I got 30 of them in November and raised 28. I found one dead about a month ago in the coop. Another died shotly thereafter. I noticed that when roosting with my chickens, there was a lot of pecking and jockeying for top tier perching rights. Many times the guineas would fly into the walls or windows or perches. I figured they probably had been injured in some way and didn't recover. A few of them also developed limps but got over them without any attention from me. One thing I have to say about frenchies is that they imprint on their roosting area (or least mine have). They are let out to range everyday since they were 8 weeks old. I had to chase them out of the run and lock them out or they would stay on their roosts and eat all day. To this day, they seldom wander more than 50 yards from the run. I've heard from older relatives that they are still quite immature and as they get older and more confident they willrange farther. Yesterday I processed 12 of them by myself ( and without a mechanical plucker and alone). It was quite an afternoon. I was also pleased with the dressed weights of 3 - 4 lbs. (and nice yellow skin and fat). And this was on winter feed. I don't know much about feed to weight ratios but I would think that birds raised during warmer weather would gain faster. Nonetheless, I am pleased with my results. And they are meaty. But I have to add that I am generous with rations. And although they would not take a speck of anything other than their gamebird ration for the first 12 weeks they came to appreciate a mix of scratch grains and premium bird seed. It's even gotten to the point to when they are out and see me from a distance they start running and sometimes flying in to greet me (or the scratch). I haven't lost any to predation though we have foxes, coons, possums, hawks, owls, (and on rare occasions, an eagle). I've got a fair sized covered run and a bulletproof coop that they share with my chickens (which will soon be relocated to tractors). I've heard several versions of their ability to breed. First I heard they were hybrids and were sterile. Then someone said they got too big to breed naturally and therefore has to be AI. I hadn't asked J.M., but if they say they will breed, I think they should know. They are very nice people and I would recommend them highly to anyone looking for guineas or whatever they have. Sorry, I didn't mean to get carried away but this has been my first experience with backyard fowl and I have found it to be challenging and enriching (isn't that why we do it?) Guinea is delicious and I am thinking guinea for meat and relegate the chicks for eggs. If the guineas do breed so much the better. I am also going to try the jumbo pearls which are supposed to be easy breeders. Good luck!
