Guinea Fowl Questions

[Incubator Madness]

4 part question: Can a guinea be both male & female? I have 3. I have 1 male, 1 female, the other makes the noise of a female but 1 waddle is small on one side, the other side is very large and has a bigger crown than the male, is this common? Will she/he work itself out to be one or the other by egg (spring) time?
Also, I haven't let them out to free range yet, (concerned that they will stay by the house and scream all day) when I do, will they go back in the coop run area on their own at night like a chicken?

 

[R2elk]

4 part question: Can a guinea be both male & female? I have 3. I have 1 male, 1 female, the other makes the noise of a female but 1 waddle is small on one side, the other side is very large and has a bigger crown than the male, is this common? Will she/he work itself out to be one or the other by egg (spring) time?
Also, I haven't let them out to free range yet, (concerned that they will stay by the house and scream all day) when I do, will they go back in the coop run area on their own at night like a chicken?

Some guineas do not have uniform size wattles. I currently have a Chocolate male that has a huge cupped wattle on the right and a small wattle on the left. It has been that way ever since he was six months old and still is the same now that he is 6 years old.

If your guineas are different varieties, the size of the casque (helmet) may not mean anything. It is my experience that Pearl Gray guineas have bigger wattles and casques than Coral Blue Guineas have. It is possible for a Pearl Gray hen to have a bigger casque than that of a Coral Blue cock. Comparing casques of the same variety may have meaning as a Pearl Gray cock should have a bigger casque than a Pearl Gray hen.

There have been reports of young male guinea fowl that have been able to make the "buckwheat" call. They only make the call rarely and do not make the call once they are adults. I have never had a male that could make the "buckwheat" call but the reports that I read were from reputable people.

Guineas are not chickens and will not behave like chickens. You need to teach them to go in the coop at night either by herding them in or using treats to lure them in. Make sure you do this while there is still plenty of light out because they will not go into a dark coop at night.

 

[Incubator Madness]

Some guineas do not have uniform size wattles. I currently have a Chocolate male that has a huge cupped wattle on the right and a small wattle on the left. It has been that way ever since he was six months old and still is the same now that he is 6 years old.

If your guineas are different varieties, the size of the casque (helmet) may not mean anything. It is my experience that Pearl Gray guineas have bigger wattles and casques than Coral Blue Guineas have. It is possible for a Pearl Gray hen to have a bigger casque than that of a Coral Blue cock. Comparing casques of the same variety may have meaning as a Pearl Gray cock should have a bigger casque than a Pearl Gray hen.

There have been reports of young male guinea fowl that have been able to make the "buckwheat" call. They only make the call rarely and do not make the call once they are adults. I have never had a male that could make the "buckwheat" call but the reports that I read were from reputable people.

Guineas are not chickens and will not behave like chickens. You need to teach them to go in the coop at night either by herding them in or using treats to lure them in. Make sure you do this while there is still plenty of light out because they will not go into a dark coop at night.

Thank you so much for the info! Helped a lot! I have 5 month old pearl grey. The male only does a chirp type sound every now and then, its the girls that does all the talking! And thank you also for the correct anatomy "casque". Am glad to know that they will go back into their safe area at night even if I have to lure them, have to many predators around here they wouldn't last the night out of the coop/run.

 

[red horse ranch]

A year and a half ago I kept what I thought was a pearl grey female because it made a faint 'buckwheat' sound. By this spring it was obviously a male and he helped produce many young keets. He didn't change sex, he was just a young male making a 'sort of' female sound. Sometimes even experienced guinea keepers can be wrong.

I train my guineas from early on to always be in the coop before dark. Mostly I use 1 or 2 sticks to help guide them in at night. It helps to have a light inside the coop but getting them inside while it is still light is critical. This may take a lot of repetition when you let them out at first but they will learn what is expected of them. After a week or so they will WANT to be in their safe place before dark.

 

[Incubator Madness]

A year and a half ago I kept what I thought was a pearl grey female because it made a faint 'buckwheat' sound. By this spring it was obviously a male and he helped produce many young keets. He didn't change sex, he was just a young male making a 'sort of' female sound. Sometimes even experienced guinea keepers can be wrong.

I train my guineas from early on to always be in the coop before dark. Mostly I use 1 or 2 sticks to help guide them in at night. It helps to have a light inside the coop but getting them inside while it is still light is critical. This may take a lot of repetition when you let them out at first but they will learn what is expected of them. After a week or so they will WANT to be in their safe place before dark.

Thank you for the reply! My male really doesn't make any noise, just a little chirp sound every now and then when he gets excited, or at least I can't tell because the other 2 always beg for attention screaming that "buckwheat" sound. So I assume the 1 in question that yells just as much as the other 1 "buckwheat" is a female. Will the male take 2 females? Got to look that up... Anyway they are with my turkeys, my big girl has always wanted babies but her eggs were never fertile, so when the guineas hatched, i dropped them off with her and she watched them like her own ever since.

 

[red horse ranch]

It sounds like you have 2 females. The male will be okay with 2 females but he will usually have a favorite. This can sometimes cause the extra hen to be an outcast but usually the 3 of them get along just fine together.