Any Guinea books I can buy?

[gypsyrain]

Okay, I hope some out there can give me some tips and advice. I have 15 chickens, 7 cats, 2 ducks and 1 rabbit. I have had cats all my life and know as much about them as I probably ever will, then again, who knows. I have three chicken books I have read from cover to cover and cover to cover again. And, still refer to them regularly. I have one duck book that I have also read cover to cover, although I thought I would never get through that chapter on DNA (Boring stuff when you really aren't looking to breed). My daughter has told me a little about how to care for her baby and we follow her instructions to the letter (and I am STILL waiting for her to bring me a book on rabbits....if I have to buy it, guess who owns the rabbit!).
Now for the advice part. We just got home with 4 baby guineas (or keets as I have learned). We really tried to pick the brains of the breeders and they are family friends so I can ask them for help anytime I want, however - as you may have guessed - I really would like a guide for raising guineas to reference so I don't have to pester this sweet family every time something new occurs. So, with that being said, I would love to find a reliable reference book on Guineas. I picked up guineas because I heard they were as good as a guard dog when it comes to something being in the yard and since we lost two precious hens a couple of weeks back, I am looking for all the guarding I can get. I know these little babies aren't up to task just yet since they are only a week old, but when they are this cute - that doesn't matter.

 

[BarbaraNH]

I don't think any guinea fowl book will answer all of your questions, but I would recommend a free eBook, available online, called "Living with Guinea Fowl," written by Jack & Luci. You can't beat the price!

The pictures alone are well worth seeing, but there is a lot of good information in this wonderful book, too (all 194 pages of it). I don't know of any other book on guinea fowl that has more accurate information about raising guineas, and this ebook is free to either download or view online. You can view it on the scribd.com website by going to: http://www.scribd.com/doc/114569988/Guinea-Fowl-Book-Large

If you'd rather download a smaller version (this large one is about 13 MB), I have a link to a different version that is about 6.8 MB that I can send you if you PM me.

The only thing I would note is that there are several links in the book to a blog and a website that are no longer up online. The link to Jack & Luci's "Guinea Fowl TV" on YouTube is still functional, and that is a terrific resource as well.

 

[malinois]

This forum is one of the BEST sources of information. Read ALL THE WAY back on some of the threads (especially the ones with dozens of pages) and you will gain a lot of information. And be sure to share with us, here, the things you have learned or discovered. This group is a wonderful source of information, with like minded folks, from all over the place.
Better than any book I say!

 

[buckbye]

"Guinea Fowl" by Van Hoesen/Stromberg
(avail. from Stromberg's)

"Gardening with Guineas" by Jeannette S. Ferguson. She also runs a Web site and guinea forum at guineafowl.com.

The former is written by career poultry experts and the latter by a lay person/housewife and it shows. So read critically and take from the books what is relevant and makes sense to you. Both are helpful and are pretty much it when it comes to printed matter on guinea-keeping.

This forum is good, but alas, there is a lot of misinformation and let's face it, you have to sift through a lot noise. Personally, I feel that the above quick reads were well worth the evening or two it took me to breeze through them.