FARMS: Guinea fowl - Breeding

in #farms6 years ago

Greetings brothers of Farms.



Following the theme of the week, Today I will inform you about the Guinea Hen.


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The current domestic guinea fowl would be derived from the Numida meleagris galeata native to West Africa, introduced into America and Europe by the Portuguese at the time of the great geographical discoveries.

Morphology:

Body with a curvilinear profile. Naked head with a horny crest that covers a bony process of the skull and with red cartilaginous beards.

Penne densely sown with white spots. Neck, cheeks and nape covered with feathers scattered and scattered.

Foot with relatively short fingers.

Absence of spurs in both sexes.

Medium size (male 1.8 kg, female 2 kg).

Difference between females and males:


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The females generally have smaller barbels than the males. This is not always a reliable method of recognition. The only accurate way to understand the sex of a guinea fowl is to listen to the voice. The female makes a two syllable call, in addition to the sound of "chat chat" to a syllable. The male can only make the "chat chat" sound. It's not easy to explain, but once you feel both, it's easy to tell the difference.

Why raise guinea fowl?

Guineas hens are very interesting and unique creatures. Usually, they are raised to obtain a source of income, meat, eggs or entertainment. They are very resistant birds and versatile ideals for any company. So, let's see, how to raise these chickens.

The nutrition of Guineas hens:

Raising them is not expensive. They are very autonomous and can find everything they need on the farm during the hot season. However, it is good practice to give only extra grain to make sure they always have food. There are specific foods for the guinea fowl, but most breeders use what they give the chickens.

The aviary:

Guineas hens can be left to roam freely, or they can be confined to an aviary. The best situation is when they are free to roam anywhere during the day and stay indoors at night. The biggest danger during the night, are the predators that look for food and a closed shelter will prevent you from eating your birds. The aviaries for Guineas hens do not have to be very elaborate. Even an old barn can be enough for this purpose. Alternatively, they can also live on heirs along with chickens. Without a shelter, the Guineas hens can sit quietly in the trees at night, but this would encourage them to be wilder, and sometimes to get away and not return.

The Guinea hen and the chickens can live together?


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Raising guinea fowl and chickens together is not the best solution, but it is feasible. Some say they will kill your roosters. It is not like this. Guineas hens are not aggressive with chickens. They tend to be a little uncouth and sometimes peck the roosters and run after the chickens to scare them, but there will be no actual aggression episodes.

Train Guineas chickens:

Guineas hens need between 6 and 10 weeks to identify a place as a home. A good way to make sure they come home at night is to guide them towards sunset. Some breeders, however, release half the herd at once: the Guineas hens have a strong load instinct and will tend to rejoin theirs.

Although they can not effectively kill predators, Guineas hens are quite prepared to defend against predators. They throw an alarm that, it is supposed, can also deter hawks. When one of the groups launches an alarm, domestic Guinean chickens tend to run immediately in aviaries or chicken coops. Sometimes they can throw alarms to indicate to the farmer the presence of a fox nearby. Nor are they afraid of cats that can usually scare chickens to death.

Guinea fowl eggs:


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Guineas hens, about 5 months after birth lay their eggs. The nests are basins dug in the ground and covered with feathers or leaves, but with little care. The breeding usually has 5/8 eggs. The female incubates them for 25 days. The eggs are dirty brick color and can be eaten like those of chickens. They are quite rounded at the top.

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This is truly useful to us @farms. Indeed we @farms find this post informative and educative, thanks for sharing

Resteem

(to be a part of this community; ensure to always use #farms and #steemchurch for agricultural related post)

THEME WEEK

Wednesday: Geese as a farm bird
Thursday: Rearing Turkeys
Friday: Chicken in poultries.
Saturday: Guinea fowl
Sunday: Ducks
Monday: Pheasant

SteemChurch Farm ( @FARMS)

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