The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-05
The Guinea Fowl.

ture, the guinea fowl can be easily tanned.
ana may be taught, by kind treatment, to
become the gentlest of domestic fowls. But,
in order to do this, the guinea eggs must be
placed under common hen, and the young
gulneas confined to a close pen for week
to accustom them TO the presence of their
Keeper, and to overcome their Unborn shy
ness and timidity. In appearance and dis
position they resemble young partridg es, and
are quite as impossible to catch, if once
they escape, slipping away and hiding I'M
der the grass and leaves, with their tiny
brown bodies SO close to the brown earth
that it is nearly impossible to see them.
Their little call-note is very sweet and clear,
and SO penetrating that it may be heard
quite distance. For several weeks after
they are let out of the coop constant
watchfulneSs is necessary, or the old guineas,
hearing their voices, will invade the poultry
yard. attack the hen, and, wrestling the
guinea chicks away by force, carry them
Off TO the fields; while the little ones, in
stinctively recognizing their own kind, will
ingly desert the distressed foster mother.
But when kept out of sight and hearing.
the young guineas soon become attached to
a common hen, and insist upon following
her the rest of the season. She, however,
following out her own instincts, endeavors
| to wean them after awhile as If they were
her own chickens. and it is quite interesting
to watch her maneuyers as she slips away
from them to her concealed nest, sitting
perfectly mute and deaf to their importu-
nate cries as they wander in search of her
over the yard. But when the mother-hen
leaves her nest and begins to cackle the
young guineas instantly recognize her voice
and fly to her with the greatest demonstra-
tons of delight; nor do they forget her,
even should she conclude to sit, and if no
chicks are allowed her. they begin following
her just as at first. 1t is their nature to follow
something, and nothing else will satisfy
them. One spring, when an old hen per-
sisted in deserving a flock of half-grown
guineas, they chose an old rooster for their
leader. He objected very seriously, but
that made not the slightest difference to
them. He even flew up iato tree in order
to escape their unwelcome society, but they
ranged themselves under the tree and
screamed until he came down. Guineas
feather out when much younger than chick
ems, covering their whole bodies uniformly,
and looking very trim and complete in their
pretty speckled plumage. When mature.
they mate before nesting time, like wild
birds, but should there be a greater number
of hens in the flock, two or three VIII go
with the same male. and all lay very har-
To- INT rrbay vuiJ
range, delighting in distant meadows and
old fence rows, where they make their nests
on the ground, heftoAing a place in the
loose earth under tall bunch of grass or
wide dock leaf. When the hen comes off,
after laying, she begins a low clucking
sound, which gradually grows louder and
louder until the attention of the male is
attracted, when they both go off together.
There is an old superstition that the eggs
must be taken from guinea's nest with a
silver spoon, else she will never return to
it; but this is absurd, though it is true that
several eggs should be left in the nest, for,
should all be removed, the guinea hen will
at once proceed to make a new nest. They
are very prolific, and usually lay a great
many more eggs than they can possibly
cover. The period for incubation is four
weeks, the shells Of the guinea egg being
thicker even than that of a turkey egg.
Although guineas are remarkably de-
voted to their young, yet when left to them
selves they succeed in raising very few; the
little ones are so tender and delicate that
they are unable to Withstand cold and
dampness. If the flock doubles its number
during the season, it is as much as they
usually do. Even the adults are very sus-
ceptible to cold, and at the approach of cold
weather in the fall the focks return to the
poultry yard eager to claim their share of
the daily rations. They will have it, too;
for guinea can easily whip any other do
nestle fowl. except, perhaps, game cock.
One has even been seen to attack turkey
gobbler many times his size. and vanish
him, giving the great bird such a tweak
with his sharp bill that the turkey cock was
glad to take refuge in fight.
Sometimes the guineas conclude to go into
the hen house when cold winter night APP
proaches but. as they persist in keeping
every other fowl out, they have usually to
be put out themselves. If they have
house of their own, they willingly avail
themselves of its protection in severe
weather, though at all other times they
prefer to perch in trees, where they chatter
all night long in the moonlight. Guineas
are such interesting fowls, SO peculiar in
their habits and characteristics that it Is
strange SO few people engage in raising
them. Their remarkable egg-production
alone should be sufficient inducement.
The hens begin laying in March and con-
tinue steadily on until frost. Although the
eggs are smaller than those of common
hen, they are decidedly richer, and usually
bring in market a higher price, as they
make up in flavor what they lack in size.
When dressed, the guinea is plump,
shapely bird, about the sizs of brown
Leghorn hen. They have small bones, full,
broad breasts, and although their flesh is
somewhat dry, yet, when well larded, it is
remarkably tender, juicy, and of most
agree able flavor. In England the guinea is
in great demand when game is out OF season,
as its flesh, more than that of any other
domestic fowl, resembles game in its flavor.
How to Max Permanent Meadow.
For permanance of any work, says the
Aoriculturist, the foundation must be OF