We had a smallish hawk (sharp-shinned I think) attack one of our full-grown guinea hens just outside of the coop many years ago. The hawk was on top of the hen, plucking away at the feathers on her back, when I ran out to try to rescue her. Thankfully, I got there in time. The hawk flew off...
I have to agree with R2elk. Guinea hens can call out nonstop, possibly close to 24 hours a day. They don't even seem to take a breath. LOL We have wild turkeys around here, and there is one turkey hen that is always calling, but I don't find her call as irritating (or as loud).
I know some people will roll their eyes when I say that I had a guinea hen that very rarely laid two eggs in a day. Most of the time she definitely laid only one egg each day, but on a couple of occasions during her laying years, she put out two eggs in less than a 24 hour period. I know they...
I've never heard it myself, but I've been told by a few guinea fowl keepers that they've heard female voices very early on with their keets. One lady said that she heard something that sounded like "prea-cher, prea-cher." That's very similar to what I hear from your keet. I think you may very...
I've read that guinea eggs can weigh as much as 40 grams, but I do not know if that weight relates to a French helmeted guinea fowl egg. I suspect that it might. Standard helmeted guineas lay eggs that are somewhat smaller. If Frenchies lay eggs that are about 40 grams, I'd think standard...
One other possibility to consider might be an inner ear infection. If that was the case, and since she has recovered on her own, it could have been brought on by a virus. I understand that inner ear balance problems aren't as rare as once thought. Such a health condition would cause...
What I've always done is to crack the guinea egg against the edge of my counter and then use the tip of a sharp knife to puncture the thick membrane that's just beneath the shell where it's cracked. After that it's easy to pull the shell apart with my hands starting at the hole made by the...
It's possible she could have a fracture in either her neck or anywhere in her skull, or possibly some swelling in her brain that is making her dizzy. She could also be in some pain. I don't think a neck sprain is out of the question either. She needs to drink. I wouldn't worry about her...
I think what you are seeing is the guinea's preen gland (uropygial gland), which is a natural part of a guinea's anatomy. I don't know if the gland might be infected or possibly ruptured, but it doesn't look quite "normal" to me. I have read that a large number of problems with the preen gland...
Most guinea "hens" do sing out for the first year or so, but eventually they usually quiet down once they are into the egg-laying phase of their lives. You don't need to get a male for each hen. One male would be very happy with three hens, but he may choose one favorite and not spend a lot of...
Sounds like your perpetual straggler could be what is commonly called the "low bird" in the pecking order. Sometimes the low birds might have unknown health problems, but not always, Quite often they do have more timid or cautious personalities. It is assumed that a pecking order with one or...
I would think the fertility rate from a mating of two 6-year old guineas would be good. I had a 10 year old hen mate with a 9 year old male, and the one egg I let the hen sit on was fertile. I know that's not a "good clutch," but I think it proves that fertile eggs do happen with much older...
I would call this guinea keet a pinto - with some pearl gray feathering, which is in essence a heavily pied pearl gray. I've never heard of "bad whites" or "chimera," so I don't know if those names would also apply. He is a beautiful bird! I don't blame you for taking him home, txchickie.
I think the most accurate way to sex guineas anywhere around the world is by their ability to lay an egg. Of course that would mean waiting until they are sexually mature, which might happen at 4 months or not until they are about a year old. Wattles might work in some countries, but not...
It could be coccidiosis. If only half of his feed has the amprolium in it, he may not be getting enough of the coccidiostat to control the reproduction of cocci in his body. You might try reducing the amount of the gamebird crumbles for awhile to see if that helps, but I wouldn't wait too long...
You have to be aware of the kind of medication that is in the chicken feed. If it's amprolium which is added to help prevent coccidiosis, that's fine for guineas; but there are some of the ionophoric anticoccidials that can be harmful to guineas. Perhaps that is what you might have read about...