Guinea fowl

[Bootneck]

Thinking of getting some to range around the farmyard, or possibly even as a small enterprise selling the meat. Anyone got any thoughts / tips?

 

[GreenerGrass]

Ear defenders ?

 

[Dry Rot]

Aren't they prone to predation by foxes? As I recall, they prefer to live on free range and nest wild so difficult to protect. My uncle always kept some. They roosted in the trees and he encouraged some to lay in nest boxes made out of half barrels placed on hedge tops. Harvesting was out the kitchen window with the .22, the trick being to get a head shot so as not to spoil the meat.

 

[unlacedgecko]

Thinking of getting some to range around the farmyard, or possibly even as a small enterprise selling the meat. Anyone got any thoughts / tips?

They taste bloody lovely!

 

[ollie989898]

Every fox in a 5 mile radius is gonna be on your place!!

 

[OutdoorTim]

The fox issue can be sorted but free range guinea fowl roast is worth it .Its actually against the law to release them into the wild but having a pen ,run for them qualifies them as farm fowl .
They soon revert to roosting in trees though ,laying in hedges and the bonus is you will know when anything iffy is about .

 

[Dry Rot]

The fox issue can be sorted but free range guinea fowl roast is worth it .Its actually against the law to release them into the wild but having a pen ,run for them qualifies them as farm fowl .
They soon revert to roosting in trees though ,laying in hedges and the bonus is you will know when anything iffy is about .

That's an interesting legal point. I bred and used American bob white quail for gundog training for years. They fly like bullets and return to a call back cage and trap themselves up after a training session so can be re-used. The problem is, the law specifically prohibits "release". So I got the lawyers onto it. The legal definition of "release" is apparently a deliberate and permanent "return to the wild". Neither of us want our birds to do that, so it ain't a release! I would suggest the Crown Prosecution Service has probably got better things to do that argue the point!

 

[Pilatus]

Aren't they prone to predation by foxes? As I recall, they prefer to live on free range and nest wild so difficult to protect. My uncle always kept some. They roosted in the trees and he encouraged some to lay in nest boxes made out of half barrels placed on hedge tops. Harvesting was out the kitchen window with the .22, the trick being to get a head shot so as not to spoil the meat.

Must have been a good shot ,even with telescopic sights!!

 

[YorkshireAndrew]

We got a few earlier this year , they’re great to have around the place even if one of them hasn’t mastered the feeder yet .

 

[Alias]

Our Guinea Fowl do well for us. They go back into cabins at night, otherwise the fox would have them in a morning. They lay from April until into October, hatch well in an incubator, and are good to rear. Sexing them can take a bit of time, we just watch and listen for the hens to call. There always seems to be a steady demand for breeding pairs and trios, and any spare cocks you can always eat. Getting them to incubate their own eggs can be difficult but it is possible.

 

[Dry Rot]

Must have been a good shot ,even with telescopic sights!!

No telescopic scopes. He was indeed an excellent shot because he had many thousands of .22 rounds to practice with left over from the war (issued free during war time), though what the MOD thought he would do against German troops with such a small round is beyond me. He also went fishing with spare hand grenades! Different times, different ways.

 

[Thomas]

I think this might be a Rhode Island Red x guinea fowl

 

[borderterribles]

Interesting. Is that even possible?

 

[Dry Rot]

Interesting. Is that even possible?

Yes, according to Google.

 

[steveR]

The fox issue can be sorted but free range guinea fowl roast is worth it .Its actually against the law to release them into the wild but having a pen ,run for them qualifies them as farm fowl .
They soon revert to roosting in trees though ,laying in hedges and the bonus is you will know when anything iffy is about .

My experience of Guinea Fowl, is that they "release" themselves into the wild very quickly. If a bird/s survive to 6-7 months, they will normally be savvy enough to escape foxes. We are down toj ust one free range right now, after 2 hens decided to go off and sit and were snaffled by vermin.

 

[Thomas]

Interesting. Is that even possible?

It's the only 1 I have had in 25 years of keeping guinea fowl

 

[Forkdriver]

We had some Guinea foul living in the woods next to a release pen. Often they would fly over the guns on a drive. They seemed to survive the foxes, but not the less disciplined guns

 

[Scholsey]

had 2 go through the triple mowers when contractor was here silaging, has caused much uproar with the guinea fowl owner (father)

 

[borderterribles]

I always used to have Guinea Fowl as a lad and liked them. I got some again, a couple of years ago, but had to get rid of them as their incessant noise was driving me up the wall. They do say that people become less tolerant as they get older.........

 

[Thomas]