Raising Guinea Fowl 101

[Chaneys Ranch]

The small waddles "sticking" tell me its a hen. The boys waddles stick out and are larger. Hens have a 2 syllable call sounding like buck wheat, buck wheat.. the cocks have a single syllable tic tic tic call. When they're alarmed they all sound the same! Both make the pleasant trilling sound too, when they are happy. Hope that helps.

 

[terrybarcelo]

Thank you so much for your information! This is very helpful since I just acquired a Guinea Fowl from a friend that no longer could keep it. My friend told me it was a male but I am not sure so I am waiting to see if DoughDough lays an egg. I have noticed that he is very smart and picked up on the routine here at my house. I have chickens and ducks, and they both share the coop, So I proceeded to introduced him to the chickens and ducks. On the first night I was pretty apprehensive about leaving him out there but when I went to check for him, I noticed that he was not in the yard and found him in the chicken coop, and much to my surprise, up on top of a perch. I didn't know that he could fly and was expecting to find him on the bottom of the coop with the ducks. He has adjusted very well and is a joy to watch him interact with the flock! My question is: I have been feeding him scratch and occasionally some greenery like the chickens and ducks eat. Is there anything else that he would like to eat and that I could feed him?

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Thank you so much for your information! This is very helpful since I just acquired a Guinea Fowl from a friend that no longer could keep it. My friend told me it was a male but I am not sure so I am waiting to see if DoughDough lays an egg. I have noticed that he is very smart and picked up on the routine here at my house. I have chickens and ducks, and they both share the coop, So I proceeded to introduced him to the chickens and ducks. On the first night I was pretty apprehensive about leaving him out there but when I went to check for him, I noticed that he was not in the yard and found him in the chicken coop, and much to my surprise, up on top of a perch. I didn't know that he could fly and was expecting to find him on the bottom of the coop with the ducks. He has adjusted very well and is a joy to watch him interact with the flock! My question is: I have been feeding him scratch and occasionally some greenery like the chickens and ducks eat. Is there anything else that he would like to eat and that I could feed him?

Millet is really good for "him".
When he talks does he call buckwheat, buckwheat or is it a single syllable sound? all guinea trill. they all do the chi chichi sound when alarming too.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Male guinea are an issue with roosters at times. If you don't have a rooster, he will be in heaven!

 

[poultry bro]

Yes but remember that guinea fowl are flock animals and should have flock mates at least one other bird but who knows it may bond with the other birds good luck.

 

[mkeawsh]

The small waddles "sticking" tell me its a hen. The boys waddles stick out and are larger. Hens have a 2 syllable call sounding like buck wheat, buck wheat.. the cocks have a single syllable tic tic tic call. When they're alarmed they all sound the same! Both make the pleasant trilling sound too, when they are happy. Hope that helps.

My hens are constantly "buck wheating" - they hardly ever quit - but the boys are quiet unless when they are all alarmed. I guess they figure the women are doing a good enough job of vocalizing, so they just leave it up to them.

 

[freejpony]

I lost 4 of my guineas to a coyote attack last week. I think it got most of the boys, I was really hoping to hatch out some babies this spring, I sure hope I have at least one boy left... it's tricky to tell who's who when they all look the same...

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:

I lost 4 of my guineas to a coyote attack last week. I think it got most of the boys, I was really hoping to hatch out some babies this spring, I sure hope I have at least one boy left... it's tricky to tell who's who when they all look the same...

I am so sorry. You will know in the spring, if no boys are left just post. I can tell you, the hens will still be brooding those eggs, even without a cock to fertilize them. I had a white hen the boys weren't mating with 17 unfertile eggs that thought she was a rattlesnake. Finally found her and got her off the nest at 3 am. Not a single fertile egg.in the group.Took them all, and she was back out the next day looking for her new guy. Would be really easy to brood eggs and get your cocks that way, just replace the bad eggs with fertile ones. If you weren't so far I would give you a few boys, I have way too many!

 

[poultry bro]

I don't know if you guys know this but guinea fowl usually mate for life and don't mate with multiple females so if you want to get a lot of keets this year they may come from only a few males

 

[red horse ranch]

I don't know if you guys know this but guinea fowl usually mate for life and don't mate with multiple females so if you want to get a lot of keets this year they may come from only a few males

I'm not sure it's true in all cases. I do have 3 pair that have been with the same mates since they were young. But last year I had 9 females with 5 males. All the eggs were fertile. I do have one female that likes to play the field. She has had a different mate every year and it looks like she has selected a new young male for this spring.