An ordinary guinea fowl is considered a wild bird that has been tamed by humans, and now such animals can easily be found in the courtyard of amateur poultry farmers. These birds are very friendly and easy to hand, they are also considered excellent watchmen: when they see an outsider, they raise an unimaginable whine even earlier than a dog. They run and fly very quickly, so the guinea fowl are trimmed with wings so that they do not fly away from the yard.
Appearance
Guinea fowl ordinary in size is no larger than chicken, it has a horizontal body with a dense plumage of smoky blue, cream or brown in a light speck. She has a small tail and a long neck. Also, a guinea fowl, the photo of which is in the article, looks similar to turkeys and quails, in the place of contact of the neck and head the bird does not have plumage, and there are coarse leathery growths of a bluish color, there is also a small fleshy crest on the head, the same is located on the chin .
Males and females of this species are very similar, but you can still distinguish them. The main distinguishing feature is the head: the female guinea fowl has a head much smaller than the male. Females also have a neat small beak, while males are thicker and larger in size. The female keeps her head always straight, while the male guinea fowl gives her a little forward. Based on these signs, distinguishing the gender of a bird is quite simple. Even an amateur will cope with the task.
Wild guinea fowl breeds
Guinea fowl are wild and domesticated.
To wild include such breeds:
- Graphite guinea fowl - has a cobalt color with long white stripes on the trunk. This breed lives near water and keeps in packs, and with the onset of the breeding season it is divided into pairs.
- Turkey - has bare pink-red parts of the head and top of the neck. The lower cheeks and ear region are milky white, and the rest of the body is black with small white streaks. Such a bird breeds well and keeps in packs.
- Curly - has black plumage with spots of pale blue, feathers under the eyes and throat are red. On the head in the shape of a hat there are curly soft feathers, they live in low grass with shrubs.
- Tufted guinea fowl - the bare part of the head and neck they have a blue color. The black tuft on the head looks like a hat, the rest of the plumage is black with blue and light spots. They are kept in packs and are breeding in pairs during breeding.
- Guinea fowl ordinary - has a dense physique and thick plumage, the head and part of the neck without feathers are white, and the rest of the body is dark with light spots. They live on the ground surrounded by large grass and keep in small flocks.
Breeds of poultry
Domestic guinea fowl species are outwardly similar to wild ones, but are distinguished by their large weight and egg production. Among these distinguish:
- Volga guinea fowl - has a white color, the weight of such a guinea fowl is 1800–2300 g, and the egg production of one bird per season is 100–110 eggs.
- Zagorodskaya white-breasted - has a white chest and stomach, and the back is gray-mottled in color. Poultry meat is very similar to chicken, since such a breed was created by crossing with a white chicken.
- Silver-gray guinea fowl - the breed is the most common, the weight of an adult male is 1800 g, and that of a female is 1600 g. The meat of this bird is of high quality, and egg production reaches 85–90 eggs per season.
- Siberian white - has a dull plumage and a dark beak. The breed differs from the rest in that it quickly gains weight, is hardy to low temperatures, and also has a calm character and high egg production.
Guinea fowl conditions
Guinea fowl (see bird photo below) is a freedom-loving bird, likes to run. When keeping this species in the household, you need a spacious aviary, if you keep the birds indoors, they will not be so prolific. When walking, they keep in packs and quickly get used to the owner. If guinea fowl walk around the garden, then you can not worry, such birds do not rake the beds, but rather they gnaw worms, Colorado beetles (this is their great benefit for the farm) and weeds.
They are unpretentious birds and in winter they can be in an unheated room, but there should be dry litter on the floor, for example, in the form of sawdust, which must be changed once a month. Guinea fowl are illegible in food; compound feed, any grain is suitable for them. Greens should be half of the diet; it can be supplemented with vegetables - pumpkin, zucchini, cucumbers and boiled potatoes.
Guinea fowl breeding
When breeding guinea fowls, it should be noted that 5-6 females must be left per male, and the male should be several months older. Mating in them occurs only on a long walk. After fertilization, the presence of a male is not necessary; the female will carry fertilized eggs without it for about 20 days. They need to be collected every day and folded with a blunt end up, but the guinea fowl is a bad mother, so it is better to lay eggs under a chicken or put in an incubator.
After the chicks are born, it is very important to immediately cut off the brushes on the wings so that they do not fly away. In the first days of life, chicks need to be fed boiled eggs mixed with wheat cereal, cottage cheese and herbs, they should drink milk sour or whey. From a week's age, they need to be accustomed to dry food, for example, in the morning you need to give a dry mixture of grain and grass, and in the evening the same mixture, only wet. After 2-3 weeks, the chicks can already be released for a walk, where they will be happy to eat bugs and worms. At the age of about 6 months, the bird must be selected to create new offspring.
Useful properties of guinea fowl meat
Compared to other species of feathered, guinea fowl meat is dietary, although it tastes like game, and their eggs are rich in vitamin A and do not cause food allergies. Guinea fowl meat is rich in proteins, amino acids, so it is recommended that people at any age consume such a product daily. It is also hypoallergenic and has a beneficial effect on the human body.