Breeding Methods and Male-Female Identification Tips for Guinea Fowl

With economic development and rising living standards, people not only pursue delicious food but also nutrition, and the guinea fowl is quite popular in specialized farming. The feathers of the guinea fowl can be used as decorations for clothing and hats. In the past, guinea fowl were only kept in zoos for ornamental purposes, and later, through selection and domestication, people began raising them artificially, and they gradually became a meat-type breed among poultry. So how do guinea fowl breed? How do you identify male and female?

I. How do guinea fowl breed?

Breeding birds should be raised separately, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:2-3 in the same house (cage); for laying hens, a few males can be placed in the flock of females to encourage egg production; for meat-type birds, males and females must be raised in separate groups.

Breeding males must be well developed, with a well-proportioned body, a broad and protruding breast, smooth feathers, a vigorous posture, and strong libido; breeding females must have large and bright eyes, a full body, normal development, moderate fatness, a wide pubic bone spacing, a strong appetite, and little or no brooding behavior.

Eggs laid by breeding females should be collected promptly and artificially incubated at regular intervals. Incubation should be adapted to local conditions, and methods such as kerosene lamps, heated pits, greenhouses, and electric incubators can be used. Because the eggshell is relatively hard, incubation generally requires 26-27 days, and during incubation the temperature must be strictly controlled: in a forced-air cabinet incubator, it should be maintained at 37.5-37.8℃ on days 1-23, and at 36.9-37.2℃ on days 24-26. At the very beginning of incubation, since the machine is cold and there are few eggs, the temperature can be raised by 0.5-1℃ for the first three days, and then lowered to the normal level. Other conditions are the same as for incubating ordinary chicken eggs.

II. How do you identify male and female guinea fowl?

1. Voice identification method

This method requires you to spend a little more time observing and listening to the guinea fowl's usual calls. The sound made by an adult male guinea fowl is a “ga-ga-ga……” call, which is short, excited, sharp, and piercing; the sound made by an adult female guinea fowl is a “ge-ga! ge-ga!” call, which is gentle and unhurried. It takes time to observe carefully. Remember one thing: no matter when, a male guinea fowl will never make the “ge-ga! ge-ga!” call.

2. Vent examination method

Open the vent; if there is a granular genital protrusion, it is a male guinea fowl; if there is no protrusion, it is a female guinea fowl. Anyone with some breeding experience will know this method, because many farms also use it today, and it can be said to be the most accurate method.

3. Look at the head ornament and wattles

Male guinea fowl have larger head ornaments and wattles, the wattles curve slightly inward, and the head is thicker; female guinea fowl have smaller head ornaments and wattles, the wattles are straight and sweep back toward the neck, and the head is somewhat smaller. In male guinea fowl aged 12-15 weeks, the edges of the wattles are thicker than those of female guinea fowl.

4. Look at the walking posture

Adult male guinea fowl walk in a posture like a “general's style,” that is, a goose step; female guinea fowl walk in a “bound-foot style,” that is, with both feet placed in a single line, crossing over, or kicking as they walk, which is actually just like the catwalk that human models do.