Helmeted Guinea Fowl

The Helmeted Guinea Fowl is the common bird in this family. There are other species that include Crested, White-breasted and Vulturine. This species was
domesticated by early civilizations- notably the Romans. These birds are medium size, standing about 18 inches tall and weighing around 3lbs. The wild type
is known as the pearl grey and is dark gray with thousands of white polka dots. Through domestication these birds have produced many color variations.
Lavender and buff dundotte are blue and blond birds with the same spotted pattern. We also have chocolates, buff, royal purple, slate, violet, pewter, powder
blue, coral blue, blond, pied and more. We breed our birds for color and casque size (the horn on top of their head). Guineas can be sexed by their voice by a
few months old. The hens make a "buck-wheat" call that the males cannot. The calls are rather loud, second only to Peafowl in the gamebird world. These
inquisitive birds are a great addition to any farm or home.

Guinea Fowl are another gamebird with a wide variety of
uses. A hen can lay up to 70 eggs in a season which are
good to use in baking. Their feathers are used in
ornaments. Guineas are eaten as a meat bird with
pheasant-like taste. They control tick populations on the
farm and also serve as 'watchdogs of the barnyard'.

Keets can be very susceptible to drowning at a young age.
They chill easily if the hen brings them through wet grass
from a morning dew. Adults are very hearty and usually do
well in the heat as well as the cold. With layer pellets or
turkey grower they will do fine as long as the hens get their
calcium.

Helmeted Guinea Fowl, along with the other Guinea Fowl
in this family, originate from the African plains. They get
their tolerance for heat from this arid region as well as
their very alert behavior.

Our Guinea Fowl do not have heated coops but we shut
them in during snowstorms. We feed ours layer pellets,
turkey grower pellets and breeder pellets depending on
the time of year. Marbles can be added to the keets water
to keep them from drowning and they will drink from the
gaps in between marbles.

Guinea Fowl are generally easy to house and to care for. Free-range is the usual method for keeping these birds but on our farm we have them penned in for
safety and for breeding. Our guineas have about 50 square feet per bird which is quite spacious for a bird that size. They are a very social bird so they group
together in a part of the pen anyway. The indoor coop should have pine shavings for bedding. Guinea Fowl roost at night on whatever they can find. With good
roosts, next boxes, feed and clean water in their coop; Guinea Fowl will come indoors to roost at night and then spend the day foraging. Always give them a
supply of grit and oyster shell for digestion and calcium consumption. We worm our birds twice a year for precautions. If you plan on letting hens hatch keets,
be sure that the coop is keet-proof. Young guineas should be kept indoors until the threat of dew or cold has passed and they are fully feathered at 6 weeks old.