It is believed that a rather unusual farm bird - guinea fowl - was first bred in the United States. American breeders simply crossed wild turkeys with ordinary domestic chickens and got a new bird species. However, not so long ago, archaeologists managed to unearth a mosaic in Chersonesos depicting a bird similar to a guinea fowl. That is, in fact, a person began to breed such a bird, most likely, even in ancient times.
Of course, many Russians today keep such an unusual bird on their backyards. The methods for caring for such agricultural animals are similar to the technology for keeping chickens. However, there are some differences in this regard. In this article we will talk about when guinea fowls begin to rush, as well as about the features of caring for this bird.
Puberty
Ordinary chickens in most cases, as you know, begin to rush from the age of 5 months. In guinea fowls, puberty occurs, unfortunately, at a later date. The owners of the compound will have to keep the young of such a bird until the first results are obtained. The answer to the question of when guinea fowls begin to rush is the age of 8 months.
If desired, the owners of the compound can accelerate the puberty of guinea fowls. For this, special enzyme mixtures are added to poultry feed. However, experienced owners of farmsteads do not recommend doing so. After such feeding, guinea fowls may begin to rush earlier. However, their eggs after enzymes are usually not very high quality.
Instead of using accelerating maturation enzymes, experienced summer residents advise developing the right diet for guinea fowls. With a good varied menu, the bird will develop somewhat faster. You can also speed up the laying of guinea fowls, just adhering to the feeding schedule.
Productivity indicators
In what month guinea fowl begin to rush, we found out. Eight-month-old youngsters usually already delight their hosts with eggs. Like simple chickens, young guinea fowls most often carry fairly small eggs. Subsequently, they become larger. One guinea fowl usually lays one egg a day. But sometimes the young can surprise its owner with 2-5 eggs per day.
With age, guinea fowls with proper care, like chickens, begin to rush almost every day. In the summer, productivity in this regard in such a bird rises.
How old are guinea fowls rushing well? Chickens, as you know, show the best productivity results in this regard only in the first two years. For guinea fowl, this term, unfortunately, is even shorter. To obtain eggs, such a bird is usually kept no longer than 1 year. Next guinea fowl are slaughtered for meat.
What conditions need to be created in the house for good egg production?
When guinea fowls begin to rush at home, their body is rebuilt. At this time, the owners of the compound, among other things, should also review the diet of the bird. In order for such agricultural birds to show high productivity results, they, firstly, should not starve, and secondly, they should not overeat. In violation of the technology in both of these cases, the egg production of guinea fowls is significantly reduced.
Also, for the birds in the compound you need to create good conditions. The room for guinea fowls in the first place should be quite spacious, warm and dry. Quite an important factor for good egg production of such a bird is high-quality lighting. In the dark, guinea fowls in any case should not sit. The lighting level in the house should be at least 7-8 hours a day.
To increase egg production, the owner of the yard next to the guinea fowl shed should also have a spacious aviary. Having the opportunity to walk on the street, birds usually rush better.
The house itself must be insulated for such animals. Guinea fowls are not afraid of cold. Some breeds of this bird are able to withstand temperatures up to -50 ° C without harm to themselves. However, like chickens, guinea fowls are much worse in cold rooms.
Cock Selection Tips
When guinea fowls begin to rush, we have already found out. This usually happens at the age of 8 months. Moreover, in male guinea fowl, puberty occurs somewhat later than in females. Too young cockerels for laying hens experienced owners of farmsteads are not advised to choose. Such a caesar is suitable only if the eggs in the future are supposed to be used exclusively for food. An adult cockerel should be planted in the broodstock.
How are guinea fowls rushing?
The productivity of guinea fowls directly depends on the conditions of their maintenance. At what age guinea fowls begin to rush we found out and negotiated earlier. And of course, in 7-8 months after acquiring chickens in the house, nests should be installed for such household animals.
The habits of guinea fowls, since they are wild half-breeds, are somewhat different from the behavior of chickens. Guinea fowl nest is visited, but not too eagerly. In most cases, the hen independently chooses a place somewhere in the barn or aviary. Therefore, the owner of the compound, engaged in breeding guinea fowls, should definitely inspect the house more closely. Otherwise, part of the eggs can simply be lost.
Convenient sockets
In order for guinea fowl to visit the nests more readily, the latter must be correctly made and installed in the most suitable and convenient place for the bird. Like chickens, such a bird rushes collectively. That is, one nest in the barn is installed immediately on several individuals. The placement rules are followed by the following:
- nests should be located in a secluded place;
- the place should also be as quiet as possible;
- nests should be spacious (at least 30 x 30 x 40 cm);
- one nest should be designed for at least 6-8 females;
- nests should have walls and a ceiling;
- each nest should have a sufficiently thick litter;
- the nest should not be located in a draft or in a place with high humidity.
When guinea fowls begin to rush for the first time, the owner of the compound should be especially careful and careful. In the barn at this time, you must observe complete silence.
What nests can be made of?
At what age do guinea fowls begin to rush? The answer to this question is certainly very important. But, of course, the owners of the compound should, among other things, make it so convenient to collect the eggs of this bird.
Nests for guinea fowls, so that they do not refuse to visit them, should be large enough. Therefore, they are usually made from wooden crates intended for storage and transportation of vegetables. The walls of such containers are simply sheathed with plywood.
How many eggs can be in a nest?
How guinea fowls rush at home is understandable. As we found out, this is a collective bird, and one nest in a barn is installed on several individuals at once. Accordingly, in each of these boxes subsequently the owner of guinea fowl will find 2-5 eggs. In any case, their owners will need to check the guinea fowl nests daily.
In most cases, guinea fowls, among other things, are good hens. But in order to get chickens, the farmyard owners will have to provide absolute silence in the barn.
Aviary
Guinea fowl, as we found out, came from wild turkeys. And so such a bird loves space and freedom. Without an aviary, guinea fowls will not rush well. Every day they need to be released into the street not only in summer, but also in winter. Walking for such a bird is usually done with an area of at least 2 m 2 per individual.
In the walking space for guinea fowls, more drinking bowls and feeders should be installed. It is also advisable to place a pair of nests in an enclosure somewhere in a secluded place. The fence in the walk should have a height of at least 2 m. In addition to everything else, it is imperative to equip the canopy in the aviary, which creates protection from the scorching rays of the sun and precipitation.
Experienced farmstead owners advise releasing guinea fowls in a walk after lunch. At what age the guinea fowl rushes, we mentioned repeatedly. But many farmstead owners are also interested in what time of day this bird lays its eggs. This economic livestock is usually carried in the morning. And it is better if guinea fowl will be in the barn at this time. Otherwise, you may have to look for eggs in the grass on the walking area.
Can it be kept in cells?
Use this method of breeding guinea fowl experienced owners of farmsteads are not advised. This freedom-loving bird rushes in the cages worse than with the floor keeping. However, with a lack of space in the compound, you can use the cellular technique of breeding guinea fowl. In any case, the cells for such layers should be spacious enough.
It is believed that such homes for birds should have a length of at least 1.9 m, and a width of at least half a meter. In such a house, if desired, you can put up to 5 guinea fowl.
Can I keep with another bird?
Of course, other species of poultry are usually kept on the farmyard along with guinea fowls. It is not necessary to equip a separate barn for such birds. From waterfowl guinea fowls can be separated by a partition. With hens, this bird gets along just fine and in the same room.
What if the guinea fowl were not accustomed to nests?
Sometimes, even in spite of the fact that convenient nests were made for such a bird, it nevertheless begins to trot where it is necessary. Determining the place chosen by the females for the masonry in this case will not be too difficult. To do this, you just need to take a closer look at the Caesar. The cockerel usually paces near the place where at that moment the chicken rushes, anxiously looking around and chirping.
The most productive breeds
Guinea fowls rush quite often. With proper care, this happens almost every day in the morning. However, in order to get as many eggs as possible from such a bird, the owner of the compound in the first place, of course, needs to choose the right breed.
The most productive at the moment are guinea fowl:
- white-breasted zagorskaya;
- gray-speckled.
White-breasted Zagorsk guinea fowl has speckled plumage. Moreover, the wings and breast of such a bird are white. During the season, laying hens of this breed usually give at least 150 eggs. At the same time, such guinea fowls grow quite large. Chickens of this breed weigh about 1.8 kg, males - 2 kg.
Gray-speckled guinea fowls during the season lay about 120 eggs. Females of this breed weigh about 1.5 kg, males - 2 kg. Guinea fowl of this variety are appreciated by farmers, including very tasty juicy tender meat.
Why can a bird stop running?
The answer to the question of when guinea fowls begin to rush, poultry breeders are asked. Starting from 8 months, subject to proper maintenance, the owner of the compound can receive quite a lot of eggs from such a bird. Such a bird reduces productivity only if there are errors in breeding technology.
Guinea fowl usually cease to rush in the following cases:
- at too low air temperature in the barn;
- heavy contamination of the floor with droppings;
- lack of clean fresh water in drinking bowls;
- too high-calorie or insufficiently nutritious diet.
Sometimes the reason for the decrease in productivity in terms of egg production in guinea fowls becomes banal stress. For example, a diet change, a sharp decrease in daylight hours or a drop in air temperature, etc., can bring a bird out of balance.
Guinea fowl - birds are very shy. Therefore, outsiders should not be allowed to enter the house with such livestock. The same goes for pets.
Instead of a conclusion
When the guinea fowl begins to fly and how many eggs can be obtained from this bird, the reader, we hope, is now clear. The productivity of this agricultural livestock can be quite high. However, to achieve good egg production from guinea fowls is possible only if they are properly cared for.