How to raise guinea fowl? Reasonable control of stocking density is key
AbstractSite selection: keep away from major roads and villages, and choose sandy soil for the site. Temperature control: after the chicks hatch, keep the temperature at around 37°C, lowering it by 1°C each week until it reaches normal temperature. Humidity: keep it dry, not damp. Ventilation and light: ventilate appropriately, with about 8 hours of light per day. Adjust density: it should not be too dense; if too dense, use netting to divide them into groups. Drinking water: vitamins and antibacterial drugs can be added to strengthen their constitution and prevent and treat pathogens. Feeding: at the early stage, feed small amounts frequently, then gradually change to free feeding.
The guinea fowl is also called the guinea bird, mountain chicken or Guinea bird. Its head is very small, the face is pale blue-purple, the rear part is red, and below the back of the beak there is a heart-shaped wattle on each side. There is no feathering around the eyes, the neck is slender, and there is a ring of purple-blue needle-like feathers. The guinea fowl has short legs; the legs of young birds are red and turn gray-black in adulthood. Its feathers are gray with very regular round white spots. Its shape is round and low, with no comb, and the top of the head is bare with a keratinized protrusion called a helmet. The tail feathers are relatively stiff and droop.
1. Site selection
The place for raising guinea fowl should be chosen to facilitate disease prevention, and should be somewhat far from major roads and village crowds to avoid contamination. If raising them on mountain land, choose a high, sunny location with gentle slopes; good ventilation is required, and the farm must have an adequate supply of clean, uncontaminated water and electricity.
The soil should preferably be sandy soil, because it can keep the site dry and has low thermal conductivity, making it easy to retain and dissipate heat, prevent the breeding of pathogenic bacteria, parasites and mosquitoes and flies, and reduce the fermentation of organic matter.
2. Temperature control
Temperature is the most basic issue in raising guinea fowl. Temperature is very important for newly hatched guinea fowl. Because newly hatched guinea fowl have no feathers and are small in size, they are extremely afraid of cold and are very sensitive to temperature changes, so the temperature of the coop should be raised during brooding.
Within 5-7 days after the chicks hatch, the temperature should be kept at around 37°C, then lowered by 1°C-2°C every week. While observing the guinea fowl's feeding and activity, check whether the temperature is suitable for healthy growth. If discomfort occurs, the coop temperature needs to be adjusted in time.
3. Humidity
Like ordinary poultry, guinea fowl do not like living in a damp environment. The guinea fowl coop should be kept dry rather than humid so as to ensure normal growth and development. Generally, the relative humidity is slightly higher in the early stage at 65%-70%, and later at around 55%-60%.
If the environment is too humid, feed is prone to mold and spoilage, fermentation produces too much harmful gas, and it is also unfavorable for balancing the coop temperature, easily causing various gastrointestinal diseases in guinea fowl. If the environment is too dry, there will be a lot of dust in the coop and the air will be turbid, causing respiratory diseases in guinea fowl.
4. Ventilation and light
Ventilation: it can discharge harmful and bad gases from the coop and improve the air quality in the guinea fowl coop. During the brooding period, while ventilating the coop, it is also necessary to do a good job of keeping the coop warm and prevent the temperature in the coop from dropping during ventilation.
Light: about 8 hours of light per day is needed. Light can promote nutrient absorption in guinea fowl, strengthen their metabolic rate, effectively reduce the occurrence of various diseases, and enable them to grow healthily.
5. Adjusting density
Because guinea fowl are rather timid, the density should not be too high during breeding. When raising too many, use netting to isolate and divide them into groups. Density adjustment should be made in time according to the guinea fowl's growth and body size changes. If the density is too high, they will fight over food, and crowd and trample each other to death, ultimately resulting in a very low survival rate, affecting economic benefits; in the later stage it is also unfavorable for breeding, and high-benefit farming cannot be carried out.
6. Drinking water and feeding
Drinking water: add 0.1% vitamin C, 5% multi-dimensional glucose or electrolytic multivitamins, etc. to the drinking water to strengthen the guinea fowl's constitution. At the same time, also add antibacterial drugs such as enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, oxytetracycline, etc., which can effectively prevent Escherichia coli disease and Salmonella disease.
Diet: in the early stage, wet feed can be mixed and scattered for feeding on bedding paper or in a starting tray. Put out less feed and feed several times to ensure the feed stays fresh. As time goes on, feed buckets or troughs can be used for feeding, but note that the height of the drinkers or feed buckets should be adjusted according to the growth and development of the guinea fowl flock.