herd. But this condition is optional. The lights in the poultry house are turned on at 7 a.m. in winter and turned off at 10 p.m. You can keep this species with other birds, guinea fowls and chickens get along well, they feel good with turkeys.Even in cold weather, birds will benefit from walks in an aviary that is free of snow.

Feeding guinea fowl

The diet of guinea fowl in the household varies depending on the season, the purpose of specific birds (for fattening or for the parent flock). In summer, the birds can get some of the food on their own. They are happy to peck green grass, bugs, even hunt small rodents and lizards, the Colorado potato beetle is destroyed by the guinea fowl. In winter, grain is the basis of the diet, but you should not forget about greens. Here is an approximate daily menu for one individual for the spring months, during the period of intensive egg laying:

• Oats - 20 g
• Wheat bran - 20 g
• Ground barley grains - 20 g
• Chopped millet - 10 g
• Ground corn kernels - 20 g
• Meat and bone meal or dry fish waste - 20 g
• Grated carrots - 20 g
• Hay (best clover) - 15 g
• Green coniferous needles - 15 g
• Feed yeast - 6 g
• Fish oil - 3 g
• Crushed shells - 5 g
• Fresh nettle - 30 g

In winter, the amount of hay is increased to 25 grams per day per individual, since there is no greenery at this time. Needles are a very important part of the diet, especially in winter. It contains a lot of vitamin A, which guinea fowls need for normal development. At the end of February, vitamin supplements must be included in the menu. After the end of the egg-laying period, the amount of food, especially grain, must be cut off so that the guinea fowls do not become obese at home. Then their egg production, fertilization of eggs and hatching of chicks will decrease.

Feed the herd three times a day, in one place and at the same time. Then they will keep to the corral and will not run away. It is best to give food at 6, 12 and 16 hours. You can shift this time by 1-2 hours. The menu of the first and last meal is mostly grain-based, with greens and vegetables for lunch. The more the guinea fowl eats greens in summer, the better it tolerates the winter. It is added to the diet gradually, bringing at the end to almost 10 g per day.

Diseases of guinea fowl

You cannot tell everything about guinea fowls at home without telling about the pathologies that occur in this species. Timely identification of symptoms, correct prevention can often save a whole livestock. Diseases of domestic guinea fowls are infectious and non-infectious. Infections include the following pathologies:

• Trichomoniasis. Caused by the intracellular parasite Trichomonas. It is manifested by diarrhea, loss of appetite, sick guinea fowls scream quietly, without timely help they die in a few days
• Pasteurellosis. Caused by bacteria, the main symptoms are gray-yellow diarrhea, inactivity, high fever
• Pillorosis. Very often, the entire herd, both adults and chicks, perishes from the disease. In birds, behavior changes, white-yellow diarrhea appears, coordination is impaired.
• Mycoplasmosis. The disease is caused in guinea fowls by protozoa, the respiratory tract is affected. The main symptoms are cough, shortness of breath, sneezing, nasal discharge.
• Worms. Often they pass asymptomatically, in advanced cases the bird grows poorly and gains weight, loses activity, feathers become dull.

The most common non-communicable diseases are:

• Dyspepsia
• Avitaminosis
• Ophthalmitis
• Rhinitis
• Gout

If you properly care for the bird, feed it fresh food and keep the chicken coop and aviary clean, they will not get sick. Timely vaccination will protect them from infections. If a dangerous epizootic has arisen in the herd, the entire livestock is sent to the slaughter. The room is thoroughly disinfected. It will be beneficial for the guinea fowl if you see your veterinarian in time. Perhaps the bird can be saved. After all, only a doctor can determine what the guinea fowl is sick with and what it needs for treatment.

Breeding guinea fowl

When rearing guinea fowls, the parent stock is selected when the chicks are 6 months old. For 5-6 females, one male is enough to breed a whole livestock. This species has one feature that makes breeding much easier.Females lay fertilized eggs for another 20 days after mating. Even if the male dies, becomes ill, or has been removed from the house, the material for incubation can be collected for almost another month.

It is best to take eggs for breeding in the home farm in late April or early May. Males mate successfully when the outside temperature rises to 17-20 degrees. Even if the female rushes, the testicles are empty until the end of April, and it is not possible to hatch the chicks from them.

Breeding guinea fowls at home can be challenging. The fact is that the maternal instinct in birds is reduced, they do not sit well indoors on the nest. Not all laying hens hatch eggs well. Therefore, a turkey or a large chicken of the bantam breed is often used as a brood hen. After placing the eggs, the birds can also be entrusted with raising the young. It is also possible that the Caesarians are brought out in an incubator. The conditions are the same as for chicken eggs, only slightly increasing the humidity. Hatching occurs in 21 days.

If a turkey hatches eggs, newborn chicks willingly follow it and hide under its wings. The only problem is that a turkey can take chicks for a walk in wet weather and the little guinea pigs catch a cold. Therefore, during the rains, the hen with the young are kept indoors, not letting them out into the aviary. The chicken is not such a good mother, tiny guinea fowls get used to it worse. But she can also raise Caesar's children. The problem can be solved by manually placing the chicks under the chicken's wings. After a while, she begins to call them to her, and the chicks calmly run to their foster mother.

Feeding and caring for young animals

Most often, farmers buy daily guinea fowls and feed them until autumn. With this technique, you should take care of the proper care and feeding of the young. The room where the chickens live should be dry and well lit. In the first 3 days, the temperature should be maintained there at 35 degrees, until the 10th day - 31 degrees, until the third week it is reduced to 27 degrees, and at 30 days young animals feel good indoors at 21 degrees. It is best to use a brooder to raise guinea fowl chicks.

In the early days, the guinea fowl are fed with a boiled egg and steamed millet. Then, finely chopped greens, sprouted grains, and wheat bran are added to the menu. At three weeks, you can already give ground raw wheat, oats, barley. By the month, young animals are transferred to adult feeding. For normal development, the diet includes fish oil and flour, yeast, vitamins. Caesarians grow quickly, already at three months they weigh more than 1.5 kg, and at 4 in most breeds they reach full weight.

How much are the daily allowance of the Caesar? The price depends on the breed, the number of purchased individuals, ranging from 120 to 200 rubles per head. A hatching egg costs 60-70 rubles. The price of adult guinea fowls is 500-700 rubles per individual. Considering the high price of meat, low feed consumption (about 3 kg per kilogram of live weight), one can understand how profitable it is to keep the guinea fowl at home. It is best to start breeding with the purchase of day old chicks (at least 20 pieces), form a parent flock from them and get your own offspring the next year.