I actually like a quail base for my waterers. Mine get fermented feed. They CAN mate for life. 3 years on, I have a hen still calling for hers. He's been gone 2 years. Mine like to roost in the rafters- the higher the better. We have a traditional spring to fall fertile season. I've not had sucess getting a nest moved in. All the keets that have hatched out here were under chickens. The last two years, I've had two hens set on a community nest. What's really cool is another pair {m/f} go "house hunting" every year. They carry on the sweetest conversation in whistles. Very, very cool. We here don't eat any of our friends. They completely free range, and coop at night. They are entirely too valuable for alarming, tick patrol, amd entertainment, imo.[COLOR=000000]Questions
1. When is too old to breed. I dont know this I havent had a flock long enough to determine this.[/COLOR]
2. [COLOR=000000]Male to female hatch rate. As far as I know 50 50.
3. Hours to assist. Assisted hatching is for experts. I personally woudnt do it.
4. Brooder height Same as Chickens
5. Website or book that lists treatment and diseases. I dont know one. They stay pretty healthy.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Write up. OF what? Oh this is what you have found out so far? your info is pretty off.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]
Special care. [/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]It really depends on your circumstances If you are hobby farming or commercially raising them...
[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Temperament[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Temperamental. Aggressive during breeding season.... Yeah but aggression amongst Guinea fowl is a non issue. They sort themselves out every year. The older they get the more mellow they get. They are NOT chickens so dont expect them to behave that way. they will attack a threat with the whole flock. No matter the season.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Disease symptoms[/COLOR]
No info
[COLOR=000000]Cost
Egg cost 3.50[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]IT really depends on where you are getting your eggs. Breeder or Commercial hatchery.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Chick cost 3.60[/COLOR]
They are KEETS not chicks and again it depens on where you are getting your Keets.
[COLOR=000000]Chick to grower feed amount 670g[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Dont forget to factor in how much feed they waste.[/COLOR][COLOR=000000] its Keets not chicks
Grower to butcher feed amount 4090g[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]I havent brought them to butcher weight yet Again Find a way so they dont waste feed.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Maintenance feed amount 635g[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]I didnt quantify this when I was raising them.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Enclosure
Size [/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]4 sf
I actually doubled that for my Guinea fowl. They are runners and can even run along perches. Again environment and weather are big considerations for housing. [/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Height [/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]3f
Um no My perches were set at six feet up... [/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Fence type [/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]Chicken wire
Use chicken wire on interior partitions for poultry ONLY. Chicken wire is only good for keeping poultry contained. All external wire should be Hardware cloth or heavier gauge wire. Because I have mountain lions and feral dogs My wire of choice is Aviary wire strong enough to contain Hook bills such as parrots. which is 12.5 gauge. Yep I will go overboard the next time but I am tired of loosing WHOLE flocks to predators. For construction materials and ideas I suggest you visit the Coop building section.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Shelter[/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]Barn with opening
Well thats kind of Waiving a vague wand at it. Again it depends on your environment and what you have available. They Need shelter from Weather. Here in the desert that means a wind break on the two sides that have prevailing winds and a roof. Yep I had snow in the coop but where they roosted was protected from the elements. Access to the outside needs to be controlled or you will have them roosting in the trees.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Equipment [/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]Food,water,grit and calcium dish[/COLOR]
yep
[COLOR=000000]Terrain[/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]Grass and wire
Depends on your environment really. I have no grass. [/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Diet
Feed type[/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]Game bird or chicken maintainer 18%
I used Flock Raiser. Becxause I wasnt able to free range so they could get bugs I supplemented with 5 percent Cat fish chow.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Amount [/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]Constant
i free fed as well but expect to feed all sorts of other critters too.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Minerals/other[/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]Grit[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Breeding
Sexing[/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]Vent check. Males will make a sound that sounds like there saying buck wheat buckwheat.
Vent sexing is not done on Guinea Fowl. Guinea Hens are the ones that make the Buck Wheat noise. IF you are careful when they are Keets they do make a different noise. What you will hear is a constant peep out of them all but by two or three weeks you will hear individual voices that Go Peep Peep in rapid succession Identifying that keet is next to impossible... LOL. But I was very grateful to know I had at least a few in my mob.[/COLOR]
Ratio [COLOR=000000]1-6. (males can breed with chickens but there is a low fertility )[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]In a natural flock the ratio is around 1-1. Unless you are breeding for SOP or color then 1-6 or there abouts. Males CANNOT mate with Chickens naturally. Their equipment isnt sufficient. Roosters though have been known to mate with Guinea fowl on occasion. Firtility is an issue true. The offspring from what I have read are Sterile like mules.
There have been crosses between: chickens, Peacocks, Pheasants, and other species of Guinea Fowl.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Age[/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]8 months[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Season[/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]Spring[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Diet[/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]Maintainer feed 18% and added calcium dish[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Eggs
Clutch size and numbers per year [/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]12-15. 7 clutches
Laying season starts in spring and ends in fall. it really depends on your climate. My laying season started in February and ended in November. Good luck on getting them to lay in a nest of any kind.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Collecting time [/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]Morning
PeepsCA kept her Guineas locked in the coop till all eggs were laid. which was around 2 pm[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Hatch time [/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]28[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Incubation temp[/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]100[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Humidity[/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]60-55%[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Candling[/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]6 days
make sure you have a Bright Candler. Those eggs are dense.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Stop turning [/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]25[/COLOR]
Lock down [COLOR=000000]75
When to assist
Move to brooder[/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]Dry[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Brooder Size[/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]1.5 sf[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Height[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]By the time Guinea Keets are two weeks old they can Fly Have a lid on the brooder and enough room because they are a thundering herd.... I had forty i was brooding up.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Temperature decreasing[/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]6 weeks[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Feed type length[/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]Turkey chick starter 6 weeks[/COLOR]
[COLOR=000000]Water dishes [/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]No marbles
Marbles are necessary to give them something shiny to peck at for water. And to keep them from falling in. Guinea Keets are very small like Bantam chicks.[/COLOR]
Thats about it for my input. deb
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