guin:guinea_fowl

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guin:guinea_fowl [2026/03/16 21:04] – [Further resources] Simon Grantguin:guinea_fowl [2026/03/26 18:33] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1
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-# Guinea fowl+This topic is part of [[gt:gardening|Gardening, smallholding & farming]]. 
 +====== Guinea fowl ======
  
  
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-## What are guinea fowl?+===== What are guinea fowl? =====
  
 Guinea fowl are a species of poultry kept around the world for their meat, eggs and feathers. They can be striking birds with attractive plumage and a reputation for being rather more independent or ‘wilder’ than other types of poultry.  They're also extremely noisy and, for that reason, are often kept as guard animals. Guinea fowl are a species of poultry kept around the world for their meat, eggs and feathers. They can be striking birds with attractive plumage and a reputation for being rather more independent or ‘wilder’ than other types of poultry.  They're also extremely noisy and, for that reason, are often kept as guard animals.
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-## What are the benefits of keeping guinea fowl?+===== What are the benefits of keeping guinea fowl? =====
  
 Like most poultry, guinea fowl allow super-low food miles, and provide ethical meat and eggs in your back garden. However, these guys are perhaps more appropriate for someone with a large garden and no neighbours. They can be incredibly noisy, and will quickly alert you (or your chickens) to any intruders or predators. They have even been know to gang up on predators that appear during the day. For this reason they are sometimes kept as guard animals with other poultry or sheep. In countries where snakes are an issue, guineas will attack and kill them on sight.  Like most poultry, guinea fowl allow super-low food miles, and provide ethical meat and eggs in your back garden. However, these guys are perhaps more appropriate for someone with a large garden and no neighbours. They can be incredibly noisy, and will quickly alert you (or your chickens) to any intruders or predators. They have even been know to gang up on predators that appear during the day. For this reason they are sometimes kept as guard animals with other poultry or sheep. In countries where snakes are an issue, guineas will attack and kill them on sight. 
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-## What can I do?+===== What can I do? =====
  
-### Getting started+==== Getting started ====
  
 Some people love guinea fowl, finding them pretty, entertaining and endearing; while others find them noisy, disruptive and difficult to manage. Given these extremes, it might be an idea to visit someone who keeps them before making up your mind. Once you're sure that they're the bird for you, have a think about how you want to manage them. Do you want to take advantage of their wildness and self-sufficiency - allowing them to free range, forage for their own food and roost in trees? If so, are you willing to accept the losses to predators this might entail? Or do you want to curtail their freedom a little in the interests of keeping them all alive? Some people love guinea fowl, finding them pretty, entertaining and endearing; while others find them noisy, disruptive and difficult to manage. Given these extremes, it might be an idea to visit someone who keeps them before making up your mind. Once you're sure that they're the bird for you, have a think about how you want to manage them. Do you want to take advantage of their wildness and self-sufficiency - allowing them to free range, forage for their own food and roost in trees? If so, are you willing to accept the losses to predators this might entail? Or do you want to curtail their freedom a little in the interests of keeping them all alive?
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-### Housing+==== Housing ====
  
 Convincing your guinea fowl to use their house at all may be your first problem! You're most likely to have success if your provide them with a high place to roost. Depending on numbers this may be high perches in a large shed, or a smaller ‘loft’-type house raised off the ground. The higher the roosting place you provide, the more likely they are to use it. Guineas will fly vertically upwards onto perches, and you can place intermediate perches lower down to enable them to reach the high ones. Other than this their house needs to be dry and draught-proof. It should also have a wide entrance, or multiple entrances, otherwise submissive guineas may be reluctant to enter and will try to roost elsewhere. Guineas don’t require nest boxes - they'd rather hide their eggs in the dense undergrowth for you to hunt for! Convincing your guinea fowl to use their house at all may be your first problem! You're most likely to have success if your provide them with a high place to roost. Depending on numbers this may be high perches in a large shed, or a smaller ‘loft’-type house raised off the ground. The higher the roosting place you provide, the more likely they are to use it. Guineas will fly vertically upwards onto perches, and you can place intermediate perches lower down to enable them to reach the high ones. Other than this their house needs to be dry and draught-proof. It should also have a wide entrance, or multiple entrances, otherwise submissive guineas may be reluctant to enter and will try to roost elsewhere. Guineas don’t require nest boxes - they'd rather hide their eggs in the dense undergrowth for you to hunt for!
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-### Feeding+==== Feeding ====
  
 Keets should be fed on turkey or game bird feed as these meet their protein requirements. They can be given starter crumbs until 6 weeks, then grower pellets until around 10 weeks, or until slaughter for meat birds. After this the adult birds will be fine on ordinary layers pellets, supplemented with some greens. You may well find that free-ranging guinea fowl forage most of their own food and only need supplemental feeding in the winter. Keets should be fed on turkey or game bird feed as these meet their protein requirements. They can be given starter crumbs until 6 weeks, then grower pellets until around 10 weeks, or until slaughter for meat birds. After this the adult birds will be fine on ordinary layers pellets, supplemented with some greens. You may well find that free-ranging guinea fowl forage most of their own food and only need supplemental feeding in the winter.
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 It's possible to buy organic and/or soya-free compound feeds, but you can also mix your own feeds using ingredients such as seeds, grains and meal worms. This is particularly worth considering if your birds are foraging a large part of their diet, so you're not trying to meet all of their nutritional needs. Mixing your own feed can allow you to choose more sustainable ingredients and save money. As with most poultry, guinea fowl should have access to fresh water and grit at all times, and layers should have a source of calcium (e.g. oyster shell). It's possible to buy organic and/or soya-free compound feeds, but you can also mix your own feeds using ingredients such as seeds, grains and meal worms. This is particularly worth considering if your birds are foraging a large part of their diet, so you're not trying to meet all of their nutritional needs. Mixing your own feed can allow you to choose more sustainable ingredients and save money. As with most poultry, guinea fowl should have access to fresh water and grit at all times, and layers should have a source of calcium (e.g. oyster shell).
  
-### Health+==== Health ====
  
 Guinea fowl tend to suffer less from health problems than chickens, although they're susceptible to the same internal and external parasites. They need a dust bath to help them control external parasites such as lice and mites. You can either provide a box full of dry soil and sand, or a covered area where they can dig their own dust bath. Adding diatomaceous earth to the dust bath can help prevent parasites. If the guinea fowl do suffer from lice or mites you can add lice powder to their dust bath; this is far more effective and less stressful to the birds than trying to apply it directly yourself. Guinea fowl tend to suffer less from health problems than chickens, although they're susceptible to the same internal and external parasites. They need a dust bath to help them control external parasites such as lice and mites. You can either provide a box full of dry soil and sand, or a covered area where they can dig their own dust bath. Adding diatomaceous earth to the dust bath can help prevent parasites. If the guinea fowl do suffer from lice or mites you can add lice powder to their dust bath; this is far more effective and less stressful to the birds than trying to apply it directly yourself.
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-### Keeping guinea fowl with other poultry+==== Keeping guinea fowl with other poultry ====
  
 You may want to keep your guinea fowl as guard animals. If you do, be aware that bullying among guinea fowl can be more severe than among chickens, and can be a particular problem when new animals are introduced. Keeping the different species together is more likely to be successful in a free-range system where there is plenty of space. Luckily this is also the situation when you are most likely to need a guard animal. Guinea fowl may pick on cockerels and cocks in particular, so avoiding keeping these with your flock may help, as will reducing the number of male guinea fowl. If keeping guinea fowl with chickens, it's also advisable to keep a particularly close eye on parasite levels (see above). Guinea fowl carry the same parasites as chickens but tend to be more resilient, so they may display no symptoms while providing a source of infection. You may want to keep your guinea fowl as guard animals. If you do, be aware that bullying among guinea fowl can be more severe than among chickens, and can be a particular problem when new animals are introduced. Keeping the different species together is more likely to be successful in a free-range system where there is plenty of space. Luckily this is also the situation when you are most likely to need a guard animal. Guinea fowl may pick on cockerels and cocks in particular, so avoiding keeping these with your flock may help, as will reducing the number of male guinea fowl. If keeping guinea fowl with chickens, it's also advisable to keep a particularly close eye on parasite levels (see above). Guinea fowl carry the same parasites as chickens but tend to be more resilient, so they may display no symptoms while providing a source of infection.
  
-### Meat production & slaughter+==== Meat production & slaughter ====
  
 Guinea fowl are usually slaughtered at 12-14 weeks for a milder tasting meat and at around 20 weeks for a more flavoursome meat. They have a reputation for being one of the easier species of poultry to pluck. They're usually butchered straight after slaughter like chickens but, as they're also considered game birds, you may want to experiment with ‘hanging’ them for a few days as you would a pheasant. As guinea meat is a drier meat than chicken, recipes for pheasant may work better for cooking a guinea fowl. Guinea fowl are usually slaughtered at 12-14 weeks for a milder tasting meat and at around 20 weeks for a more flavoursome meat. They have a reputation for being one of the easier species of poultry to pluck. They're usually butchered straight after slaughter like chickens but, as they're also considered game birds, you may want to experiment with ‘hanging’ them for a few days as you would a pheasant. As guinea meat is a drier meat than chicken, recipes for pheasant may work better for cooking a guinea fowl.
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 For the smallholder, supplying small numbers of birds directly to consumers or to local retailers, it's also possible to slaughter and process your birds on farm, although you must register with your local authority. If you plan to produce meat for sale and you slaughter the birds yourself, or send them to a slaughter-house but take on the butchery yourself, you'll need to follow hygiene regulations and have your premises inspected by Environmental Health on a regular basis. Contact the Food Standards Agency for further information. For the smallholder, supplying small numbers of birds directly to consumers or to local retailers, it's also possible to slaughter and process your birds on farm, although you must register with your local authority. If you plan to produce meat for sale and you slaughter the birds yourself, or send them to a slaughter-house but take on the butchery yourself, you'll need to follow hygiene regulations and have your premises inspected by Environmental Health on a regular basis. Contact the Food Standards Agency for further information.
  
-### Paperwork and regulations+==== Paperwork and regulations ====
  
 You have to register with DEFRA and standard regulations apply if you keep more than 50 birds (including other types of poultry). There are no regulations for people keeping fewer than 50 birds other than the general rules and regulations covering animal welfare. If you keep fewer than 50 birds you can sell your eggs directly to consumers without being registered. This includes selling eggs from your home, door-to-door, or at a local market. If you sell at a local market you must display your name and address, a best-before date and advice to keep eggs chilled. You cannot sell eggs through a shop, or grade them by size without registration. You have to register with DEFRA and standard regulations apply if you keep more than 50 birds (including other types of poultry). There are no regulations for people keeping fewer than 50 birds other than the general rules and regulations covering animal welfare. If you keep fewer than 50 birds you can sell your eggs directly to consumers without being registered. This includes selling eggs from your home, door-to-door, or at a local market. If you sell at a local market you must display your name and address, a best-before date and advice to keep eggs chilled. You cannot sell eggs through a shop, or grade them by size without registration.
  
  
-## Further resources+===== Forum ===== 
 + 
 +This topic belongs to the section [[gt:gardening|Gardening, smallholding & farming]]. You can ask questions or add information on the corresponding [Forum section](https://forum.growingthecommons.org/t/gardening). 
 + 
 +===== Further resources =====
  
 - [Introduction to keeping guinea fowl](https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/introduction-to-keeping-guinea-fowl.71990/) - [Introduction to keeping guinea fowl](https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/introduction-to-keeping-guinea-fowl.71990/)
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-## Related topics+===== Related topics =====
  
 - [Butchery & meat](butc:butchery) - [Butchery & meat](butc:butchery)
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 - [Urban / small-space gardening](urbs:small-space_gardening) - [Urban / small-space gardening](urbs:small-space_gardening)
  
-## Specialist curators of this topic+===== Specialist curators of this topic =====
  
  • guin/guinea_fowl.1773695098.txt.gz
  • Last modified: 2026/03/16 21:04
  • by Simon Grant