Guinea fowl: what kind of bird, breeds, keeping, breeding

Amazing guinea fowl chicken

Species of guinea fowl of the Galliformes order are distinguished by their variety of colors and natural livability in different climatic zones. The bird will decorate not only the owner's yard, but also any zoo with its bright foreign plumage and pedigree from ancient times. It is no coincidence that the translation of the name of the bird from the Old Russian language means “royal”.

Features and habitat

In terms of external features, the guinea fowl is very similar to the familiar turkey, pheasant, domestic hen or quail, with which it is closely related. Partridge and black grouse are also members of her family. What kind of bird the guinea fowl is can be found out from its description. Average body size, like a chicken. The round back smoothly turns into a short tail, lowered down.

A long neck with leathery horn-like growths at the point of contact with the head. This area has almost no feathers, so it attracts special attention with its bluish skin color. The beak is medium-sized and has a fleshy beard underneath. Small rounded wings with dense plumage.

Common guinea fowl

There are seven species in the royal family, each uniquely beautiful. How to distinguish guinea fowl can be determined by their beautiful clothes and jewelry. The common guinea fowl is painted with circles of pearl flowers; on a single dark feather of such a bird you can see many light dots interspersed. The chubby variety is decorated with curly curls in the form of a tuft, while the vulture guinea fowl has short feathers on the neck and long feathers on the chest.

It should be noted that in the wild the common pearl guinea fowl predominates; numerous selected species amaze with the variety and richness of colors, and the presence of crests and earrings of different shapes on the birds. Many colors and names distinguish the guinea fowl, which is called genefal, goose, kanga, and pharaoh's chicken.

Pictured is a vulture guinea fowl

An adult bird weighs approximately 1.5 to 2 kg, with females being slightly larger. Since domestication, its size has increased significantly compared to its wild relatives. The lineage of beautiful birds originates in Africa and on the island of Madagascar. During the period of antiquity, they were transported to Ancient Greece, and then guinea fowls appeared in Ancient Rome.

Climate change affected the small population that did not survive. The second coming of guinea fowl to Europe was from Guinea, in the period of the 15th-17th centuries, thanks to Portuguese travelers who did not allow the amazing bird to die.

Then its mass resettlement began. In different parts of the world, the wonderful guinea fowl has adapted and become the object of active breeding. Species of wild birds settled in different areas: the southern parts of the Sahara were chosen by forelock guinea fowl, the Somali peninsula, Kenya and Ethiopia - vulture breeds.

In the photo there are forelock guinea fowls

Russia began to become acquainted with birds in the 18th century. At first they were kept as decorative in the best royal gardens and squares. Later they started breeding them for dietary guinea fowl meat and high-quality eggs. Guinea fowl are excellent protectors against pests: worms, insects and slugs.

They help in the fight against the Colorado potato beetle and aphids. Domestic selection has achieved the emergence of new breeds of guinea fowl : Volga white, cream, Zagorsk white-breasted and others. For settlement, wild individuals choose hot and dry places: dry grassy forest-steppes, low-growing forests, copses, and savannas.

Birds cannot tolerate dampness and cold, especially young animals. They are not too timid, they let people get close and are in no hurry to move away, although they can run fast, developing speed. They fly well, but they walk more often. Young animals can fly up at the first danger, showing timidity. Any sharp sound is a signal for them to hide.

In the wild, guinea fowl live in flocks of 10 to 30 birds. The leader is the most experienced male, usually the eldest. They imitate him and follow him. In the animal world, birds are hunted by snakes; servals, large felines; birds of prey, but the main enemies among people are poachers. The benefits of guinea fowl eggs and the value of dietary meat have long attracted people to hunt for them.

Main types of birds

There are types of guinea fowl that breeders use to breed more advanced hybrids suitable for agriculture. Scientists highlight the best qualities in them - early maturity, adaptability to difficult natural conditions, high egg production and external beauty.

Ordinary

The common guinea fowl has thick and dense plumage, which allows it to live in areas with unfavorable cool climates.

The bird's wings and tail are short, its neck is covered with light down. The plumage is light shades of gray, blue, brown and beige. White inclusions.

Maximum weight up to 2 kg, height – 40 cm. The bird’s homeland is southern Africa and the island of Madagascar.

Chubataya

The guinea fowl of this breed is distinguished by dark plumage with light splashes and a crest of black feathers on its head. The average weight of one individual is 1.5–1.6 kg. Females are usually larger than males.

Area of ​​residence: African forests south of the Sahara.

Vulture

Photos of vulture guinea fowl are striking in their beauty and resemblance to real vultures. Representatives of the breed have an elongated bare neck and no appendage on the head. The plumage is dark with bright individual feathers of blue, white and purple. The beak is large and curved downwards, like the tail.

This type of guinea fowl mainly lives in the vastness of Africa - in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya.

White-bellied dark

The weight of an adult is 1.7–2 kg, height up to 50 cm. The color of the feathers throughout the body is dark gray with white specks. The plumage on the chest and neck is white and very lush. The usual place of residence of this species of guinea fowl is in the region of West Africa.

Black dark

This breed of guinea fowl is not common in agriculture, so little is known for sure about their lifestyle. They live in the African jungle.

The name of the species speaks for itself - the bird has very dark plumage and a small crest on its head. The average weight of an adult is small, only 700 grams.

Breeding and keeping guinea fowl at home

Of the seven main species, only the common guinea fowl became domesticated. High-quality meat and eggs of this breed are valued. The usefulness of birds is further manifested in the fight against garden pests: worms, aphids, Colorado potato beetles, snails, slugs and a wide variety of insects.

in breeding guinea fowl is unpretentiousness and getting along with other guests of the poultry yard. Wild animals can be kept together with chickens, as they do not conflict.

If birds sense danger, they try to fly up, so to keep them in enclosures, their flight feathers on their wings are trimmed by 5-6 cm. A guinea fowl will be able to fend for itself in the event of attacks by dogs and cats, so walking in the yard is safe for them.

The bird does not cause much trouble to farmers and is bred successfully. The value of the breed is manifested in its resistance to diseases, the possibility of breeding both in cages and paddocks, closed enclosures.

They are not afraid of slight colds; they are walked even in winter. Domestic guinea fowl are kept in a dry and well-lit room, where they return after their daytime walks. They sit on roosts with the chickens and make noisy noises when strangers appear, like real watchmen.

Sawdust, peat, wood shavings or small straw are used as bedding material in the poultry house. The cover is 10-15 cm high. Floors must be periodically washed and disinfected to prevent moisture and mold, which are the causes of disease. The temperature in the poultry house should not be lower than 15 °C.

African guinea fowl

In homestead farms, guinea fowl are raised in cages with fixed feeders and drinkers. The floor is made with a slope for collecting eggs. Litter is removed using special retractable trays. The Caesar family consists of 4 females and 1 male. It is better to breed poultry by incubation or using brood hens.

Guinea fowl mothers are so timid that they cannot always take care of their offspring: they abandon incubation. You can buy guinea fowl for breeding from many poultry farmers, since the distribution of famous breeds has become the business of farmers and entrepreneurs. The price of a guinea fowl depends on the region, breed, age, delivery conditions of the bird and other factors.

Income and expenses for keeping guinea fowl

In the short term, the common guinea fowl is a good agricultural business. And before investing money, you need to understand all the upcoming costs, and methods for quickly covering them with access to net profit.

Primary costs for starting guinea fowl breeding:

1. Arrangement of territory for poultry keeping.
2. Purchasing daily allowances for guinea fowl.
3. Purchase of feed, straw and sawdust for bedding.
4. Electricity and water.
5. Examination of poultry carcasses before sale.

Income at this stage is obtained only from the sale of more than half of the young animals for meat. A smaller part is left for the breeding herd to obtain eggs and a new brood.

In the first year of business, the income covers the initial investment by about half. In the second year, costs are minimal, only for utilities and food. But there are more sources of income, thanks to the existing parent flock and their own eggs.

Sources of profit for the 2nd year of guinea fowl breeding:

1. Part of the brood of day-old chicks is sold to other farmers.
2. Some of the young animals are fattened for slaughter at 4 months, and another part is prepared for slaughter at 8 months.
3. Sale of eggs.

In the second year, the parent flock is replaced with new young individuals, since the egg production of the former is significantly reduced.

As a result, the second year of business covers the remainder of the investment and begins to generate net profit.

The exact costs and profit level depend on the number of guinea fowls kept.

Nutrition

In the wild, the diet of guinea fowl chickens is very varied: insects form the basis of the diet in the spring, and then it is enriched with seeds, grains, leaves, buds, berries, and other fruits. The royal bird will not disdain even small mice. It is important that the reservoir is in the access zone.

If the area is arid, the body of the guinea fowl adapts to thoroughly absorbing water from the feed. In captivity, birds are fed food scraps, chopped grass, potatoes and carrots. Young guinea fowl are fed with chicken eggs, cottage cheese and bran are added, and the nutritional value is enhanced with milk and whey.

Bird breeding

Understanding what a guinea fowl bird is, it is necessary to pay attention to the breeding features of these birds .

As mentioned earlier, they do not reproduce in captivity and in order for the eggs to be fertilized, the owners of these birds must make an extensive and spacious aviary for walking the bird. Poultry farmers who have extensive experience in breeding these African chickens advise decorating the aviary with several bushes. This fact will help the birds feel more relaxed, as they will get the impression that they are in their natural environment. Usually, for every 5-6 females, one male is left.

In order to produce offspring, eggs are placed in an incubator or rolled under a turkey or hen, since a guinea fowl can easily abandon eggs due to its timidity.

Reproduction and lifespan

In the wild, the royal bird's mating time occurs during the dry season. Therefore, guinea fowl chickens are afraid of cold and dampness. Only as they grow stronger and mature will they become unpretentious to weather changes.

In the photo there is a guinea fowl with chicks

There are up to 8 eggs in a clutch, which the female incubates for 25 days. The male guinea fowl takes care of her and protects the nest. In case of danger, both parents try to divert the attention of the offender and lead the person or animal away from the hiding place with future offspring.

A place for the nest is chosen among the thickets, in a dug hole. Guinea fowl eggs are pear-shaped, with a very hard shell that protects against the penetration of microbes. The colors vary from brown to light blue. Wild individuals are tied to the same places for laying eggs, and domesticated ones lose this feature.

Hatching lasts 3-4 weeks. The newly hatched chicks are very elegant: multi-colored fluff and bright feathers decorate the babies. Their attachment to their mother lasts a long time; for almost a year they follow her or stay nearby.

Guinea fowl eggs in the photo

The ability of guinea fowl to adapt to the environment and be unpretentious in feeding is associated with their long life of 10-11 years. But domesticated birds are bred for their dietary meat and nutritious eggs. Therefore, their lifespan in captivity does not exceed 2-3 years.

Breeding chickens

There are several ways to breed guinea fowl. Let's look at each of them.

Naturally

The brooding period for chicks occurs in mid-spring and early summer. This type of reproduction includes the following stages:

1. Fertilization. Mating occurs only during walking. The birds will not mate in the aviary.
2. After fertilization, the female begins to lay eggs.
3. In order for her to begin hatching them, she is placed in a separate room during the egg-laying period and is not allowed to walk.
   

   If the female continues to go out for walks, she will continue laying eggs and will not hatch them.

4. There are up to 8 eggs in one clutch. The bird incubates them for 25 days. Since the guinea fowl is not a very caring mother, its eggs are often placed under a chicken or turkey.

Despite the fact that guinea fowl have a brooding instinct, at the slightest fright they can abandon their eggs.

Incubator method

For incubation, eggs are selected that are no more than 5 days old and that:

• medium in size;
• no contamination;
• no growths.

The material should be stored in cardboard trays with the sharp end down in a dark, cool place - no more than +10 ° C and humidity up to 80%.

Test the eggs by lightly hitting each other. If a rattling sound is heard, then there are microcracks, and such material is not suitable for incubation.

When hatching chickens using an incubator, follow these rules:

1. Install the device in a room where the temperature is no more than +18°C.
2. Turn it on and select a temperature of 38 °C several days before the start of incubation.
3. A few hours before laying, the eggs are brought into the same room to keep them warm, and then placed horizontally in the incubator, if the incubator is manual, and if the incubator is automatic, then with the base up.
4. For the first 14 days the temperature is kept at 37.8 °C, and after that it is reduced to 37.5.
5. Until day 24, turn the eggs 6 times a day (with a manual incubator). This is necessary so that the embryos do not stick to the wall of the shell.

The survival rate of chicks is at least 90%. Read more about incubating guinea fowl eggs here.

After birth, the chicks are placed in a box, the bottom of which is covered with paper and the top is covered with mesh. At first, additional heating is needed to maintain a certain temperature regime:

• first 3 days – 35 °C;
• 4-11 days – 31 °C;
• 12-21 days – 27 °C;
• 22-30 days – 21 °C;
• from one month of age – 18 °C.

Also, additional light is installed, which the chicks need for development and growth:

• up to 30 days it must be turned on 20 hours a day;
• up to 10 weeks – 16 hours;
• 10-13 weeks – 12 hours;
• 14-27 – 8 hours.

Then daylight hours increase again:

• 28-43 weeks - in order to hasten the onset of puberty, daylight hours are extended from 8 hours to 16 hours;
• from 43 weeks – 17 hours;
• from 51 to the end of egg laying - 18 hours.

From the age of 3 weeks, chicks can be walked.

Feeding

Basic rules for feeding young animals:

1. At first, the chicks may not find food and water, so food is served on a wooden plank and lightly tapped on it to attract attention, and water is poured into a saucer. To make the birds drink, you can gently dip their beaks into the water.
2. Newborn chicks are fed every 2 hours with crushed hard-boiled eggs mixed with porridge, millet and cottage cheese.
3. From day 3, chicken feed and greens are added.
4. From a week of age, feeding occurs every 3 hours.
5. From the second week, salt, fish oil and yeast are introduced into the diet.
6. On the third - boiled potatoes and other vegetables.
7. From the age of one month, chicks are usually transferred to four meals a day.
8. From 3 months they begin to eat like adults.

The demand for guinea fowl eggs and meat is quite high, and caring for it is simple, almost the same as caring for chicken. Having spent a little time studying some of the breeding features, the farmer receives high productivity and profitability from the birds.

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Description

In the world of science, the guinea fowl is called “African chicken.” The present species of poultry was brought to Europe from the black continent, where it was called kanga, and in the southern part of the continent the guinea fowl is better known as genafal, which means Guinea bird.

The guinea fowl was domesticated in ancient times, as evidenced by the images on the frescoes found by historians. With the fall of the Roman Empire, guinea fowl practically disappeared from Europe. But the Portuguese decided to help the Europeans in this matter and brought new genafals.

Due to its unique color, this royal bird was bred and raised on the estates of only wealthy families. The royal guinea fowl was a real treasure for any poultry farms and reserves. Guinea fowl meat was considered an exceptional delicacy, served only at parties.

Over a long period of time, the appearance of the guinea fowl acquired some changes. But despite this, it is very difficult to confuse it with other types of poultry. Modern genafals have a large body, second only to turkeys in weight. The bird's head is small. The tail of a guinea fowl is shortened, but massive, located downward. Like any species of circus birds, domestic birds have a bare neck. In general, the color of the bird is variegated and bright, making it stand out from the background of the entire bird flock. During a walk, they proudly stride around the yard, carefully moving on their thin long legs. At first glance, it may seem that they consider themselves exalted creatures or representatives of the “bird nobility”. And this applies not only to adults, but also to chicks, whose appearance causes affection.

An important distinguishing feature of guinea fowl is the fleshy horn located on the parietal area of ​​the head, which emphasizes the appearance of the bird. The protruding process resembles a kind of crown. The beak of guinea fowl is very elegant and quite neat; on its sides there are sideburns of a reddish tint. In males of any variety, the described processes are large in size, which is why they immediately catch the eye. In females of certain breeds they may be slightly smaller in size or practically indistinguishable on the cheekbones. Graceful decorative feathers only emphasize the greatness of all varieties of guinea fowl.

In the wild, genafals live exclusively in packs. Their community is formed from chicken age. Only adult guinea fowl do not treat the younger generation very well. Therefore, African chickens of different ages are kept in groups in different parts of the pastures.

Living in an area with other species of birds, guinea fowl behave like neighbors. They do not seek to sort things out, but at the same time they will not allow themselves to be offended. Although communication between male guinea fowl and roosters is very tense.

Many farmers who have already adopted guinea fowls note the fact that while feeding, the bird walks around a person in circles and always in a clockwise direction. But no one was able to figure out the reason for such movements.

Most novice farmers are interested in how guinea fowl scream and what sounds they make. According to many breeders, the king bird should have a thin and pleasant voice, but in reality they are very noisy. Their voice is quite harsh, reminiscent of the creaking of a floorboard or the cracking of glass. Not every person can perceive such screams, especially for a long time, so they try to keep guinea fowls away from home. Some farmers complain that the sounds made by guinea fowl eat into their thoughts, causing their voice to haunt them even in their sleep. But many people know that such dreams do not bode well.

By their nature, genafals are semi-wild birds, which is why they require large space for walking. Males are not aggressive by nature. And yet they can get into fights with roosters. Of course, in such fights the roosters win, and the offended male guinea fowl start fighting again a few days later.

Another distinctive feature of guinea fowl is that they fly very well, which is why the enclosure for keeping them must be high. If it is not possible to provide the birds with a covered space in the fresh air, it is best to clip the wings of the genafal.

In general, guinea fowls look like familiar chickens, whose appearance and lifestyle have features similar to turkeys.

Popular breeds

Over a long period of keeping and breeding guinea fowl on private farmsteads and in production workshops, a lot of varieties of these birds were bred, which differ from each other in the color of their feathers, their pattern, carcass weight and egg production. Most varieties of guinea fowl are tolerant of cold climates, which is an important factor for European farmers.

Next, it is proposed to take a closer look at the most common varieties of guinea fowl bred in poultry farms.

Common guinea fowl

In appearance, this species of the guinea fowl family resembles a voluminous barrel, and all because of the thickness and density of the feathers. Thanks to such a powerful cover, the bird does not freeze in winter, and even cools down in summer. It may seem that the more feathers, the more difficult it is for the genafal to live. But in fact, their plumage promotes independent thermoregulation.

The height of the common guinea fowl is 40 cm, the body length reaches 60 cm. The bird's tail is small and always droops down. The neck is long, covered with fine down. The head is small and the beak has a majestic shape and size.

Volga white guinea fowl

The presented variety of genafal is distinguished by its pearl-colored plumage. Egg production with proper nutrition is approximately 110 eggs per year. The weight of one egg reaches 60 g.

Despite its undemanding conditions and climate, the Volga white guinea fowl requires proper care. They also require free range and a clean enclosure.

This species is less susceptible to various diseases than its winged counterparts, and all thanks to its strong immunity. The eggs hatched by the Volga white breed are distinguished by a dense, dark-colored shell. This factor allows you to store bird “harvest” for quite a long time.

White-breasted Zagorsk guinea fowl

This type of bird has a short body. The back has a convexity. The breast is flat, slightly enlarged. Females have a more fleshy chest than males. The beak is large in size, the tip is slightly curved. The head is small, with growths visible on the sides that visually resemble earrings with white and red shades. The color of the feather part of the body depends on the color of the skin. The tail is quite short, but the wings are large and powerful. A distinctive feature of the Zagorsk white-breasted guinea fowl is its snow-white breast. An important advantage of the breed is the thick shell of light-colored eggs.

It is very important for farmers that the presented breed of guinea fowl is unpretentious and easily tolerates temperature changes. In the summer season, they can serve their owner in ridding the garden of small bugs and pests.

Zabiyakin V.A.

Guinea fowl belong to the subclass of keelbirds (Carinata), order Galliformes (Ordo Galliformes), superfamily of pheasants (Superfamilia Phasianoidae), family of pheasants (Familia Phasianidae), subfamily of guinea fowl (Subfamilia Numidinae). They are close relatives of chickens, partridges, pheasants and turkeys. The guinea fowl subfamily is distributed in Africa, Madagascar, the Cape Verde Islands, the Canary Islands and other small islands near the African coast. They are also found in the southwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula. These are flocking birds that prefer arid steppes, savannas, and bushes along the edges of forests. The diet of guinea fowl is varied and includes plant and animal components. Wild guinea fowl are monogamous.

The guinea fowl subfamily biologically replaces the pheasants missing from Africa. In total, 5 genera and about 20 species and subspecies of wild guinea fowl are known - typical endemics of the African avifauna, which are relatively little studied.

All guinea fowl are medium-sized ground birds (30-40 cm), with a head almost devoid of feathers, a partially bare neck, various skin and cartilaginous outgrowths on the head (earrings, helmet, crest of feathers). The color is usually dark, with a pattern of dense light spots or stripes. The birds' wings are short, rounded, the tail is lowered down, the beak is slightly hooked, of moderate length, somewhat laterally compressed. The body is short. The legs of most species are not very long, bare, without spurs. The tail is almost vertically dropped down. The plumage color of the vast majority of species is gray or black-gray, with regularly spaced shiny spots and specks resembling pearls. The eyes of guinea fowl are blue or bluish-gray, which indicates the absence of yellow-red pigment (pheomelanin) and black-brown color (eumelanin) in the iris. The most famous is the common or grey-speckled guinea fowl (Numida meleagris L.). It is characterized by a helmet-shaped reddish growth on the back of the head. Completely bare head and bright red earrings. The color of the feather is mottled grey, with distinct white beads throughout the body. It is the ancestor of all domestic breeds and populations of guinea fowl.

Guinea fowl were domesticated later than other farm animals and largely retained the habits of their wild ancestors. These are active, gregarious birds; they have partially retained the ability to fly, but do so reluctantly, only in case of danger. During walks, they obtain various food: insects, worms, weed seeds, young succulent grass. When kept together with other poultry, guinea fowls behave independently.

Wild guinea fowl are monogamous. Domestic guinea fowl show a transition from monogamy to polygamy. Males mate in a flock (20-50 heads each) with only some of the females, while the rest remain uninseminated for a long time. Wild guinea fowl, after laying a small number of eggs, begin to incubate them, while domestic birds lay eggs almost without interruption, from spring to autumn. If eggs are not removed from the nest, guinea fowls stop laying eggs and begin to incubate them.

The first information about keeping guinea fowl by humans came to us from an African epic. The domestication of guinea fowl apparently occurred in their homeland of Guinea. In the ancient world, these birds became known much later. In ancient times, guinea fowl were bred in Greece, initially for religious purposes. They were considered sacred birds of the goddess Artemis. In Byzantium, guinea fowl were known from the 11th century, as evidenced by the drawings of the Byzantine Gospel. The first mention of the domestication of guinea fowl in Egypt dates back to the 15th century. BC.

There is no mention of keeping guinea fowl in Europe in the Middle Ages, since by the beginning of the 12th century these birds completely disappeared in Europe. Guinea fowl were rediscovered by the Portuguese, who met them among the population of West Africa at the end of the 14th century. These birds were brought to the European continent for the second time from Guinea at the end of the 14th century. The purpose of keeping this type of bird has also changed from purely decorative to consumer.

By the beginning of the 18th century, guinea fowl were already bred in most European countries. In 1766, Carl Linnaeus described the common guinea fowl and gave it the specific name Numida meleagris L. The name is symbolic: the name is given in honor of the country from which the bird was brought, the “patronymic” is a sign of deep respect for the legendary exploits of Meleager.

Thanks to the good taste of meat and eggs, as well as colorful plumage, by the beginning of the 18th century. Guinea fowl were bred in Portugal, England and their colonies.

In the territory of the former USSR, guinea fowl have been known since the 5th century. AD, as evidenced by mosaic images discovered during excavations of Tauride Chersonesos (near the city of Sevastopol). A secondary report of the presence of guinea fowl in Russia appeared in the literature of the 18th century. However, at that time, guinea fowl were very rare and were bred solely for decorative purposes.

Guinea fowl became more widespread in Russia in the second half of the 19th century. The prominent Russian poultry farmer I. I. Abozin, in his book “Poultry Yard on Russian Farms,” gave a detailed description of guinea fowl and rational methods for their maintenance at that time.

In the works of other domestic poultry farmers in the pre-revolutionary period and in the works of the 20-30s, there were small sections devoted to the peculiarities of breeding guinea fowl. Before the October Revolution, guinea fowl were mainly distributed in Ukraine, the Caucasus, and the Far East, but their number was not large. At the end of the 30s, guinea fowl were occasionally found on the household farms of collective farmers in the southern regions of our country, but were destroyed during the Nazi occupation.

The beginning of commercial breeding of guinea fowl in the territory of the former USSR can be considered in 1945, when a small group of these birds was brought from Hungary to the Brattsevskaya poultry farm in the Moscow region. These were guinea fowls with mostly grey-speckled and blue plumage. In subsequent years, F.E. Golyarkin, O.N. Filippova, N.D. Kondratyuk and M.A. Artemichev studied the productive qualities and viability of guinea fowl. The summarized results of their work were presented in a brochure by F.E. Golyarkin "Breeding guinea fowl".

A group of guinea fowls brought to the Brattsevskaya poultry farm served as breeding material for the creation of the Guinea Fowl state farm. In 1950, the number of guinea fowl on this farm was more than 2,000.

However, due to a number of reasons, guinea fowl breeding did not receive noticeable development at that time. In particular, a significant obstacle to the sale of guinea fowl by retail chains was the highly pigmented carcass of this species, which is untraditional for domestic consumers. Other limiting factors in guinea fowl breeding were their low productivity (60-80 eggs per season) and the lack of incentive prices for guinea fowl products.

In 1948-1952. Research work with guinea fowl was carried out at the Institute of General Genetics of the USSR Academy of Sciences, and then at the Siberian Research Institute of Agriculture (Omsk) and at the Siberian Research Design and Technological Institute of Animal Husbandry under the leadership of L.N. Weizmann. In 1953, research work with guinea fowl began at the All-Union Poultry Research Institute (Sergiev Posad, Moscow Region).

The results of research work with guinea fowl carried out in the country in the 50-60s are summarized in brochures by L.N. Weizman and A.M. Gromova. The work of that time was devoted to the study of the biological and economic characteristics of existing guinea fowl populations, and research began on the breeding and reproduction of birds with qualitatively new characteristics. In particular, the goal was to obtain guinea fowl with light carcass color and higher productivity.

At the Siberian Research Institute of Agriculture (Omsk), the breeding of guinea fowl with white-cream plumage (Siberian White, and subsequently Volga White) began. White-breasted guinea fowl (Zagorsk white-breasted) were created at VNITIP. Siberian white guinea fowl created by L.N. Weizmann and his colleagues, were the descendants of three individuals with a recessive white-cream plumage color, which arose spontaneously in 1968 in a herd of gray-speckled guinea fowl of the Siberian population.

Due to the small number of birds, in the first stage of creating Siberian white guinea fowls, inbreeding was used. Subsequently, in order to increase the viability and productivity of the resulting group, introductory crossings with gray-speckled and blue guinea fowl were repeatedly used. Genetic analysis has shown that the plumage color of these guinea fowls is inherited by the offspring and is a recessive trait.

In parallel with the breeding of Siberian white guinea fowl, a breed group of white-breasted guinea fowl was created at VNITIP. He supervised the work until 1976. Candidate of Agricultural Sciences. A.M. Gromov, and since 1977 – Ph.D. Reuter Y.S.

Simultaneously with the improvement of the created breed groups of guinea fowl, a comparative test was carried out and they were crossed with other existing populations.

Along with Siberian white and white-breasted guinea fowl, in the seventies in the USSR there were ordinary gray-speckled guinea fowl, their mutant form - blue guinea fowl and a small group of cream guinea fowl brought to the VNITIP EH in 1969 from France.

The productivity of guinea fowl was assessed both under traditional walking conditions and under intensive conditions of rearing and keeping on litter and cage batteries developed at that time.

Comparative tests of Siberian white, gray-speckled and blue guinea fowl were carried out by S.I. Voroshilov (58). It was established that the maximum egg production (95 eggs) was in Siberian white guinea fowl, while in terms of live weight of the young they were somewhat inferior to gray-speckled and blue guinea fowl.

A comparative trial of Siberian white, blue and gray-speckled guinea fowl, carried out in 1973-1974. in the conditions of the North Caucasus, showed that the egg production of Siberian white guinea fowl was 73.6 - 86.1 pcs. per season, live weight at 90 days of age - 960-1000 g. In gray-speckled guinea fowl during this period, egg production was 60.1 pieces, live weight - 940 g, in blue ones - 71.7-59.1 pieces. , 955-940 g, respectively. The mass of eggs of the studied populations was 40.6-43.6 g.

Industrial crossing of Siberian white, blue and gray-speckled guinea fowl with each other carried out by S. I. Voroshilova did not give a positive effect of heterosis. The offspring in terms of live weight, exterior development, meat quality, and feed costs had similar indicators to the birds of the original forms. The main reason for the absence of heterosis, according to the author, was the lack of genetic diversity of the groups, due to the breeding method and extensive conditions of detention.

In 1978-1979 Siberian white and Zagorsk white-breasted guinea fowl were approved by the USSR Ministry of Agriculture as new domestic breed groups and became widespread in the country.

In foreign countries with developed poultry farming, before 1970, the state of guinea fowl farming was approximately at the same level as in our country. Guinea fowl were bred using a free-range system. This led to a pronounced seasonality in reproduction and a low level of poultry productivity. Research work of that time was devoted to the study of the biological and economic characteristics of guinea fowl, and comparative testing of various ones.

In the early 70s, in countries with highly developed poultry farming, due to the high taste of eggs and meat, a sharp increase in the production of guinea fowl meat began to be observed. Guinea fowl began to be widely bred in the USA, England, France, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, Cuba and other countries of the world.

The growth in guinea fowl meat production was accompanied by improvements in poultry keeping technology and changes in the organization of breeding work with them. Thus, in France in the early seventies, three breeding centers were organized in which specialized lines and crosses of guinea fowl were created. Judging by the advertising data of the companies, the guinea fowl they created have quite high productivity. Live weight at 13-14 weeks. reaches 1.35-1.45 kg, the yield of guinea fowl from a laying hen is 72 weeks. life is 110 goals. Thanks to the creation of highly productive poultry, the production of guinea fowl meat has acquired an industrial scale in France, Italy and Hungary.

Today in Russia, mainly guinea fowl of the Volga white and Zagorsk white-breasted breeds are used for the production of meat and eggs.

The Volzhskaya white breed of guinea fowl was created in 1988 by a team of authors consisting of MarSU employees and specialists from the Volzhskaya poultry farm. The starting material for the creation of this breed was guinea fowl of the Siberian white breed group.

Breeding work to create Volga white guinea fowl was started at the Volzhskaya poultry farm of the Mari El Republic in 1982. From 1996 to 2003, work continued at the Akashevskaya poultry farm of the Republic of Mari El. Currently, a selective herd of guinea fowl of the Volga white breed is kept at the guinea fowl department of JSC Mariskoye.

Guinea fowl of the Volga white breed are recessive mutants in plumage color. When crossing them with guinea fowl of a different color, gray-speckled or blue, all the offspring of the first generation have gray-speckled or blue plumage.

When birds of the 1st generation are crossed with each other, white birds appear among their offspring. During the long-term breeding of these guinea fowls “inside”, cases of appearance of differently colored individuals were not observed.

According to the OP VNITIP at MarSU in 1989 - 1990, the live weight of a 12-week-old bird was 0.9 - 1.1 kg, egg production was on average about 110 eggs, fertilization was 84 - 85%, and the yield of guinea fowl from a parent pair was 65 - 70 heads At the same time, due to the low rates of sperm production (the number of sperm in the ejaculate is 250-300 million), the sexual load per male does not exceed 4 heads. The hatchability of eggs did not exceed 80%. At the same time, an analysis of the hatchability of guinea fowl eggs showed that under the same conditions of detention and incubation regimes, this indicator for families varies from 50 to 95%.

As a result of many years of breeding work, two industrial lines of guinea fowl were created on the basis of Volga white guinea fowl. The first line (paternal) was selected for the growth rate of young animals over 12 weeks of life and the 2nd (maternal) was selected for increased egg production.

Analysis of the productivity of Volga white guinea fowl shows that this breed has great potential for further improvement and enhancement of productive and reproductive qualities.

Zagorsk white-breasted guinea fowl were bred by VNITIP employees in 1989. To breed white-breasted guinea fowl, 10 gray-speckled guinea fowl (3 males and 7 females) were initially selected, which were transfused with the blood of 4 roosters of the white Moscow breed group. The color of the plumage of chickens of this breed is a dominant feature.

Blood was transfused for 9 generations. The blood of donor roosters began to be administered to guinea fowl (male and female) from 16 weeks of age until the end of the productive period. Blood transfusions were given once a week. It was injected into the pectoral muscle, abdominal cavity and brachial vein; at the rate of 4 ml per 1 kg of live weight.

At the beginning of the work, all gray-speckled guinea fowl, and also the experimental birds of the zero and first generations, had a plumage color characteristic of this species of bird. Only in the second generation did white feathers appear in the keel area. In subsequent generations, the area with white plumage in guinea fowl increased. Thus, if guinea fowl of the second generation had only small areas of white down, then single white feathers, then in birds of the sixth, seventh and subsequent generations, the zone with white plumage occupied from 1/3 to 2/3 of the entire feathered area of ​​the body. The color of the carcass also changed. The skin of white-breasted guinea fowl was light yellow.

Since 1972, after changes in plumage color were obtained, the selection of guinea fowl was aimed at increasing the area of ​​white plumage, the rate of increase in live weight of young animals, and improving body shape.

As a result of the work, guinea fowl with characteristic plumage were obtained: the legs and chest are white, and the back is gray-speckled. The white plumage of these birds occupies from 1/3 to 2/3 of the feathered body area. During the selection process, the guinea fowl's skin color also changed: it became light yellow.

Family breeding with Zagorsk white-breasted guinea fowl began in 1977. On the basis of these guinea fowls, specialized paternal and maternal lines were created. The paternal line 3B-1 was selected for high live weight and good meat body shape at an early age. Thus, at 10 weeks of age, males had a live weight of 1.1 kg, females - 1.07 kg. Guinea fowls of maternal lines (3B - 2) have high reproductive qualities. Egg production per initial hen during 64 weeks of life ranges from 136.4 to 143.2 pcs., the yield of hatching eggs exceeds 90%. The average weight of eggs is 45 - 46 g.

In recent years, breeding work with guinea fowl has been aimed at creating guinea fowl lines differentiated in the direction of productivity, the crossing of which usually provides the effect of heterosis. Development of effective techniques and methods for assessing, selecting and selecting guinea fowl, as well as improving the technology for keeping breeding birds.

The results of studies carried out in different years showed the possibility of raising and keeping breeding guinea fowl from one day of age until the end of use in cage batteries, and to reproduce offspring in cages using artificial insemination.

The age of evaluation of the bird according to the main selected characteristics and the duration of use of guinea fowl in the breeding herd were established. A technique has been developed that provides a comprehensive assessment of the development of the muscles of the chest, back and legs. It is proposed to achieve standardization of the live weight of guinea fowls using developed selection methods and feeding and housing conditions.

To increase the yield of meat from the parent pair, it is proposed to go through in-depth specialization of the original lines. Paternal lines are selected based on live weight, meat body shape of young animals and sperm production of adult birds. Maternal lines are selected based on fertility.

The created breeds of guinea fowl are characterized by high hereditary economically useful qualities and are well adapted to being kept in cages and on litter. Lines within the breed have a clear genealogical structure.

It is known from the practice of breeding poultry that high productivity is achieved only through the use of hybrid individuals. Considering this circumstance, when creating domestic competitive crosses, the country's leading scientists widely use gene pool collections of poultry. The past century in poultry farming is the century of genetics and selection. The first decades of the 21st century will be devoted to deciphering the genetic and biological potential of birds. The further development of biological science in general, the discovery and isolation of genes responsible for certain phenotypic traits, will constantly provide new information for possible ways of using it in poultry farming.

After the creation of the Volga white breed of guinea fowl with poultry in 1988, selection work was continued to improve breeding and productive qualities. Two lines of guinea fowl with different productivity trends were created. Paternal line 1 - selected for traits characterizing the meat qualities of birds (growth rate, live weight, muscularity of the chest and legs) and maternal line 2 - selected for reproductive indicators (egg production, yield of young animals).

Selection work was mainly carried out using methods of mass, family and individual selection. As a result of such work, the best families and families with high economically important traits were identified in the guinea fowl herd. However, by 1993 it became clear that further increases in poultry productivity using only selection and selection methods could lead to a decrease in the quality of dietary products obtained from guinea fowl. In fact, the prospect was to obtain a “new type of broiler.”

Since 1995, when working with poultry, methods of population genetics have additionally been used. So, to produce young animals, they began to more often use individuals heterozygous for productive qualities. It turned out that heterozygous genotypes are phenotypically superior to homozygous individuals in certain productive traits. Individuals with clearly defined new phenotypic and productive characteristics appeared in the herd. Thus, the prerequisites have been created for the creation of new guinea fowl crosses that differ from each other in the degree of plumage pigmentation and sufficiently high productivity without deteriorating the quality of meat and egg products.

One of the promising areas for improving the quality of poultry and reducing the costs of raising it is the selection of guinea fowl for autosex.

Today, the gene pool farm of the Republic of Mari El, JSC Mariskoe, contains 1 breed of Volga white and 2 populations of gray-speckled and blue guinea fowl. The large (more than 2,000 individuals) parent flock of Volga white guinea fowl, uniform in plumage color, but different in level of productivity, makes it possible to carry out further selection to increase the economically important indicators of this type of poultry.

Selection work with guinea fowl of the Volga white breed is aimed at differentiating the bird by productive qualities, consolidating lines with the prospect of obtaining hybrid young animals with the manifestation of the effect of heterosis on the main economically significant traits. The staff of the laboratory for the selection of guinea fowls of the MarniSH "Russian Agricultural Academy" have the following tasks:

* preserve and reproduce a selection herd of the first domestic breed of guinea fowl - the Volga White and the reserve gene pool of blue and gray-speckled bird populations; * improve the breeding and productive qualities of guinea fowl using individual and family selection methods; * continue the consolidation of groups of birds that are autosex in plumage color within the Volga white breed of guinea fowl.

As part of the creation of a genetic selection program to increase the genetic potential and economically important traits of experimental groups of poultry, a bank of experimental data on the selected lines and the best families over 10 years of selection was created. It includes more than 1.1 million pieces of information containing information about the origin and performance of poultry.

The results of the assessment of Volga white guinea fowl in 2006 show that the main economically important indicators of the experimental groups of birds are at a fairly high level.

The average live weight of birds in the flock without taking into account sex at 12 weeks of age is 1.09 - 1.15 kg, at 20 weeks of age - 1.64 -1.80 kg.

The safety of young animals in the herd up to 12 weeks of age was 94.34%, the safety of adult birds during the breeding season was 96.0%.

The average egg production of guinea fowl with the cage method of keeping the flock was, depending on the line, 163.92 - 179.40 eggs per 9 months of laying.

The average weight of eggs obtained from females for the entire laying period was 46.92 ± 36 g for the herd (excluding lines).

The average rates of fertilization of hatching eggs in the herd during artificial insemination, excluding lines, were 85.8 ± 1.27%, hatchability - 77.3 ± 1.51% and hatchability of young animals - 66.3 ± 1.88%.

The reproductive qualities of paternal line males reached 0.102±0.009 cm3 in ejaculate volume, 4.18±0.025 billion/cm3 in sperm concentration with their activity being 9.14±0.11 points.

At one day of age, the accuracy of sexing guinea fowl of autosex lines was 88.8% based on down color, at 12 weeks of age – 95.4%, at 20 weeks of age – 99.6%.

The increased demand of the population for autosex and colored birds showed the need to continue further work with the created heterogeneous genotypes of guinea fowl. The created autosex groups of birds are highly productive, are easily divided into males and females based on the color of their down and feathers, have high reproductive qualities, and are in demand by the population.

We can hope that in the near future poultry farms engaged in breeding guinea fowl, farms and individual farms will be able to purchase poultry from new, competitive crosses with high realization of genetic potential under various technologies at the Mariskaya poultry farm.

Guinea fowl bird. Description, features, species, lifestyle and habitat of the guinea fowl

Relatives of the domesticated guinea fowl can still be found throughout Africa. Raising overseas birds on farms and in subsidiary plots has not become widespread in comparison with chickens, geese, and turkeys, but the value of birds does not decrease for this reason. Guinea fowl is a “royal” bird, combining decorative appeal and rare dietary qualities.

Features of behavior

This African chicken is extremely strong and active. This bird is not pugnacious, but can fend for itself if necessary, so it can be kept with other poultry. Young animals are very shy and therefore it will be better if the same person constantly looks after them.

In addition to timidity, she also has extraordinary loudness. When it sees foreign animals or people, the guinea fowl immediately makes a loud noise. Thanks to this feature, guinea fowl are considered excellent guards.

Description and features

Attempts to domesticate African birds have been made since the 16th century in Europe. Due to climatic differences, difficulties arose in adapting and raising birds. Guinea fowl were brought to Russia two centuries later for decorative purposes.

In size, the “royal” person is like an ordinary chicken. Differences are observed in the structure of bodies. The guinea fowl in the photo in comparison with its chicken-like relatives is a real beauty. A small head, long neck, fleshy earrings, and crest make the bird recognizable. Areas of the neck with growths without feathers. The beak is small.

Individuals of different sexes differ little from each other; only connoisseurs identify males by aggressive behavior, slightly enlarged earrings and cere (part of the beak), and a lighter shade of plumage. The weight of an adult guinea fowl is approximately 1.6 kg. Males are 200-300 g heavier than females.

The characteristic spotted outfit of guinea fowl is pearl circles with splashes on a gray background. Rounded body with a short tail drooping downwards. Wings are trimmed at chick age. Legs are powerful and strong. Although guinea fowl belong to the family of chicken-like representatives, they are completely different in appearance.

Royal birds run well and can fly. Young animals up to 1.5 months old easily take off, but older guinea fowls do this reluctantly. They tolerate cold and heat well, which contributes to their breeding. Ducks and chickens are less likely to get sick. High humidity, which kills guinea fowls, is unacceptable for keeping birds.

Compliance with strict rules for caring for “royal persons” is important, since it is impossible to cure sick birds. Connoisseurs appreciated the unique meat of guinea fowl, which contains little fat, water, and includes many useful microelements:

• glycine;
• valine;
• glutamic acid, etc.

Compared to chicken and duck meat, guinea fowl breasts are healthier for people who are prescribed dietary nutrition. Individuals gain the greatest weight by 2 months of age. Poultry meat is darker than chicken due to the myoglobin content in the tissues, but when heated it lightens.

A guinea fowl lays 90-150 eggs per year The laying season lasts six months - from spring to autumn. Egg weight is 40-46 g. The color is yellow-brownish with characteristic shades depending on the breed. The shape is pear-shaped - the blunt side is widened, the sharp side is elongated. The surface is rough, with small specks.

The mechanical strength of the outer shell is high. Guinea fowl eggs do not break after falling from 2-3 m to the ground or rolling on the ground, which significantly reduces the risk of losses during transportation. This feature is important for protection against harmful microorganisms, such as salmonella. You can drink raw guinea fowl eggs without fear.

Due to the strength of the shell, eggs can be stored for a long time without refrigeration for up to one year without loss of nutritional quality or freshness. Guinea fowl eggs may be washed to remove contamination before incubation. The high dietary properties of eggs have been established - an increased content of healthy dry substances, fats in the yolk and white.

Raising guinea fowl has proven beneficial for farmers - the birds absorb garden pests, including the Colorado potato beetle. The presence of birds in the garden does not cause damage - they do not dig up beds and do not peck vegetables.

New breeds of birds, thanks to breeding work, are adapted to the climate and are not susceptible to common diseases of ducks and chickens. Poultry farmers breed the most resistant breeds with a good immune system. There are about 20 breeds in total, many of which were bred for meat.

Grey-speckled. The most famous variety of guinea fowl, with which the main breeding work was carried out. Graceful body shape, attractive color. The head without feathers is decorated with scarlet earrings and a blue growth. The wings are very developed. The bird is considered silver-gray due to its color characteristics. Average weight is about 2 kg. During the year, a guinea fowl lays 90 eggs.

Description of the breed

Guinea fowl are close relatives of domestic chickens, turkeys and quails. Their homeland is North Africa, but they feel great in various regions of our country and Europe. Guinea fowl were domesticated later than all domestic birds, so they largely retained the habits of their wild ancestors. Birds live in flocks and fly well.

In appearance, the “African chicken” looks more like a turkey. As you can see in the photo, she has a large, almost horizontal body with a long neck and high legs. The plumage is dense, the color depends on the breed. The most common guinea fowl, close to the wild species, are speckled, dark gray in color, the size of a domestic chicken and weighing about 1.5 kg. The long neck in the area where it connects with the head is almost not feathered, but is covered with leathery growths. The cover in this area is bluish, and the head itself sometimes has a reddish collar.

A little history

The beautiful name “guinea fowl,” as philologists say, comes from the word “cesar,” that is, ruler, patron, king. People associate it with the legend of the origin of birds. According to its Greek plot, guinea fowl are the sisters of a certain Meleager, the son of King Oineus. As a result of the wrath of the gods, Meleager died, and his sisters turned into spotted birds. Guinea fowl became known in the scientific world in 1766, when they were first described by Carl Linnaeus under the name Numidameleagris.

Who guinea fowl are and what kind of bird they are has been known in our country since time immemorial. There is historical information that “overseas chickens” were presented to Ivan the Terrible as a gift. At his order, mass breeding of this bird began to be practiced. Over the next hundreds of years, guinea fowl were raised in home gardens along with turkeys and chickens. During the Soviet years, Russia even used industrial guinea fowl farming, but it was later forgotten as an unpromising and expensive business.

What attracts guinea fowl?

The answer to this question is simple - guinea fowl are bred for high-quality dietary meat. It has a special taste, reminiscent of game. Fans note the resemblance to pheasant and partridge. According to biological indicators, guinea fowl is very useful: 100 grams of product contains up to 27% protein. However, the carcass contains less fat and water than domestic chicken, so the meat is quite tough and requires special preparation.

Along with meat, guinea fowl eggs are also valued. They have a bright, rich taste due to denser protein and concentrated yolk. Guinea fowl eggs are similar in size to chicken eggs, but their vitamin composition is two to three times greater. In addition, thanks to the dense and durable shell, the eggs of “African” chickens have a long shelf life. At room temperature, products do not lose their biological properties for two months. Guinea fowl eggs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a year.

Caesar eggs

White guinea fowl carcass

“Royal” birds attract farmers due to their unpretentiousness in maintenance. Despite their origins, they adapt well to cold climates and can breed in captivity. In summer, it is useful to release them into the garden or home garden. Unlike chickens, they do not rummage in the ground or dig up plants, but they happily eat harmful insects and slugs. This is the only economic bird that helps fight the Colorado potato beetle.

Indicators and egg production

The egg production of guinea fowl is less than that of chickens. Females lay eggs only during the warm period of the year - from May to October - and produce about 90 eggs per season. Some improved and selected breeds lay up to 130-150 eggs per season. In terms of quality and productivity, guinea fowl meat is superior to chicken. It contains more healthy protein (20-23%) and little fat (no more than 7.5%). The yield of pure products is high – up to 85%.

Due to the special structure of muscle tissue and fibers, as well as the low content of subcutaneous fat, guinea fowl meat has an unattractive appearance: dry and with a blue tint. This is especially true for representatives of dark color. Beginners prefer buying white guinea fowl.

Lifestyle and habitat

In nature, the bird prefers hot and dry areas. Guinea fowl are attracted to forest steppes, savannas, and copses; African birds avoid dampness and cold places. By nature, guinea fowl are unusually shy. A loud sound is a signal to escape. Almost no one is allowed near them.

They fly well, but usually move on the ground. They live in small groups of 10-30 individuals. Each group is led by a strong male. If guinea fowl feel a threat to their safety, they scream. Owners of poultry note that guinea fowl are reliable guards who immediately make noise if they see a stranger.

In the wild, birds have many natural enemies among reptiles, feathered predators, and representatives of the cat family. Poachers have had the greatest impact on population decline.

The salvation of guinea fowl populations was the breeding of birds on farms. At the farmstead, guinea fowl peacefully coexist with other birds: turkeys, ducks, geese. He can stand up for himself if there is an offender among the living creatures.

Keeping guinea fowl requires a large area for walking, but free-ranging birds can simply fly away. The feathers of chickens are trimmed in a timely manner or nylon nets are pulled over open-air enclosures.

The height of the fences of uncovered enclosures is approximately 2 m. Restricting freedom of walking can prevent guinea fowl from breeding. Sometimes owners build spacious cages in which birds can actively move.

The domestic guinea fowl retains the habits of its wild relatives - it nests in corners hidden from prying eyes, and not in specially prepared nests. Females choose a place under a canopy, covered with branches, where individuals of the entire flock jointly lay eggs.

Visiting the nest occurs at certain hours. Maximum egg-laying activity is observed in June-July. The females become aggressive - the guinea fowl hiss at the bird taking the eggs and try to peck.

Necessary conditions for cultivation

Guinea fowl have a strong reaction to light. The older the birds, the longer daylight hours they need. A twenty-seven-week-old guinea fowl will require an eight-hour light period, a bird from 27 to 43 weeks of life needs 16 hours, from 44 to 50 weeks of age a light period of 17 hours is needed, and at 51 weeks of life and beyond it will be 18 hours. If guinea fowl are kept in conditions of insufficient lighting, it will grow slowly, in economic terms this will negatively affect production profitability.

The poultry house should be ventilated periodically. To do this, open the windows; you will need to attach nets to them, otherwise the guinea fowl may fly away. During the daytime, the guinea fowl is on a walk; it must spend the night in a barn or pen, only the aviary must be covered with a net, since the guinea fowl is a flying domesticated bird.

Advice: Walking should be carried out in places where there is not a single tree, otherwise it will be able to fly up onto branches and spend the night on them, and if the situation is repeated periodically, the guinea fowl may go wild.

Keeping an African exotic bird should include a lot of time for grazing the bird, since it is freedom-loving and loves large spaces around. You must constantly add fresh grass to the enclosure. Guinea fowl in the wild feed on beetles, worms, and do not disdain ticks.

Comfortable temperature conditions in the barn range between 14 and 18 degrees with a plus sign. At the same time, the guinea fowl is not afraid of frost. In winter, heating the poultry house will be required only in severe and prolonged cold weather. In winter, the room must be ventilated.

Nutrition

In nature, the diet of guinea fowls consists of insects, plant seeds, foliage, stems, branches, and fruits. On the banks of reservoirs, wild birds feed on worms and small animals. Even small mice were found in the stomachs of birds. Water is an essential component of the diet. When there is a moisture deficiency, guinea fowl absorb it from feed.

Poultry is prepared with a mixture of chopped greens, grain, porridge, food waste, carrots, potatoes, and other vegetables. While walking, birds destroy weeds and various pests - worms, aphids, slugs.

The Colorado potato beetle is easy for a guinea fowl to notice; it quickly falls into its field of vision. Having found prey, the bird examines the entire bush in the hope of finding larvae or a new bright relative. The discovery of a guinea fowl is loudly announced to the entire flock.

Not all food is to the taste of backyard birds - they avoid barley and meat and bone meal if a significant portion of these products is added to the mixture. You can replace them with low-fat cottage cheese and other protein foods.

On the lawns, the birds find suitable greens and fruits; they refuse additional feeding in the evening if the walking was nutritious. Favorite treats for birds are dandelion and burdock. In winter, guinea fowl feed on hay dust and hay.

The food is well digestible - three kilograms of food are needed to gain one kilogram of weight. A mineral supplement in the form of chalk, ground shells, and wood ash is required. This component affects the density of the shell.

When feeding, the age of guinea fowl is taken into account:

• Chickens benefit from bran, dairy products, chicken eggs, and steamed millet cereals;
• Egg-bearing females need food rich in protein.

The number of feedings for young birds is up to 8 times, for adult birds – 4 times a day.

Maintenance and care

Keeping guinea fowls is in many ways no different from the rules for raising chickens. Like any poultry, the “African chicken” needs a warm and dry room without drafts or dampness. Birds of different ages are kept in separate groups of up to 30 individuals. The poultry house can be built from any available material, the main thing is that there is always dry and dense deep litter. Sawdust and straw are suitable as filler. It is not removed, but only placed in a clean layer on top - this creates additional protection from the cold.

Temperature

The ideal temperature for maintaining egg laying is considered to be 18 degrees. However, with good care and feeding in winter, the bird can easily tolerate low temperatures. The main thing is to have a warm and dry floor. In regions with frosty winters, it is advisable to install a stove in the poultry house or equip a heated floor. The birds huddle on the ground and warm each other with their warmth. As for the upper temperature limits, guinea fowl can easily tolerate heat of even +40 degrees.

Light standards

To maintain egg production and the health of birds, it is important to maintain the correct light regime. Its counting is carried out from the moment the light source (lamp, daylight) is turned on until it goes out. Light supports healthy puberty in birds, so at the age of 7 months the regime is set to 16 hours of light per day. Also, with good lighting, guinea fowl begin laying eggs in March and maintain it until the end of September.

Terms of accommodation

Guinea fowl love space and need a walking area. They can be released into the yard near the house, but due to excessive timidity, it is better to keep them in a specially equipped pen with a fence height of at least 1.5 meters. Planting density – 3 individuals per square meter. meter. It is advisable to build perches in the enclosure, as well as plant trees and bushes to create the necessary shade. When keeping large livestock, the enclosure is divided into sections for small groups.

In the poultry house you can also install perches at a height of about 50 cm from the floor. Approximately 20 cm of length is allocated per bird. The planks for perches should be rounded with a cross-section of 4x5 cm for easy grip. From the wall to the perch, a distance of 30 cm is maintained, and the distance between the slats is maintained at least 40 cm. But some guinea fowl prefer to rest on deep litter. Vitaly, the author of the video from the Zhiznenny channel, told us more about how to care for a bird in an aviary.

Nests, as for chickens, are installed in a darkened corner of the poultry house. They are made at least 40 cm in length and 30 cm in width at the rate of one nest for 6 laying hens. It is important to consider that guinea fowls do not always choose artificial nests for laying, so it is worth checking secluded places on the run and in the poultry house. It happens that in a herd all the females choose the same nest and literally stand in line.

Guinea fowl can be kept in cages, but in such conditions it will not be possible to obtain fertilized eggs.

Keeping guinea fowl with chickens

Guinea fowl are peaceful and well-lived birds. In one area, they easily get along with other poultry, do not enter into conflicts and do not share territory. Given their similar size and same family, “royal” birds can be kept on a common walking area with chickens. Poultry farmers also have positive experience of keeping birds in the same house. Only in this case you need to feed both guinea fowl and chickens at the same time in different zones.

Rules for feeding young animals and adults

Feeding the “royal” bird does not require special knowledge from the breeder. It is similar to the nutrition of egg-laying chickens. Like other poultry, their diet is based on grain feed. Unlike chickens, they need more greens, so the menu must include plants, silage, grass meal, and juicy vegetables. It is permissible to use mixed feed - about 100 grams per individual per day. However, the practice of guinea fowl breeders shows the best indicators of poultry productivity on “homemade” feed in the form of wet and dry mash.

In the first 5-8 days of life, guinea fowl are fed a boiled egg mixed with finely crushed wheat, bran and cottage cheese. They willingly drink yogurt and whey, which has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Already from the third day, the chicks should be given finely chopped greens: nettle, alfalfa, clover, meadow grass. At first, young animals are recommended to have loose food in the form of wet mash and gradually become accustomed to dry food. An adult bird is fed a grain mixture in the morning, green and wet food during the day, and whole grain in the evening. A more detailed diet is presented in the table.

Approximate diet of birds at different ages

Winter content

In winter, guinea fowl need to be equipped with an insulated room for overnight stays and care must be taken to constantly maintain a comfortable temperature. In some regions with harsh winters, you will need an additional heat source, for example, a heater or a more economical option - a wood stove. In winter, in dry weather, the bird should also spend time on the walking area. The snow in the enclosure is cleared and a layer (10 cm) of bedding is laid on the ground. On warm straw, the bird can spend most of the day outside.

As for other conditions of detention, they remain unchanged in winter. Experts recommend adding fish oil, vitamin supplements in the form of succulent feed, and high-quality grain to poultry feed in especially cold climatic regions.

Reproduction and lifespan

In nature, the breeding season coincides with dry times. Perhaps this is why dampness is so contraindicated for young animals. Only adult individuals become stronger and not sensitive to changes in humidity. Birds find a laying area in dense thickets, away from prying eyes. This is a small depression in the ground that the guinea fowl completely covers with its lush body.

One clutch contains up to ten eggs. The shell can be gray, blue, brown, even red depending on the breed. Hatching lasts an average of 25 days. The male guinea fowl shows his attention to the female in every possible way and protects her. When danger arises, the parent pair distracts the predator in every possible way, leading them away from the laying site. Sometimes trying to protect a nest costs a guinea fowl its life.

Hatched chicks are very active. By two months they weigh 800 g. The survival rate of guinea fowl reaches 100%. Until the age of one year, they inseparably follow their mother until she teaches the offspring the skills of independent living. Thanks to their adaptive capabilities, the life expectancy of guinea fowl is more than 10 years.