Sexing Guineas

[Cole D]

I have four guineas that were bought as chicks and I would like to know if I have any hens so I can know if I will get eggs in the future.

 

[mnferalkitty]

They way I sex guineas is by listening to them the females make 2 sounds and the male one sound

 

[HEChicken]

They way I sex guineas is by listening to them the females make 2 sounds and the male one sound

At what age do the females usually start to buckwheat?

 

[Cole D]

So their call is really the only way to tell their sex?

 

[schrunk11]

I've read that if you hold the keets in straight in front of you, the males will look away, the females will look you straight in the eyes. Don't know how accurate that is, but that's what I read.

 

[Cole D]

That sounds pretty out there..... Where did you read it?

 

[PeepsCA]

Quote: Young Hens can start to buck-wheat as early as 5-6 wks old, some wait longer. The way I sex mine is to separate them one at a time in a cage and move the cage out of sight but within hearing range of the rest of the flock... the lone bird (if it's a Hen) will usually start buck-wheating her tail feathers off within minutes. Sometimes it helps of the birds can't see me either... the anxiety gets to be too much for them and they start calling for their flock. If it buck-wheats I'll band the leg with a pink or yellow zip-tie (loose in the leg but snug enough that it won't skip off the foot over the toes).The ones that don't call I band in a different color. Then I put them back in the coop/pen, grab another and do it again until I've gone thru the whole flock.

 

[PeepsCA]

So their call is really the only way to tell their sex?

No, but it is the most reliable.. for sexing Hens, unless you see a Hen lay an egg, lol. When Guineas mature, the males typically have larger cupped wattles that kind of stick out from the face and cup facing forward, and the females usually have smaller flat wattles that lay close to their face, BUT... this isn't always 100% accurate, both sexes can have incorrect shaped/sized wattles or even one of each (usually due to bad genetics).

One other way to tell is by their posture... the males stand more upright and alert, look around a lot more and do a lot of chasing/posturing/charging at the other birds with the backs of their wings lifted (acting aggressive). The Hens carry themselves much lower to the ground and are hardly ever on their back end area the sticks up between their wings.

 

[PeepsCA]

I've read that if you hold the keets in straight in front of you, the males will look away, the females will look you straight in the eyes. Don't know how accurate that is, but that's what I read.

LOL... That's a new one, never heardthat before.

I just tested this with some 3-day olds... I used a Buff Dundotte that I know is a Hen by her color, and a really light colored Buff male... The Hen looked away and stared, the male just stared at me and peeped, never looked away

 

[Cole D]

Thanks Peeps I guess that I will separate them one at a time like you said you do.