GARDENING WITH GUINEA FOWL
(Page 3 of 7)
Feeding is perhaps the easiest part of caring for your
fowl. A range-fed flock fulfills most of its own dietary
needs, requiring little more from you than fresh water and
a handful of mixed grains to entice them indoors at night.
When forage is scarce during fall and winter, up the grain
ration a bit. Feed penned guineas commercially prepared lay
ration designed for chickens, except during breeding
season. One dozen guineas will eat approximately two pounds
per day. To improve laying, switch to higher-protein turkey
or gamebird ration (if available) in February.
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Egg Laying and Casual Mating
A domestic guinea hen lays seasonally, just as her wild
cousins do. Some time between March and May, when she is 26
to 28 weeks old, an average hen will lay about 100 eggs.
She will continue laying that number each year until she is
five-years-old (or even older). Her eggs will be
light-brown, sometimes speckled, with shells that are three
times tougher than the shells of chicken eggs. Guinea eggs
have a sharper point than chicken eggs have, and they're
smaller (three guinea eggs roughly equals two chicken
eggs).
Hens lay in late morning or early afternoon and prefer to
steal a nest in some secluded spot rather than lay in any
fine nest you provide. If you confine your hens until
they've finished laying for the day, you won't have to hunt
for their eggs. But even when confined, most hens shun
nests and deposit their eggs on the floor. Egg fertility is
rarely a serious problem. If you keep one cock for every
four or five hens, you can expect nearly 100 percent
fertility (as long as the cocks are three years old or
less).
Often I am asked if a guinea will mate with a chicken. Yes,
casual mating does occur, but it's infrequent, and the rare
cross-bred offspring (which are sometimes described as
looking like vultures) are usually sterile. An interesting
side note: Guineas that are raised among chickens are tamer
than guineas that are not, and they are easier to entice
indoors at night.
Love and Other Fowl Relationships
One of the most surprising things about guinea fowl is the
strong attachment that develops between a guinea cock and
his hens. If separated during feeding, a hen and cock will
run toward each other to reunite like long lost lovers.
It's quite a sight. And while a hen is on the nest, her
mate will stand guard, creating an enormous ruckus if he
senses oncoming danger. I'll never forget the day when one
of my hens was carried off by a fox — her mate spent
several days looking and calling for her.
Although hens are protective of their babies, their
frenzied pace can make them seem like neglectful mothers.
Guinea eggs take between 26 to 28 days to hatch, and
mothers are tenacious setters at this time. Once the first
few eggs have hatched however, the hens pretty much are off
and running. When they take off, they travel too far and
too fast for the little fellows to keep up. Many times the
mothers will lead their little offspring right through dewy
grass, causing them to chill. This should explain why most
guinea keepers use an incubator or a broody chicken for
hatching.
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