4. CHARACTERISTICS OF A GUINEA FOWL
• The head and neck are bare
• It is timid
• more gregarious behaviour than chickens
• The guinea fowl is extremely noisy
• Guinea fowls can cause damage to crops in free range
• guinea fowl is more resistant to heat
• It withstands transportation better than the chicken
5. Uniqueness of Guinea fowls, Than other
poultry Birds
• Guinea fowl has a taste similar to other game birds
• many nutritional qualities
• guinea is tender and of especially fine flavor
• The meat is rich in essential fatty acids
• yield of 80% after processing with excellent meat to
bone ratio
• unique ornamental value of domestic varieties
6. Some special features of guinea fowls
• Hardy birds
• Suitable to many agro-climatic condition
• Resistant to many common diseases
• No requirement of elaborate and expensive housing
• Excellent foraging capabilities
• Consumes all non-conventional feeds not used in chicken
feeding
• More tolerant to mycotoxin and aflatoxin
• Hard shell provides minimum breakage and low keeping
quality
• Guinea fowl meat is rich in vitamin and low in cholesterol
7. Different between Male & Female
Guinea fowls
Male
Female
Male's wattles and
casque (horn on top
of head) are larger
than the female's
8. Breeds of guinea fowls
• Pearl Gray
• White
• Lavender
• Royal Purple
• Coral Blue
• Buff Dundotte
• Brown
• Bronze
• Pewter
9. PEARL GRAY
•These are a dark gray with white dots through
out their plumage.
• They are the old fashion original color of
Guineas,
• a favorite, prized by many for their beautiful
dotted feathers.
10. White
• These are pure white
• with a few black hairs on the
back of the neck.
• The whites have lighter colored
skin and the meat is lighter
color also.
• Keets are snow white with
orange beak, lets, and toes
11. Lavender
This guinea fowl also resemble
the pearl variety, but the
plumage is light gray or lavender
regularly dotted with white
markings
12. Royal Purple
• These are a very dark black color with a lovely purplish sheen.
• They do not have regular dotting,
• but do have some dotting and barring in the flank area.
• These are magnificently handsome beauties.
13. Coral Blue
These are a medium blue which
tend to a darker beautiful coral blue
on the neck, breast, and back
Sometimes referred to as the only
poultry with a true sky blue color
These are not dotted, but do have a
few dots and bars in the flank area
They are very colorful.
14. Brown
•These are dark brown
with white dots.
•The males are slightly
lighter than the hens.
•Keets are similar in
color to the Pearl Gray
keets
•These are very rare and
beautiful.
15. Bronze
• These are a dark black color with a
cast of bronze or brown over the
shoulders,
• back and on the neck and chest.
• The primary wing feathers have a
reddish color.
• These are very similar to the Royal
Purples but have lost most of the
purple sheen and taken on the bronze
cast
17. Free Range System
,
Birds are free to go any where
The birds are not confined
Free to fend for their own feed and roost
Birds find their own food and shelter
No any special Housing
18. Advantages and Disadvantages Of
Free range system
Advantages Disadvantages
Suitable for poor farmers
almost at no cost to the
farmer
No need of technical
knowledge
Well nutrition
Need lot of land and fields
of pasture
cannot be practiced on an
intensive commercial scale
easily revert to the feral
state
might not be easily caught
when needed
Harming from predators
19. Semi Intensive System
•This system requires a
permanent housing with
attached fenced runs or
pasture
•There is a limited area for birds
•Should supply water and extra
feeds
•Birds are not allowed to go
every ware
20. Advantages and Disadvantages Of
Semi - Intensive
Advantages Disadvantages
particularly suitable
where land is limited
and small holder farms
Safe from Predators
Low feeding cost Than
Intensive system
Low labor Cost
disease conditions
could be common
requires close
monitoring and control
Need more land than
Intensive system
Competition for foods
21. Intensive System
•This is the system, which is used commercially and involves
confining the birds in doors either in battery cages or on deep
litter within a large controlled environment
•The food and water requirements of the birds are made
available all the time
• allows high stock density
• efficient management of resources and labor, resulting in high
production output
•This system is recommended for large scale commercial guinea
fowl production
23. Advantages & Disadvantages of
Intensive System
Advantages Disadvantages
Save Land
Save Feed
Can control farming
conditions as farmer likes
No any harm from bad
weather Conditions
Birds can have enough
nutrient
Need Technical
knowledge for farming
Need to spend too much
money for buildings
Birds are stressful
Easily infect diseases
Need especial care for
birds
24. Egg Production
• Guinea fowls come into lay at about 25 to 28 weeks of age
• The egg production efficiency however, depends on breeding
stock and management
• Egg collection should be done daily but do not disturb the hens
while they are laying
• Guinea fowl eggs are smaller than chicken eggs
• weigh between 35 to 40g
• The eggs collected should be stored in cool dry place
• collect
25. Egg Incubation
• Natural Incubation
1. The incubation period of guinea fowl egg is between 26 to 28 days
2. This method is used by farmers with small flock
3. The chicken hens are usually used
• Artificial Incubation
1. use of machines called incubators
2. controlled heating at recommended temperature, controlled
humidity level and egg turning ability
3. Each egg should be turned at least 4 to 5 times daily for the first 24
days of incubation
26. Egg Production
• Egg laid per year 100
• Egg weight (grams) 40-45
• Egg fertility 75-80 Hatchability 75-80
• Egg weight/body weight (%) 2.8
• Mature weight (kilograms) 1.6-1.7
• Sexual maturity age (days) 186
• Incubation period (days) 26-28
• One-day-old keet weight (grams) 24.62
27. Management Of Brooding
• Clean the brooding house well
• Clean all the equipment that use in brooder
• Prepare the brooding ring
• Put the litter into brooder ring
• Light the brooder for bring a heat source
• Lay papers on litter
• Then place feed trays and drinkers
• Count the keets and keep the records
• Relese the keets into brooder
28. Brooding
•round sheet container is simple to clean and to store
equipment in between uses. No corners for keets to get
squished in
•Temperature need to start at 95 degrees
•drop 5 degrees weekly until the keets are fully feathered
•Beware of temperature increases during the hot hours of
the day
29. Space Requirement/Stock
Density
• Floor space requirement of about 0.06m should be
allowed per bird from day old till maturity
• Stocking density is at the rate of 100 birds per 55-
65m2
• A stocking rate of more than 16 birds per meter is
over crowding and can result to heavy losses
• Up to 50% of the entire flock could be lost through
such over stocking
30. Equipment for rearing of guinea fowls are the same
with that of chickens which includes drinkers,
feeders, and nest boxes,egg collectors
31. FEEDS AND FEEDING
•guinea fowl eat a variety of foods
• fruits, berries, seeds, grass, spiders, insects, worms,
molluscs and frogs
Suitably formulated diets
1. starter
2. grower
3. finisher
32. The feed intake of guinea fowl is between 25-30g per day
between the ages of 0-6
50-60g between the ages 6-12
70-80g between the ages 12-16
• The starter diet should contain 24% protein and should be fed for the
first 4 weeks
• Grower ration of 20% protein should then be fed until 8 weeks of age
• finisher diet containing 16% protein fed until market age
• In intensive rearing conditions, feed conversion ratios (FCR) are
between 3.1
• feed wastage could be minimized by feeding the required feed twice
daily
• Clean water should be made available always.
35. health management practices.
1. Cleanliness
• feed and drink containers are kept clean
• Clean stock house regularly and place fresh litter in
nest boxes
1. Adequate Feeding
2. Action Against Lice, Mites and Other Pests
3. Dusting Guinea Fowl against Parasites
36. MARKETING
• Guinea fowls are almost always ready at 15 weeks and usually 16 to
18 weeks of age
• At this age their live weight is 1.25 to 1.47 kg
• Guinea fowl meat is drier and leaner than chicken meat and has a
gamey flavour
