Compared to chickens, guinea fowl are low-cost and low-maintenance, and do a standout job as chemical-free pest control. What's next? (you can find it on YouTube) Note where the cry is coming from and check the area discreetly AFTER the hen has moved on. International Subscribers - Click Here They lay 25–30 eggs in a deep, tapering nest. You'll find tips for slashing heating bills, growing fresh, natural produce at home, and more. I am very new to having a small flock . Do you ever take eggs out if you find a nest - if you can even find a nest? They pointed to one bird that was smaller and had a diferent beak, but otherwise looked similar to the other birds. I'll try to answer a few of the questions that were asked in the comments section. They are highly social birds and tend to languish when alone. Never pinion free-ranging guineas or they won't be able to fly away from predators. Now I clearly have 2 araucana roosters, 7 araucana hens, and one guinea fowl. Because a mature hen weighs three pounds and a mature cock weighs four pounds, you can expect a maximum table-ready weight of 2 1/4 to three pounds. The shelter need only be a simple three-sided, south-facing shed with a wire front and a draft-free perch toward the back, offering seven inches of roosting space per bird. We are hoping to have guinea fowl For more information, please see the article that I wrote at https://thegrownetwork.com/got-grasshoppers-get-guineas/, Great article, but why have a "comments" section if nobody replies to the many questions posed? Cocks also have larger helmets that stand up straighter than the hens: Still, helmet size and other sexual differences are quite subtle. I may be moving to the city soon (another fenced in yard.) It closes with a back invisible zipper and the skirt is lined in soft satin. Once you have found the nest, let the hen(s) continue to lay eggs until she does not return to the coop/roost at the end of the day. There are numerous questions listed which I would be very interested to hear the response to. You say to allow 7 inches of roosting space per bird. By paying with a credit card, you save an additional $5 and get 6 issues of MOTHER EARTH NEWS for only $12.95 (USA only). But while chickens are members of the pheasant family, turkeys and guineas each have a family of their own. After four weeks, switch to 18 percent grower ration, or a mixture of cracked corn and whole wheat supplemented with young grass clippings, chopped lettuce, and other fresh greens. This should explain why most guinea keepers use an incubator or a broody chicken for hatching. Hens lay in late morning or early afternoon and prefer to steal a nest in some secluded spot rather than lay in any fine nest you provide. We started our flock of 25 keets end of April. Guinea eggs take between 26 to 28 days to hatch, and mothers are tenacious setters at this time. The specimen you might come across in a European store is probably a Helmeted Guineafowl. Thanks so much for sharing this info! Native to Africa, they are known for traveling in large, gregarious flocks. (Pinioning involves clipping off the last joint of one wing, at the thumb, when birds are less than one week old.) They are gregarious, they love each other to death, and they are wonderful with the hen who raised them. I have a flock of white guineas. I am wondering if I can just buy a couple (like 2 hens, no rooster) to eat the ticks that are driving me crazy in my backyard. I have LOVED my 4 guineas since I got them a month ago. This style is also available in William Morris and Golden Wisteria . Because guineas prefer freedom to regimentation, they have not been commercially exploited and "improved" as have chickens and turkeys. Almost everything we are doing The best meat comes from 12-week-old keets weighing about two pounds. The keats must be protected from adult birds, who will kill them. It isn't easy to tell which keets are cocks and which are hens until they are about eight-weeks-old. Phylogenetically, they branched off from the core Galliformes after the Cracidae (chachalacas, guans, and curassows) and before the Odontophoridae (New World quail). If you only want a small flock of guineas, but have the potential for a bunch of keets to hatch...it seems like your population can easily get out of control. It's quite a sight. To improve laying, switch to higher-protein turkey or gamebird ration (if available) in February. A friend and I, encountered a flock while hiking high in the mountains, on the CO trail one summer. I am really dumb about this, but have loved them since I was a child visiting my aunt on her farm in Oklahoma. Now they are ready to patrol our yard and garden for ants, cockroaches, flies, wasps, termites, cutworms, grubs, and snails. The correct way to catch a guinea is to clap both hands against its wings. Some people choose to order day-old keets by mail. Some time between March and May, when she is 26 to 28 weeks old, an average hen will lay about 100 eggs. The Helmeted Guineafowl is an exotic game bird seen throughout North America. While they are not as fond about getting close to me, they will take food out of my hands if mom starts doing so (but watch out because those little beaks are not the most discerning between snacks and fingers). If you prefer to do it without the added fat, cook a mature hen by a moist-heat method such as braising or stewing. Guinea meat is darker and richer tasting than chicken, and it contains less fat and fewer calories. ticks may not be so awful there (there is also a fence), but I wish I understood how much noise two or three would actually make. Shoulder to hem is 35". And even though it sells for about half the price of pheasant, guinea is still considered a luxury food. She will continue laying that number each year until she is five years old (or even older). Sure, they'll take the occasional peck at a cultivated plant, but they much prefer insects, weeds, and seeds. Chill the meat quickly and store it (loosely covered) in the coldest part of the refrigerator for up to two days. CA. Farmers put them to work patrolling for row crop pests. A hen, when upset or angry, may call like a cock, but a cock will never call like a hen. Aside from that, though, the two sexes are mostly identical in appearance. Now at 8 weeks, they are irrepressable clowns who hang together in a coop/run and follow their "mom" chicken everywhere she goes. Broiler chicken are known for traveling in large, gregarious flocks get a chicken white wine a must than. However, the two sexes are mostly identical in appearance be easy rehome. Helmeted pearl '' is by far the most guinea fowl north america and flavorful of all pace can make them like! 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