Guineas of a different color- Vulturine Hybrids!

[racuda]

Wow! $157.50!

 

[spectrumranch]

Quote:
Thats still less than half the cost of pure Vulturine eggs. Or on the chance that the vulturine hens are the ones laying, it's a great buy.

 

[zazouse]

They are very pretty.
So what do the keets look like when they hatch?

 

[racuda]

Do the Vulturines, hybrids and regular Guineas all sound the same?

 

[spectrumranch]

Quote:
Here is one vulturine keet along with 3 domestic guinea keets:

 

[spectrumranch]

Quote:
The vulturines are alot quietier than domestic guineas, their normal chatter is a little whistle. The hybrids so far have been more like the vulturines.

 

[casuarius]

I agree with Randy, the hybrids will not be fertile, and therefore won't reproduce. Only the two species of Crested Guineafowl are in the same Genus (guttera), and do cross breed in the wild, and reproduce. I have seen Kenya Crested, with dark chests like Edwards Crested, and have even had some. Vulturines and Helmeted are in another genus. However, all Guineas can hybridize or cross breed since all species are in the same family (numidae), but the offspring would be mules so to speak. I am actually glad for this, because with Pheasants and Peafowl, the pure strains of certain species have been ruined from cross breeding. A few to speak of are Lady Amherst and Red Golden Pheasants, and Java Green Peafowl. It's near impossible to find pure strains, but the differences are obvious when you compare pure birds to hybrids. While I think hybridizing is interesting, and possibly beneficial in some ways...it's humans faults for not keeping it under control and being dishonest in what they are selling. I live in NC, and used to breed Vulturines. I had green houses that I kept them in for the winter, and only had to heat at night. In direct sun during the day, the plastic panels reflected enough heat to keep the green houses quite warm. During the night I used a wood stove to heat them. The biggest issues I seen with them here is they don't tolerate wet climates very well, and most of my pens, I had to either cover with around 4 inches of course sand for good drainage, or keep them in very large well drained pens. I would never turn them out to free range, if they would even stay around...They are very expensive birds, and it's not worth paying over $1000 for a pair of birds to turn them out and be killed.

 

[spectrumranch]

Listed another set of eggs on ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/130571428339?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

 

[spectrumranch]

The hybrids have proven to be alot hardier. We were down to 13 degrees and the young hybrids (which are not even in coop yet, still in an outside pen) have been fine.

Only have a few for sale yet, listed a pair on bidbird:

http://www.bidbird.com/listings/details/index.cfm?itemnum=1004821980

Still can't get a good photo that shows all the color they are getting:

 

[zzGypsy]

are you selling these hybrids again this year? we're right in the middle of moving but as soon as we finish that I'd love to talk with you about them...