Male guinea making a female call?

[mapleaf1222]

We have been raising guineas for about 4 years. During that time we have had a fluctuating number of males and females and are very familiar with the difference in their calls. Last spring our flock was reduced to just 11 males as every one of our females set out to sit on a clutch and never returned. Then, a couple weeks ago a mink snuck in to our coop and ended up killing all but 1 of our entire guinea flock. As the one surviving guinea happened to be my favorite, (he was rejected by his mom and so we brought him into our house and hand raised him making him much friendlier then all of the others have ever been) I have spent the most time observing him and am almost positive he has never made the female call. In fact, since we lost our females last spring we have not heard that call on our property at all. But, the day after all of the guineas were killed by the mink, the last guinea was walking around calling for the others and let out a short female call comprised of only 3 "buckwheat"s. It blew me away as I was certain he was a male!! Is it possible a male could make that call in this extreme situation as a ploy to convince the other males to come back? Or is it likely a female has spent it's whole life not making that sound and only used it as a last ditch effort to find it's flock? He does have much smaller and pointier waddles, which also point backwards, but waddle shape and size has not necessarily been consistent with the male/female waddle descriptions. This is certainly not a matter of utmost importance but just curiosity. Thank you for your input!!

 

[R2elk]

We have been raising guineas for about 4 years. During that time we have had a fluctuating number of males and females and are very familiar with the difference in their calls. Last spring our flock was reduced to just 11 males as every one of our females set out to sit on a clutch and never returned. Then, a couple weeks ago a mink snuck in to our coop and ended up killing all but 1 of our entire guinea flock. As the one surviving guinea happened to be my favorite, (he was rejected by his mom and so we brought him into our house and hand raised him making him much friendlier then all of the others have ever been) I have spent the most time observing him and am almost positive he has never made the female call. In fact, since we lost our females last spring we have not heard that call on our property at all. But, the day after all of the guineas were killed by the mink, the last guinea was walking around calling for the others and let out a short female call comprised of only 3 "buckwheat"s. It blew me away as I was certain he was a male!! Is it possible a male could make that call in this extreme situation as a ploy to convince the other males to come back? Or is it likely a female has spent it's whole life not making that sound and only used it as a last ditch effort to find it's flock? He does have much smaller and pointier waddles, which also point backwards, but waddle shape and size has not necessarily been consistent with the male/female waddle descriptions. This is certainly not a matter of utmost importance but just curiosity. Thank you for your input!!

There have been several reports of a young male guinea making the "buckwheat" call and then never making the call again.

It is possible that it is a hen. The only positive proof is if it lays an egg.

 

[SamLockwood]

I haven't seen that behavior. Every guinea that I had that "guh-wahked" turned out to be an egg layer.

 

[R2elk]

I haven't seen that behavior. Every guinea that I had that "guh-wahked" turned out to be an egg layer.

At least two different members have reported it happening.