Breeding

[waddle watcher]

I've been noticing lately at animal auctions that most of the guinea's available have a single or double white feather on the bottom of their wing. Are these fowl the result of some kind of cross fertalization? I think that these fowl are just allowed to mate without any discrimination. I prefer guineas that are pure in color even if they are only pearl. I have 2 out of six like that and I will breed them together to continue that strain. I have located an almost pure black male and I'm going to try breeding him to a lavender female. How often does a male have to mate with a female to continue a particular strain? Any responces would be greatly appricated particularly about selective breeding. Regards,

 

[groundpecker]

I do not know much about guinea breeding, but it should be about the same as chicken breeding.

I would start off with buying birds from a reputable breeder and not from an auction or just anyone. Taking different birds from different breeders, may not produce a single color type. I suggest buying a few chicks or adults of the same parentage.or "line". Look around byc for a reputable breeder near you.

You can "line breed" your birds to keep the same "line alive". You can also search this topic here on byc too.

 

[PeepsCA]

White flights (on any color Guinea, except pure White and Pied) are a considered a flaw/fault according to the "Proposed Guinea Fowl Standard of Perfection", tho some breeders say that white flights means they are carrying a little bit of the Pied gene. In my experience one bird with white flights bred to a bird without any white flights will produce a few offspring with white flights, but not all, and breeding 2 birds with white flights will produce more offspring with white flights, but still not every keet will mature with white flights. I have never had Pied keets hatch from a pair of adults that both had white flights... (so I'm still on the fence about white flights being related to the Pied gene, based on my personal experience).

IMO, white flights just equate to bad breeding stock unless you are breeding a pure White bird to a bird with white flights and wanting Pied keets, then it does not really matter). The best way to avoid white flights in future offspring is to keep all Pieds and any birds that have white flights out of your breeding flocks. If you are going to buy keets locally be sure to ask to see the parent birds of the keets (or flock) and inspect for white flights, and if you are going to buy keets from a hatchery it's a good idea to call and ask them if their breeding stock has white flights or is prone to hatching keets that mature to have white flights.

Guinea Hens can be bred, carry the male's sperm in their bodies and fertilize eggs with it for about 2 weeks from just one breeding, but generally breeding pairs or breeding flocks are kept together and allowed to breed frequently to make sure fertility stays high.

Your almost pure black Guinea is most likely a Royal Purple... and when bred to a Lavender Hen the dark color gene (charcoal grey/black) will be dominant over the lighter color gene (blue) of the Lavender, but the fully-pearled gene of the Lavender will be dominant over the partially-pearled gene of the Royal Purple... which will most likely result in mostly Pearl Grey keets from the hatches. Depending on which hidden recessive genes both birds are carrying you may get a few Lavenders and Royal Purples too, maybe even Coral Blues and an occasional surprise color but realistically you can expect the hatches to be dominated by Pearl Greys.

 

[waddle watcher]

Hi. I thought as much about the white lower feathers I mean flights. I got stuck with four that way after I lost buckweat and bacon to a neighbor's dog. I don't intend on becoming a fanatic about breeding but I think the white flights are very unbecoming and I'll pass that info on to other unsuspecting breeders and buyers in my area. I very much love those characters and will not dispose of any but will keep my two good breeders seperate from the rest. You certainly have a wealth of information about the subject and I appricate your candor and answers very much. Thank you and highest regards, Breeze

 

[johnnybee]

I find the pied gene to be most dominate of any and don't use em with white feather if you are wanting true colors.
I'm no expert and just going on past experience.

 

[guineaguy]

If this is the black you mean it's a royal purple like peeps said.

 

[waddle watcher]

Actually no, although I can't tell very well because it's in the shadows but the one I'm discussing is a shinny black with black legs and feet with no purple at all. It has a small cluster of silver dots toward the top back as well. Thanks for the responce GUINEAGUY, regards Breeze aka waddle watcher