Guinea fowl often generate mixed emotions, but apart from die-hard enthusiasts, anyone who has lived in close proximity to a bunch of guineas may well go with the second opinion.
There’s no denying that guinea fowl are relatively easy to keep, providing you have plenty of space and no near neighbours. They are independent birds, self-sufficient foragers who will find much of their own food. Throughout all seasons, they are productive layers. Guinea fowl will lay anywhere and everywhere, particularly favoring large clumps of nettles. The eggs are deeply flavoured, with large golden yolks and surprisingly tough shells.
Guinea fowl are often kept for their meat eggs which are regarded as healthy supplements’.
Understanding guinea fowl
It’s a mistake to treat guinea fowl like chickens, although they share many characteristics. While chickens are much more inclined to domesticity, and can become very tame, guinea fowl tend to be wilder and more flighty. If regularly handled from day-olds they may be reasonably friendly towards their owner, but as a rule they hate being picked up or even touched. Guineas don’t automatically go into a house to roost either, much preferring to fly to the tops of the tallest trees, which can lead to many losses due to predation.
Housing guinea fowl
Given the chance guinea fowl will live happily in the trees, but you are likely to keep them longer if they can be persuaded to live in a secure house.
If the guinea fowls are obtained as youngsters, it should be possible to get them used to living in a house. A shed or outbuilding can be easily adapted for their use, and is likely to be more successful than a standard chicken house. Allow more space than for chickens and an extra room. Furthermore, make their doorway large enough to prevent bullies from keeping out the lower ranking birds. Unlike chickens, the shyer guineas won’t wait their turn to get into the house, but will simply fly upwards. Once a few have tasted the delights of outdoor life, the rest are likely to follow and the battle will be lost.
Guinea fowl dislike going into dark places, so light provision in their house will also be helpful. Nest-boxes aren’t necessary, as they won’t be used – guinea fowl like making their own secret nests.
An alternative is to keep the birds in a large chicken house running space, so that they have no choice but to live in safety. Give them as much space as possible, but roof the run or they will fly out It is said that fertility drops when guineas are kept confined, so they are probably much happier if allowed free-range.
Obtaining your first Guinea fowl
Choose either young ones or hatching eggs as older birds are difficult to settle in a new environment and are likely to remain rather wild.
Hatching eggs
Guinea fowl eggs take 26-28 days to hatch and can be incubated in the same way as hens’ eggs. Bear in mind that the shells are particularly strong, although healthy ones should hatch without difficulty.
Care and feeding
Free-range guinea fowl will find much of their own food, although a supply of feed gives them a good reason to return to their house. They need extra food, and fresh greens too. They can be fed the same rations as chickens. A container of fresh water is their only other requirement.
Adult birds are generally hardy and seem to avoid many of the health problems that beset chickens, although they are liable to the same attacks by internal and external parasites.
The only time to catch guinea fowl successfully is when they have retired to their house for the night. Use as little light as possible. Never grab a leg, but swiftly bring your hands over the body and wings. Guinea fowl are close-feathered and thus more slippery, so you’ll need to hold on firmly.
Collecting eggs
If you watch the guineas carefully, you may be able to spot where the females are nesting. A male often stands guard, and guinea fowl will share their nests. As with chickens, they usually lay a clutch of eggs and then stop, but if eggs are collected regularly the birds will keep on laying. However, make sure there are no guineas around when you take the eggs and leave a few pot eggs in their place, or the guinea fowl will quickly find a new place to nest.
Keeping guinea fowl with chickens
They can be bullies with other poultry and won’t easily tolerate newcomers. Fowls seem to particularly pick on cockerels too. They can be relentless in their pursuit of a victim, and may keep it away from the food.
Some people keep guinea fowl and chickens in the same house, but unless they have been very well-integrated, it’s probably better to give the guineas their own quarters