How to Care for Guinea Fowl

Guineas make a good addition to your farm for several reasons. The meat is especially good because only turkey meat has more calories. They make good watch animals and give a loud call whenever anything unusual occurs. They are also effective at controlling the local insect population. The following steps will help you care for these interesting birds.

Instructions

1. Keep the keets (Guinea chicks) at 95 degrees when they first hatch and lower the temperature by five degrees each week for six weeks when they will be full feathered.

2. Feed the keets a diet of 25-percent protein such as game bird feed for the first five weeks. Reduce the protein content to about 20 percent for weeks five through eight, at which time they will be fully grown.

3. Buy adults if you want them for insect control. Adults just need a clean source of water and regular laying mash during the winter. Guineas will eat large amounts of many different insects during the summer if you restrict their feed and will not scratch or otherwise damage your garden. Adults guineas also can eat mice and snakes.

4. Provide the adult guineas with a dry environment with lots of space. You will usually allow them to free range, but if you must confine them temporarily, each bird should be allowed at least two to three square feet. Guineas tolerate temperature fairly well once they are fully feathered.

5. Keep the guineas in hen houses with a six-foot fence to protect them from predators. Guineas are strong flyers and will be able to fly over the fence to forage during the day but will return at night to roost.

Resources

• Learn more about guinea fowl at Guineafowl.