Cape Town Guinea Fowl

[Gill-b]

It is that time of year here where the Guinea Fowl group together in flocks. There is farmland about 5km (about 3 miles) from our house and I spotted a flock that must easily be over 200 Guinea Fowl strong.
It was a lovely sight to behold.

 

[Gill-b]

(PS. I have Guinea Fowl on my house roof at this moment, hahaha.)

 

[R2elk]

(PS. I have Guinea Fowl on my house roof at this moment, hahaha.)

The domestic ones will do that too.

 

[tranquiliti]

The domestic ones will do that too.

This was the day (in March ‘24) that I feared I would lose “Almost” forever.
She was named based on the state of her egg at final candling: dark @ tip, but angle of air cell not quite ready.
She did fly safely down, and probably laid a few of her own eggs in the collective nest before abruptly dying a week ago.
The CO State diagnostic lab did not find obvious signs for her death, but reported a partially-calcified egg en route to be laid.

Her mom is currently broody on the group nest, so I marked a few eggs that I suspect were laid by “Almost” and/or her mom—and rolled them into the nest on Sunday.

 

[Gill-b]

We are going into full on winter here with the rainy season upon us, and I think the Guinea Fowl are struggling to find food because they are back in the residential areas, but this time in relatively large flocks rather than family groups. A flock of between 25 and 30 Guinea Fowl has been visiting us regularly, asking for food. This is the largest flock that I have known to be in our neighbourhood, with previous years having flocks of between 5 to 10 Guinea Fowl.

Our dog, Jasper, use to chase Guinea Fowl but after having the rescued keet grow up in the house along side him, he now sees the fowl as friends.

 

[Gill-b]

We had a thick mist this morning so the Guineas showed up looking bedraggled... poor things.

 

[Gill-b]

The mist made their neck feathers spiky.

 

[Gill-b]

 

[Gill-b]

I have a question about the white "toes" that some of the Guinea Fowl have, as seen on the bird on the right-hand side of this picture. These white toes or claws appear to be calcified, hardened to the point that they cannot bend and become a hindrance the birds ability to walk properly. On some of these Guinea Fowl the whole foot is like this. What causes these white claws?

 

[Gill-b]

Just found a better picture to show an example of the white claws.