The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-09-10


week or little less. The chicks help
teach the young guineas to eat. How.
ever, this is not always necessary. If
the guineas are hatched under chicken
hens they will soon become quite tame
and will stay near the hens, although
they are very wild at first. They are
not unlike young quails in this re-
spect, and the Pearl guineas greatly
resemble young quails in color when
first hatched.
Yards Necessary.
Yards are necessary and they must
be enclosed with screen wire or broad
boards The guinea chicks can easily
get through the one-inch poultry net
ting. We keep the young guineas in
small yards until they are a week old;
they are then turned out into five
acre lot which is fenced especially for
young guineas. Here they are kept
until they are two months old, when
they are given free range. By this
time they are quite tame and never
wander far from the premises.
Guinea hens lay no eggs in winter.
Their laying season is usually from
about April 18th to September. Guinea
eggs are small but good in quality.
They will not sell well as rule. The
guinea hen lays anywhere from 40 to
100 eggs in one season. If guineas
are properly managed their eggs will
be fertile. They usually go in pairs
or trios, but not always.
Young guineas must be kept free
from lice. If they are hatched under
hens, the latter should be busted with
louise powder every week. If the
young guineas get lousy in spite of
this, they are given the same treat
ment as other fowls, l. e., little cas-
tor oil or olive oil applied wherever
the lice are found. We are very care
full to keep all young fowls out of
the sun for a day or two after the
ou 10 aPpAieu.
During the first few days after
guineas are hatched they have to be
fed quite frequently. We feed little
every two hours. Dry bread, finely
crumbled with little chopped green's,
such as lettuce or onions will always
give good results. A little coarse
sand is sprinkled over the feed at
first, but this is not necessary after
they have learned to eat grit when
ever required. However, sharp sand
and other grit should always be pro-
vided. Boiled eggs are not suitable
food for young guineas, as they are al
most sure to cause constipation. After
they are a few days old they will eat
oatmeal dry, or cornbread. A varied
ration is better than any one feed.
When they are few weeks old they
will eat cracked corn, whole wheat,
or whatever chicks will eat. When
they are month old they should not
be fed more than three or four times
a day, and if they have good range,
a very little feed each time will be
sufficient. In fact, they could get
along on two feeds a day, but we like
to teach them to come home for feed.
They are great foragers, and if there
are any grain fields near, they will
make regular trips to pick up what
they can find among the stubble.
Guineas, both old and young are good
bug-catchers, and they will not in
iure garden crops as chickens are
apt to do, because they rarely scratch
unless grain is thrown among litter.
Incubators.
We have never hatched guineas with
incubators, but know of Others who
are very successful in Matching and
raising them by artificial methods As
they are never hatched very early in
the spring, fireless brooders are used.
This is the best plan to follow when
they are being raised in very large
numbers for market. They are not so
easily hatched as some other fowls,
because the shells of guinea eggs are
very thick, and the little fowls are
sometimes unable to get out unless
they are given some help. If the
young guineas cannot get out in a
reasonable length Of time after the
shells are pipped, we pick off enough