Milford chronicle., 1917-10-26
THE guinea fowl AS A PROFIT MAKER
By }. H. MeFAUL, Jr.
(AH Rights ReSs,7,Sdl

every man WHO engages IN lue raising
of poultry for profit, yet fails to recog-
Mise the merits of the Guinea Fowl
stands in his own light, that is so far as
taking advantage of an opportunity for
gain. There are many things which
might be said in connection with the
Guinea, which show it to be a really
wonderful bird
In times gone by this bird was, for
the most part, only found in the wilds
and therefore little known as a table
delicacy. But its value was not known
at that time, for tOday-it is one of the
real money makers on a great number
of poultry farms.
The Guinea is somewhat domesticated
today and is a luxury on many tables,
both in private homes and on the bill of
fares at many of the most exclusive
hotels. The Guinea is very similar to
the pheasant, and indeed, it takes the
place many times of this rare luxury at
the hotels while its identity is kept a
secret. In other words it is a substitute
for the Pheasant and brings the same
price while its purchase price is much
cheaper The difference between the
two is so slight that it is difficult to dis
tinguish them.
While there are several varieties of
the Guinea fowl, the one that is most
important is that usually found in poul-
try plants. The one that is generally
domesticated is that known as the
pearl" variety, and it is becoming
quite common amOung breeders.
/ never have brought myself to
point where | would attempt to describe
the color of this most valuable bird other
than to say that it is pearl" and |
believe that you will be able to under
stand just which of the Guinea family
refer to.
The Guinea still retain a longing for
the wilds, even though they are raised
extensively on some farms and are some
what domesticated. This characteristic
on the part of the fowl makes it abso-
lutely necessary to give it the greatest
care and attention, in order to prevent
their forsaking their ideal surroundings
for their more natural instinct to roam.
The Guinea, for the most part, feeds
largely upon insects. leaves, roots, ber-
ries and various other forms of seeds
obtainable in the open. While the un-
domesticated is very fleet of wing. the
domesticated ones are almost as good
flyers, and for that reason, it is difficult
to keep them in confinement. The
Guineas will roam over a vast territory
in the course of a day and pick much Of
their food, which lowers considerably
the cost of keeping them. This bird,
from its wild tendencies, naturally. seeks
high places to roost, such as in trees
and on sheds, but mostly the former.
Guineas can generally be made to lay
in poultry houses if provided with Sc
cluded nests, but they will never lay in
nests that are open in public view The
Guinea hen is unlike the ordinary hen,
in that she must not be disturbed while
in the act of laying. Never go near the
nest placed for the guinea hen in a Sc
cluded place until after dark, for once
the hen is scared off, she will never
again go to that nest. This also causes
them to select nests in the open, and
very often, they are never found.
Never remove all of the eggs from
the nests as this often causes the hen
| to select another nest. >Guineas are very
peculiar about their nests, and for that
reason, one has to be very careful how
he handles them. Sufficiently high per-
ches should be provided in the poultry
house for the use of the Guineas as they
will rarely ever roost with the hens on
low perches. By providing such perches
it will help considerably toward induc-
ing them to roost indoors.
The Guineas mate in pairs when wild,
but in captivity several hens may be
used to a single cock with good results.
However, the number in no case must
exceed three or four females to a male
in order that the degree of fertility
might be maintained in the eggs.
The Guinea generally starts laying
about the first of April, which is the
beginning of their breeding season. This
season closes with the end of May but
the hens will continue to lay throughout
the summer. While they are not as pro-
life layers as chickens, yet in many in
stances a single Guinea hen will lay as
many as 100 eggs during laying season.
The Guinea hen is rarely ever used
for brooding purposes blythe poultryman.
owing to the fact that she is naturally
a poor setter and will rarely ever stay
upon the nest a sufficient length of time
to hatch the eggs. This prevails par
ticularly when domesticated, but even
in their wild state they will very often
leave the nest. For that reason the
eggs are generally given to Old Biddy
for the purpose of incubation. The av-
erage hen will cover Is guinea eggs and