Guinea Fowl: First Thoughts

[linuxusr]

Hello All,

I have six pullets and two cockerels in my coop with a run here in the Dominican Republic. I have two breeds, known in Spanish as jabao and joco. I have posted pictures in other threads but no one has been able to identify them. Here they are common and known by everyone. They are five months old.

I have always loved guinea fowl which I have known from my many trips to Haiti. There they are referred to as pintad. I intend to introduce two to my chicken flock. I understand that they generally get along but not always. If I have big problems, I will pull them in an instant! However, the meat market up the street, which sells the birds live and butchers on the spot, regularly keep the same breed of chickens I have with both male and female guinea fowl in the same rather small cages, and I never see a problem. The problem might come when I introduce the fowl to my flock an possibly upset the pecking order which risks fighting. As you know, our chickens are very keen when it comes to recognizing newcomers!

Further, my pullets are not yet laying. I'm not going to even think about introducing guinea fowl until my hens are laying, my flock is healthy and peaceful and in a routine. I don't want any sudden changes now that could disturb their normal development, so I'm talking about a few months down the line.

I want a male and a female. I understand that they cannot be sexed except by vocalization. So I was thinking of recording on my smartphone the male and female vocalizations and bringing that phone with me when I buy.

Any thoughts?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I know one sex makes a "buck-wheat" sound and the other has one syllable spunds. Can't remember which is which though

 

[R2elk]

Hello All,

I have six pullets and two cockerels in my coop with a run here in the Dominican Republic. I have two breeds, known in Spanish as jabao and joco. I have posted pictures in other threads but no one has been able to identify them. Here they are common and known by everyone. They are five months old.

I have always loved guinea fowl which I have known from my many trips to Haiti. There they are referred to as pintad. I intend to introduce two to my chicken flock. I understand that they generally get along but not always. If I have big problems, I will pull them in an instant! However, the meat market up the street, which sells the birds live and butchers on the spot, regularly keep the same breed of chickens I have with both male and female guinea fowl in the same rather small cages, and I never see a problem. The problem might come when I introduce the fowl to my flock an possibly upset the pecking order which risks fighting. As you know, our chickens are very keen when it comes to recognizing newcomers!

Further, my pullets are not yet laying. I'm not going to even think about introducing guinea fowl until my hens are laying, my flock is healthy and peaceful and in a routine. I don't want any sudden changes now that could disturb their normal development, so I'm talking about a few months down the line.

I want a male and a female. I understand that they cannot be sexed except by vocalization. So I was thinking of recording on my smartphone the male and female vocalizations and bringing that phone with me when I buy.

Any thoughts?

I do not recommend having a pair of guineas. They are a flock bird and do best in large groups. They have entirely different mannerisms than do chickens. I brood my keets by themselves and house my guineas separately from my other poultry.

I never recommend having fewer than 10 guineas so they have enough to experience proper flock dynamics. Only other guineas understand guineas.

Females can make a two syllable call but males don't. The females can make all the calls that males make. You can do a Google or even a BYC search for guinea sounds.

Here is a thread with videos of guineas including the sounds they make.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/let-see-and-hear-your-guineas.1446942/

 

[Moonbeam Guineas]

My females scream "pots-moke, pots-moke, pots-moke" amd my males scream "where, where, where".

 

[Sydney65]

My females scream "pots-moke, pots-moke, pots-moke" amd my males scream "where, where, where".

Well...atleast they aren't announcing "pot-smoke"