Shady Hollow - Guinea Fowl Identification

Sexing Guinea Fowl can be quite a task for the uninformed. The only true way to tell the sexes apart is that one lays eggs and the other doesn't. Generally
speaking, however, voice is the easiest way to tell. Guinea Fowl call a loud "chiiii chic chi chi!" call when they are alarmed. Both sexes make this call. The hens
make another sound as well. It is described as a "buck-wheat buck-wheat". Only the hens can make this two-syllable sound. Cocks usually have a larger body
and a larger casque/horn. Males have larger and more concave wattles as well. Males will be seen charging one another with their wings lifted up over their
shoulders and their heads held low to the ground. Hens will generally submit to this posture by lowering to the ground and hiding their head.
Click Here For Guinea Fowl Colors And Patterns

Young Guinea Fowl (keets) have ways to let you know what color they will turn out. Keets have stripes on the tops of their head that are the easiest way to tell
them apart. A keet with a solid center stripe is going to be spotted on all of its feathers (Ex. Pearl Grey, Buff Dundotte, Brown, Lavender). A keet with a mottled or
irregular striping on its head will be semi-spotted and slightly barred (Ex. Royal Purple, Buff, Chocolate). These keets with irregular striping on the head also
have white wings that are white all the way up to the shoulder. A solid colored keet will be a solid colored adult (Ex. Violet). Keets also vary by shades. A
chocolate keet will have the same irregular striping on the head and white wings as a buff keet does. The chocolate keet will be slightly darker, however. As the
keets feather out it will be much more apparent as to what color they are becoming.

Keets will generally be three colors, and varying shades. Brownish colored keets range from the dark brown (pearl, royal purple) through the medium tan (buff,
buff dundotte) down to the very light brown, almost white. The solid colored keets are usually a rusty red color that varies in shades (violet, pewter). There are also
blue colored keets. There are darker blue keets (lavender) and there are lighter keets (porcelain, sky blue). In all, the color combinations, pattern combinations
and varying shades make up 20 different varieties. Now to make things even more complex, each of these varieties can be either pied or irregular pied. A pied
bird is normal colored but has large splotches of white in its plumage. Keets have white wings up to their elbow and a white face, but still illustrate the proper
head stripes. Irregular pied birds have a very varied pattern than the normal white spots. In total there are at least 60 combinations. We are currently working on
Guinea Fowl Genetics to find how all of these genes work. Hopefully you have some understanding now of the many varieties of Helmeted Guinea Fowl.