how to tell male from female guineas

[fowlsessed]

Normally on the males the wattles are more cupped forward and the hens they are flatter. Also the helmet on the males should be bigger but that doesn't hold 100% true.

The best way that is just about 100% is feel the distance beween the pelvic bones. Hold the guinea and run your hand down the breast bone towards the tail, once you get to the end of the breast bone keep going until you get to the pelvic bones. The males will be close together about 1 finger width apart and the females much wider, which when you think about it - they have to be to pass the eggs. You may have to go thru a few birds to really get a feel for them but once you do it soooo easy to tell after that.

Steve in NC

X2, good post. The pelvic bone "method" is pretty good, at least once the hens are laying age. And the wattles "method" has proved fairly reliable for me. Not by size, but by direction, the hens wattles tend to cup inward like hugging their face and the males wattles will cup out. has worked for me, but from what I read it's not 100%

 

[JLeigh]

Here's what PeepsCA told me, and it's been confirmed on every professional website I've read.

All guineas, males & females, make the single-syllable "chi chi chi" sound. Only females make the two-syllable, "buck-wheat" call. The most reliable way to get them to make the call (other than many many hours of observing your flock) is to separate them out, one at a time, from the flock so they can't see the others, and wait a few minutes. After a few to several minutes, the females will make the two-syllable call. If you want to know what each call sounds like, just do an internet search "Guinea Fowl Calls" and you'll get tons of examples. Once you've heard it, you'll never forget it. .

I don't know anything or ever read/heard an expert say anything about pelvic bones, so I can't speak to that.

Sexing by wattles or casques is extremely unreliable because the rules for males vs. females is only "in general". Often times it's true, but often times it's not. .

The way to catch a guinea is when they're on the roost at dusk (or night). Free-ranging guineas are really hard to catch obviously - I've never caught a free-ranging guinea because mine are penned/cooped. Cooped guineas are easy to catch at night - take a helper and a flashlight though. . Once caught, they won't like it.

 

[fowlsessed]

I'm too dumb to use the sound method! Or I just haven't listened well. Is that really possible?........lol

 

[PeepsCA]

I'm too dumb to use the sound method! Or I just haven't listened well. Is that really possible?........lol

You need to separate each bird from the rest of the flock (and stay out of it's sight), one at a time to make it easier to tell when/if the Hens buck-wheat. The Hens will usually start their buck-wheat calling right away (separation anxiety = lots of buck-wheating).

 

[fowlsessed]

Ah yes, that would help!

 

[kristip]

at what age will they make appropriate sounds? mine are about 6 weeks old.
thanks

 

[poorchiknfarmer]

this is some great info, can't wait till mine get old enough to tell the difference

 

[PeepsCA]

at what age will they make appropriate sounds? mine are about 6 weeks old.
thanks

They are old enough now... you haven't started hearing any buck-wheating from them yet, without having to separate them? (Seems like they only do it when you aren't looking tho when they first find their voices... lol, it's almost like they are embarrassed by it

). I'd start trying now, and if all they do is cry their distressed baby peeping then I'd wait another week and try it again. Sometimes they need to be 8 wks old or so (and some do hold out on me and wait much longer), but usually my little Hens start singing right away once they are separated/isolated from their security of their flock and brooder or coop/pen.

 

[Tacampbell1973]

Thank you all of you, I too am having problems. I have a mated pair of Guineas that have adopted me and come eat atmy house. Apparently I have some kind of bird soup kitchen going on at my house and all the blasted animals in a mile radius drop by, hummingbirds, guinea fowl, chipmunks, you name it, they show up, As far as the guineas, when they sun them selves I notice it seems like one has white undersides to his wing, Ours are silverblue in color and I dont know anything about them yet to know what variety that might be, However since ours are a pair, the female is always the one that hangs back andletsthe male make a pest of himself begging for food. Try ignoring that. He sits at my screen door making his "I want food" call. They also make a sort of purring noise when they are happily eating. They are pretty neat to watch,

 

[lizzybaxter]

We decided that our female Maude,, who wanders willy nilly and always ends up behind a barrier, is saying, "I'm lost, I'm lost..." The male (Claude) then has to scream "I CAN SEE YOU BUT I CAN'T GET TO YOU BUT I WILL FIND YOU DON'T GIVE UP". All at high volume, and repeated over and over, of course. All she ever says is, "I'm lost." She's definitely the quiet one, who drives poor Claude crazy!