Guinea fowl behavior

[perchie.girl]

Ok so I have had guineas before, a small flock of Adult males. Funny silly noisy chasin each other about....

Now I have a small flock of Guineas Both Males and Females.... They were hatched in the last week of June so that makes them a little over three months old.

I was watching them today eating their snack of white millet. One female was macking down when a male walked behind her and she squatted and squawked as if she had had some feathers pulled. Is this the behavior of a female receptive to mating? I have had chickens and this seems like what chickens do but they don't squawk like their feathers are being pulled.

I am soo excited if it is....

but is it too early?

 

[PeepsCA]

Could have been that she thinks/feels she is ready to breed, (actually all the keets I sent you hatched between the 20th and 22nd of June, so tomorrow the youngest of them would be turning 15 wks old if I counted right... 16wks old is supposedly the norm for breeding/laying, but 15wks old isn't entirely out of the question, so basically they are old enough and you may see a few eggs before the season is entirely over with... or it could be just a submissive Omega Hen. I've seen that behavior of "cowing down" from both males and females tho.

Typically with my flocks the Males are the instigators when it comes to breeding (when I've actually witnessed it, which isn't often)... sometimes the Males dart back and forth in front of the Hen trying to get a response, other times they kind of rush at the Hens and the Hen decides is she wants to submit to the act of mating. And if she does, if ever there was "a quickie", that's exactly what the Hen gets, lol.

So let's hope that breeding behavior is definitely what is going on with your lil mini-flock

and you find some eggs in the next few days

 

[perchie.girl]

The female is beginning to get the red coloration in her cheeks.... Do they squawk though? there is one male that is doing the rushing about. he is the same size as this female too. Both are the large ones. And beginning to get that red blush.

I will sit with them longer next time I go up..... and watch.... That would be soo cool If I could get a handfull of eggs.

 

[PeepsCA]

From what I've observed with my flocks (especially the young submissive birds... either sex will squawk when they are acting that way. not just a Hen thing

Kind of like "Sorry sorry sorry! Don't beat me up!", lol.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
OK thats probably it. I need to get that run going...... thanks.