Exotic royal birds guinea fowl breeding and maintenance at home tolerate with ease. The guinea fowl is very freedom-loving, but, nevertheless, it is easy to adapt to the house, the dacha, without requiring an expensive poultry house, large monetary costs for feed, time and labor.
How to keep guinea fowl at home?
The breeding and maintenance of guinea fowl at home is directly related to the climatic conditions of the region where they are. There are three main systems that are used for growing and breeding this bird:
- Walking. During the day, guinea fowls graze in fenced areas, at night they are placed in poultry houses. The paddock is equipped with a pasture and covered with a canopy.
- The floor. Guinea fowl is kept in rooms without windows, with sheltered flooring, equipped with artificial lighting, ventilation with filters. Special air exchangers maintain the summer temperature at + 18 ° C, winter - not below + 12 ° C, for the walking of the bird a solarium is equipped.
- Cellular. The content of guinea fowls in cages is a more advantageous way for the other two, but less developed. With its help it is easier to select breeding and breeding work, artificial insemination, increase productivity.
Cage for guinea fowl
Some scientists came to the conclusion that the content of guinea fowl in the cells at home contributes to the fastest sexual maturation of layers, increased egg production, but a smaller mass of eggs. With cell dilution, the volume of live guinea fowl increases and its better preservation is ensured. The cell used for guinea-pigs is knitted from a metal net, its dimensions are as follows:
- length 2000 mm;
- width 450-500 mm;
- height 500 mm.
The space inside can be divided into 4 separate nests. At the front of the cage, the anchored troughs and water channels are arranged, the floor is made under a slope, so that the rolling eggs are collected in specially installed trays. The vertical arrangement of the cells allows them to be stacked on top of each other, such blocks can save a lot of space.
Contents guinea fowl at home in winter
Hardy, not afraid of frost guinea fowls perfectly tolerate the cold, breeding and keeping at home this bird in winter is not particularly difficult. Birds easily withstand large frosts, down to -40-50 ° С, even in an unheated room, the main thing is to equip them with roosts so that they do not settle on the cold floor. The content of guinea fowl in winter, even with their high immunity, is still better organized as follows:
- arrange for them a room equipped with a small stove or heater, ventilation, lighting;
- Set the roosts at a height of 60-80 cm from the floor;
- to equip in the dwelling places for food and drink;
- in the diet include a variety of "goodies" in the form of meat waste, fermented milk products, fish oil , grain and mixed fodder;
- walk the birds only at plus temperature.
When are guinea wolves carried at home?
The guinea fowl, being a late-ripening type of bird, living in households, begins to be carried on reaching the age of eight months (this is the standard), but the beginning of this process can be affected both by the conditions of keeping the bird and the climate of your region. There are cases when the egg-laying of guinea fowls appears from the age of six months, this can be achieved by adding mixed fodder to the diet and keeping it in a warm room. The sexual maturation of the guinea fowl is closer to winter, at the end of February egg laying begins, but they begin to be fully ridden in the spring.
Eggplanting guinea fowl at home can depend on the location of the region in which they are diluted, this process can be affected by the average daily temperature and how large the light day is. An important factor is a balanced diet, the amount of vitamins obtained by the guinea fowl. The average egg-laying capacity of a bird ranges from 100 to 170 eggs a year. The intensity of carrying eggs in different months can fluctuate, but decreases with age.
Care for guinea fowl in the home
Answering the frequently asked question about how to care for guinea fowl at home, it should immediately be said that it is not difficult, in practice, just like an ordinary chicken. The main rules for the care and maintenance of guinea fowls are the following:
- maintaining a warm temperature in the poultry house;
- equipping the dwelling of guinea fowls with lighting, to maintain a 16-hour light day;
- Regular cleaning and disinfection of poultry house or cages, replacement of litter is carried out at least once a month, whenever possible - more often. Dirt and parasites adversely affect the health of birds;
- daily washing of feeders and drinking bowls, availability of fresh food and water for drinking;
- periodic pruning of wings. While guinea fowls are chicks, they should prune a phalanx (on one wing), adult birds pruned feathers, this manipulation will prevent flights of guinea fowl beyond the fence.
What to feed guinea fowl at home?
Undemanding guinea fowl breeding and maintenance at home are easier to understand than some other types of poultry. The diet of guinea fowls does not cause difficulties, most of it is green food, it is necessary to add grain, corn, mixed fodder, mineral supplements to food. It is important to note that guinea fowl at home is practically all vegetable vegetables: potatoes, zucchini, beets, carrots, cabbage, pumpkin, but they bring the greatest benefit to the farm by eating Colorado beetles, snails, various insects and worms.
Guinea fowl - breeding at home
To start the breeding of guinea fowl, select 4-6 females and, together with the chosen male, provide them with a paddock, the birds will not mate in the poultry house or cage. The best age of the selected females varies from 8 to 9 months, the male must be slightly older. The process of mating occurs in the first ten days of March, continuing until May, all this time you will have fertilized eggs. Most experts, when asked how to raise guinea fowl at home, recommend using an incubator, the disadvantage of this type of bird is the lack of attachment of layers to the nest.
Incubation of guinea fowl at home
For incubation, select eggs of the same size and place them in an incubator, heating it to + 38 ° C. If the unit is equipped with a mechanism for turning the eggs, then put them with a sharp end down, if you need to turn the eggs manually, place them horizontally, making a mark with a felt-tip pen on one side. The first turn of eggs is made in 10-12 hours, then 6-8 times a day, so their warming on all sides improves, the embryos do not adhere to the shell and the shell. The withdrawal of guinea fowl in an incubator at home occurs in the following mode:
- the first 13-14 days - temperature + 37.8 ° С humidity 60%;
- further 10 days - temperature + 37.5 ° С humidity - 50%;
- on the 25-26th day the chicks begin to peck the shell, the temperature + 37.5 ° C, humidity - 96%;
- the chicks appear on the 27-28 day.
Guinea fowls
Diseases of guinea fowl and their treatment can adversely affect the productivity of birds, so it is very important to notice the onset of the disease in time. The most common diseases affecting guinea fowl include:
- viral (infectious) - develop when bacteria enter the body, as well as, in the presence of dirt, poor-quality feed and drinking water;
- Invasive - are provoked by parasites;
- non-infectious - indigestion due to indigestion, rhinitis;
- leg diseases - gout, deposition of salts, are observed because of the same type of diet.