When guinea fowls start laying at home: timing, how they lay, how many eggs are in the clutch

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

It is believed that a rather unusual farm bird - guinea fowl - was first bred in the United States. American breeders simply crossed wild turkeys with ordinary domestic chickens and got a new kind of birds. However, not so long ago, archaeologists managed to unearth a mosaic depicting a bird resembling a guinea fowl in Chersonese. That is, in fact, a person began to breed such a bird, most likely, back in ancient times.

Of course, many Russians also keep such an unusual bird in their backyards today. The methods of caring for such agricultural animals are similar to the technology of keeping chickens. However, there are some differences in this regard. In this article, we will talk about when guinea fowls begin to lay, as well as the features of caring for this bird.

Puberty

Regular hens in most cases are known to start laying eggs from the age of 5 months. In guinea fowl, puberty occurs, unfortunately, at a later date. Keep the young of such a birdbefore obtaining the first results, the owners of the farmstead will have to take quite a long time. The answer to the question of when guinea fowls start laying is the age of 8 months.

If desired, the owners of the farmstead can accelerate the puberty of guinea fowls. To do this, special enzyme mixtures are added to the bird feed. However, experienced homeowners still do not recommend doing this. After such feeding, the guinea fowl may begin to rush earlier. However, their eggs after enzymes are usually not of very high quality.

Instead of using enzymes that accelerate maturation, experienced gardeners advise developing the right diet for guinea fowls. With a good varied menu, the bird will develop somewhat faster. You can also speed up the egg laying of guinea fowl by strictly adhering to the feeding schedule.

Productivity Metrics

In what month the guinea fowl begin to lay, we found out. Eight-month-old pullets usually delight their owners with eggs. Like simple chickens, young guinea fowls most often carry rather small eggs. Subsequently, they become larger. One guinea fowl usually lays one egg a day. But sometimes a pullet can surprise its owner with 2-5 eggs per day.

With the age of guinea fowl, with proper care, like chickens, they begin to rush almost every day. In summer, productivity in this regard in such a bird increases.

How many years do guinea fowls lay well? Chickens are known to show the best productivity results in this regard only in the first two years. Guinea fowls have this period, tounfortunately even shorter. To obtain eggs, such a bird is usually kept for no longer than 1 year. Next, the guinea fowl are slaughtered for meat.

What conditions should be created in the house for good egg production?

When guinea fowls begin to rush at home, their body is rebuilt. At this time, the owners of the farmstead, among other things, should also review the diet of the bird. In order for such agricultural birds to show high productivity results, they, firstly, should not starve, and secondly, they should not overeat. If the technology is violated in both of these cases, the egg production of guinea fowl is significantly reduced.

Also, good conditions must be created for the poultry in the compound. The room for guinea fowls should first of all be spacious enough, warm and dry. A rather important factor for good egg production of such a bird is high-quality lighting. In the dark, guinea fowl should not sit in any case. The lighting level in the house should be at least 7-8 hours a day.

To increase egg production, the owner of the farmstead next to the barn for guinea fowls should equip a spacious aviary. Birds that have the opportunity to walk outside usually rush better.

The poultry house itself for such living creatures should definitely be insulated. Guinea fowl are not afraid of cold weather. Some breeds of this bird are able to withstand temperatures down to -50 ° C without harm to themselves. However, like chickens, guinea fowl rush much worse in cold rooms.

Best Matching Tips

When they start to rushguinea fowl, we already found out. This usually happens at the age of 8 months. At the same time, in males of guinea fowl, puberty occurs somewhat later than in females. Too young cockerels for laying hens are not advised by experienced owners of farmsteads to choose. Such a Caesar is suitable only if the eggs are supposed to be used exclusively for food in the future. An adult cockerel should be placed in the broodstock.

How do guinea fowls lay?

The productivity of guinea fowl depends directly on the conditions of their maintenance. At what age the guinea fowls begin to rush, we found out and agreed earlier. And of course, 7-8 months after the acquisition of chickens in the poultry house, nests should be installed for such economic animals.

The habits of guinea fowls, since they are wild half-breeds, are somewhat different from the behavior of chickens. The nest of the guinea fowl is visited, but not too willingly. In most cases, the laying hen independently chooses a place somewhere in a barn or aviary. Therefore, the owner of the farmstead, engaged in breeding guinea fowl, should definitely inspect the poultry house more closely. Otherwise, some of the eggs can simply be lost.

Comfortable nests

In order for guinea fowl to visit nests more willingly, the latter must be properly made and installed in the most suitable and convenient place for the bird. Like chickens, such a bird rushes collectively. That is, one nest in the barn is installed on several individuals at once. The placement rules are observed as follows:

• nests should be located in a secluded place;
• the place should also be maximumquiet;
• nests should be spacious (at least 30 x 30 x 40 cm);
• one nest should be designed for at least 6-8 females;
• nests must have walls and a ceiling;
• sufficiently thick bedding should be present inside each nest;
• The nest should not be located in a drafty or damp place.

When guinea fowls start laying for the first time, the owner of the farmstead should be especially careful and careful. Complete silence must be observed in the barn at this time.

What can nests be made of?

At what age do guinea fowls start laying? The answer to this question is, of course, very important. But, of course, the owners of the farmstead should, among other things, make it convenient to collect the eggs of this bird in the future.

Nests for guinea fowls, so that they do not refuse to visit them, must be large enough. Therefore, they are usually made from wooden boxes designed for storing and transporting vegetables. The walls of such containers are simply sheathed with plywood.

How many eggs can there be in a nest?

How guinea fowls rush at home is understandable. As we found out, this bird is collective, and one nest in the barn is installed for several individuals at once. Accordingly, in each of these boxes, the owner of the guinea fowl will subsequently find 2-5 eggs. In any case, their owners will need to check the nests of guinea fowl daily.

In most cases, guinea fowls are, among other things, good hens. But to getchickens, the owners of the farmstead will have to ensure absolute silence in the barn.

Aviary

Guinea fowl originated, as we found out, from wild turkeys. And therefore, such a bird loves space and freedom very much. Guinea fowl will not lay well without an aviary. They need to be let out every day on the street not only in summer, but also in winter. Walking for such a bird is usually done with an area of at least 2 m22 per individual.

In the walking space for guinea fowls, more drinkers and feeders should be installed. It is also desirable to place a couple of nests in the aviary somewhere in a secluded place. The fence in the paddock must have a height of at least 2 m. Among other things, it is imperative to equip the aviary in a canopy that creates protection from the scorching rays of the sun and precipitation.

Experienced owners of farmsteads advise releasing guinea fowls in the afternoon. At what age the guinea fowl is carried, we have repeatedly mentioned. But many owners of farmsteads are also interested in what time of day this bird lays its eggs. Such economic animals usually rush in the morning. And it is better if the guinea fowls are in the barn at this time. Otherwise, you may have to look for eggs in the grass on the range.

Can I keep in cages?

Experienced farm owners do not recommend using this method of breeding guinea fowl. This freedom-loving bird rushes in cages worse than when kept outdoors. However, with a lack of space in the courtyard, you can also use the cellular method of breeding guinea fowl. In any case, the cages for such layers should be spacious enough.

It is believed that such dwellingsfor birds, they must have a length of at least 1.9 m, and a width of at least half a meter. In such a house, if desired, you can place up to 5 guinea fowls.

Can I keep with another bird?

Of course, in the courtyard, along with guinea fowls, other types of poultry are usually kept. It is not necessary to equip a separate barn for such birds. From waterfowl guinea fowl can be separated by a partition. With chickens, this bird gets along just fine and in the same room.

What to do if it was not possible to accustom guinea fowls to nests?

Sometimes, even though convenient nests have been made for such a bird, it still starts to rush where it has to. In this case, it will not be too difficult to determine the place chosen by the females for laying. To do this, you just need to take a closer look at the Caesar. The cockerel usually paces near the place where the hen is rushing at that moment, looking around restlessly and chirping.

Most Productive Breeds

Guinea fowl rush quite often. With proper care, this happens almost every day in the morning. However, in order to get as many eggs from such a bird as possible, the owner of the farmstead first of all, of course, needs to choose the right breed.

The most productive at the moment are guinea fowls:

• white-breasted Zagorskaya;
• grey-speckled.

The white-breasted Zagorsk guinea fowl has speckled plumage. At the same time, the wings and breast of such a bird are white. During the laying season of this breed, they usually give at least 150 eggs. At the same time, such guinea fowls grow quite large. Hens of this breed weigh about 1.8 kg, males - 2 kg.

Gray-speckled guinea fowls lay about 120 eggs per season. Females of this breed weigh about 1.5 kg, males - 2 kg. Guinea fowls of this variety are valued by farmers, including for their very tasty juicy tender meat.

Why can a bird stop laying?

The answer to the question of when guinea fowl begin to lay is given by poultry farmers. Starting from 8 months, subject to proper maintenance, the owner of the farmstead can receive quite a lot of eggs from such a bird. Such a bird reduces productivity only if there are errors in breeding technology.

Guinea fowl usually stop laying in the following cases:

• when the air temperature in the barn is too low;
• heavily soiled floor with droppings;
• lack of clean fresh water in drinkers;
• too high-calorie or not enough nutritious diet.

Sometimes the reason for the decrease in productivity in terms of egg production in guinea fowls is banal stress. For example, a change in diet, a sharp decrease in daylight hours or a decrease in air temperature, etc. can bring a bird out of balance.

Guinea fowls are very shy birds. Therefore, outsiders should not be allowed to enter the house with such household animals. The same goes for pets.

Instead of a conclusion

When the guinea fowl starts to lay and how many eggs can be obtained from this bird, the reader,hope it's clear now. The productivity of this agricultural animal can be quite high. However, it is possible to achieve good egg production from guinea fowls only if they are properly cared for.