Rhonda I'm glad the 4 pearls intregrated without a major mishap. What is the difference between the french guineas and the pearls?
I don't think Spiderman and Mary Jane are going to do very well in the snow. They were inside the house for about two hours today because of the rain. They hate being wet, I toweled them off and they sit on the back of the chair. I told my husband I think their going to need a chair in the coop when it gets to cold for them to go outside.
I was glad as well, Patti. They've had 5 weeks to star at each other, so I think that helped. Everyone went into the coop together and I checked on them after dark and they were all on the roost together. I wanted to make sure no one had been exiled to the ground. Thanks for your interest!
I think you may be right about Spider and MJ in the snow. They hate the rain and they are always looking for a reason to come inside to visit. Maybe when you get Spider's tie for Halloween, you could pick up a couple of little snowsuits.
You've done a nice job with them - they are sweeties and keep you (and us) entertained! If you do end up adding a chair to the coop, check out your local Salvation Army. They have some good things that can be used with the birds. I'm thinking about going back for another end table.
Well, I'll tell you what THEY say the differences are between the French and Pearl and I'll share my experiences as well. The French or Jumbo Guineas (both names are the same bird - I double checked with JM Hatchery where I got them) have been bred, originally developed by the French, as meat eating birds. Their adult size is 1/3 more than that of a Pearl. My neighbors who have had both for a while thought their French didn't travel as far as their Pearls. I don't know.... mine travel, but pretty much stay on the 10 acres with an occasional visit across the road to my neighbor's woods. When I had Henry, he kept going uphill and crossing a busier road. Fortunately, the flock hasn't done that yet, but that distance wasn't any farther than going down hill where my flock does frequent the lower garden.
Because they are heavier, mine seem to hop more than fly, that's whey I've had to keep their baby perch in the coop. I now have a bail of straw that they use to hop up to the roosts (that we had purposely built higher because everything I read said Guineas like to fly and go up high)... not true of the French.
It's hard for me to say if there is a temperament difference since I haven't had the Pearls as keets. They were free ranging and caught on a daily basis and even though they have calmed down a lot, they're still a bit more flighty than the French. I think that's more environmental than breeding and I hope they'll continue to progress the longer they are here and in with the flock. They fly easily and seem noisier, but they're also a bit younger and mine quieted down once they were older and out free ranging on a regular basis.
So, basically, size and flying are the main differences. It's funny, I thought the newbies looked so little in their separate coop area. Now that they are with the flock, I have to really look hard to identify them.
Another thing - you may read some posts about French Guineas being sterile and in need artificial insemination. I haven't found that to be true at all. My guess is, that the ones they are talking about are raised commercially for meat which changes their environment and impacts fertility. If raised with enough space and allowed to free range in a natural environment, it's not a problem.
One thought I had about them that would be important to share with new French Guinea owners.... if you remember when they were keets, I had a terrible time with them being aggressive. Part of that I believe was because most of the flock ended up being male AND even though I was following space guidelines, I don't think the space was big enough, because I using the guidelines for the Pearls... I probably should have added another 1/3 of the amount since they were growing faster and were bigger.... Something I'll consider going forward and am glad the barn will be large enough to accommodate their space needs.
Happy Saturday, everyone! Have a terrific day in the land of the Guinea Fowl.
