gender?

[artsyrobin]

was just wondering, we have 4 pearl guineas, and 2 of them have small wattles, the other 2 large ones, is that a gender trait?

 

[Mahlzeit]

The ones with larger wattles are probably males. You can tell better by the sound only the females can make which sounds like "buckwheat"

 

[shelleyd2008]

The wattles and helmet can be used to sex them, but it is very difficult to tell the difference. Easiest way is by their call, females have a two syllable call. I've caught mine doing it as early as 6-8 weeks old, so you don't have to wait forever!

 

[chickenlittle32]

About the sound they make...how about when you have 30 or so...and they all are hollering...then what? LOL I have some that have redder (?) wattles...could that be the males?

 

[annaserv]

I banded all my female when they were young and still coup confined and I could catch all the "buckwheats" as they got older I noticed my males wattles flair out a bit. The females wattles seem a bit more straight and smaller in comparison.

They all have the machine gun like rapid screech only the females have the 2 syllable call.

Someone on this board also mentioned about the pelvic bone. Males have next to no gap and the females have have a gap. Of course this calls for catching them (what fun that is

) and maybe it doesn't apply to adolescent guineas only laying adults.

 

[artsyrobin]

well, going by the wattles i have 2 pairs, they are so funny though- they get on the roof and run from one end to the other yelling, and what has really surprised me is they will follow me, don't want to be petted, but will come sit at my feet and tell me all about their day..

 

[BluegrassSeramas]

That is so neat! Mine are all nuts!! But I have only seen a couple of ticks this summer, and they are great alarms!!

 

[darkmatter]

Quote:
"but it is very difficult to tell the difference"------I sure can't when they're out roaming. I can tell when the female is sitting on a nest out in the field and the male is hanging around within twenty feet or so acting guard---which tells me where to look for the nest to raid the eggs---they sure can hide that nest.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
"but it is very difficult to tell the difference"------I sure can't when they're out roaming. I can tell when the female is sitting on a nest out in the field and the male is hanging around within twenty feet or so acting guard---which tells me where to look for the nest to raid the eggs---they sure can hide that nest.

Isn't that the truth?! I lost one of my hens this summer because she was setting a nest and I couldn't find her. Evidently something did

My 1 remaining hen is setting again (she hatched earlier this summer), but I know right where she is. I'll be putting a pen around her when it gets closer to time for her to hatch. She lost everyone of her 9 babies because of taking them in the weeds

 

[artsyrobin]

here are a few pics of my gang, they like to relax on the porch in the afternoons