![]() Nest boxes designed for chickens are usually acceptable. If you are keeping guineas for egg production (for hatching or human consumption), you should provide nest boxes. It is also safe to house them together in a short-term emergency such as a blizzard or other bad weather. When male guineas are housed with roosters full-time, the guineas will chase the roosters, keeping them from food and water. If your flock is allowed to range freely during the day and is locked up only at night, it is safe to keep guineas and roosters in the same barn. Under most conditions, you should not confine male guineas with chickens if there are roosters in the same flock. Guineas are also very good runners and prefer to move on foot, including when escaping from predators. Guineas are able to fly at a very early age, and they become strong fliers able to fly 400 to 500 ft. If you want to keep your guineas from wandering in a specific area, you must keep them in covered pens. Insulation tends to keep moisture in more than it keeps cold out, and allowing moisture to accumulate in a poultry house can lead to respiratory problems among birds. If the barn is unheated, it is best if you do not insulate the shelter or space where the guineas are kept. Guineas prefer to roost, so it is important to provide perches. If the litter is kept dry, it can stay in place for several months. The floor of the pen should be covered with an absorbent bedding material such as wood shavings or chopped hay or straw. The more room the guineas have, the less likely they are to become stressed. If you confine your guineas (as you might wish to do for meat and/or egg production), it is important to provide the birds plenty of room (2 to 3 sq. The shelter can be a purpose-built facility specifically for guineas or a room allocated in the barn. Guinea fowl are often left to fend for themselves, but it is best to provide a shelter to protect them from high winds, rain, cold, sun, and predators. Guineas are more active than chickens and not as easily tamed-they seem to retain some of their wild behavior. Although guineas are typically quiet, they can be very noisy if disturbed. This is particularly important when raising guinea fowl because guineas will range and cross the boundaries of a small lot. PREPARATIONS BEFORE STARTING A FLOCKīefore starting a poultry flock, you must check local zoning regulations to make sure that raising poultry is permitted. Feathers from the pearl variety are often used for ornamental purposes. The pearl variety is the most popular and typically the one that people recognize most readily. There are three main varieties of guinea fowl raised in the United States: pearl, white, and lavender. During the laying season, it is common for a guinea hen -an adult female at least one-year-old-to produce an egg a day. Guinea eggs can be eaten just like chicken eggs (and should be collected daily if not used for hatching purposes). The meat is lean and rich in essential amino acids. The meat of young guineas is tender and tastes like that of wild game. Guinea fowl can also be raised for meat and egg production. Guinea fowl also eat slugs, and flocks have been known to attack snakes. Guineas can reduce keepers’ risk of Lyme disease by consuming deer ticks, which carry the disease. Guineas have been used to control wood ticks and insects such as grasshoppers, flies, and crickets. Wild guineas eat mainly insects, and domestic guineas can consume large amounts of insects without affecting garden vegetables or flowers. In addition, guinea fowl can be used to control insects. Flocks of guineas kill and eat mice and small rats. Keeping guinea fowl is also an effective means of pest control. ![]() While some people find this noise to be a nuisance, others find it to be an effective tool for protecting the farm and make guinea fowl the farmyard “watchdogs.” The loud noise of the guineas has also been shown to discourage rodents from invading the area. The birds sound an alarm whenever anything unusual occurs on the farm. There are many reasons people raise guinea fowl. Guineas are vigorous, hardy, and largely disease-free birds. Guinea fowl often referred to as guineas, are gamebirds that are increasingly popular among keepers of small and backyard flocks. Jacquie Jacob, University of Kentucky Guinea fowl (Image by cynoclub on
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