How The Guinea Fowl Got Her Spots by Barbara Knutson

They have even been know to gang up on predators that appear during the day.

They can be incredibly noisy, and will quickly alert you (or your chickens) to any intruders or predators. However, these guys are perhaps more appropriate for someone with a large garden and no neighbours. Like most poultry, guinea fowl allow super-low food miles, and provide ethical meat and eggs in your back garden. What are the benefits of keeping guinea fowl? A wild guinea fowl in South Africa (pic: New Jersey Birds, creative commons). They mate for life, though a male may mate with several females if there’s a shortage of males. They are gregarious, living in large flocks and roosting communally.

Guinea fowl tend to run rather than fly, though they’re adept at fluttering straight upwards and will roost high in trees. Like chickens, they’re naturally omnivorous – their diet includes seeds, berries, insects and small mammals and reptiles. They prefer dry, warm, climates with a mix of cover and open space including forest, scrubland and grassland. Guinea fowl originate in Africa, where they are found in a range of habitats.

They’re also extremely noisy and, for that reason, are often kept as guard animals. They can be striking birds with attractive plumage and a reputation for being rather more independent or ‘wilder’ than other types of poultry. Guinea fowl are a species of poultry kept around the world for their meat, eggs and feathers. “Nganga: These lovely spots are just the thing for hiding in the shadows and grass.” – Barbara Knutson, from ‘How the Guinea Fowl Got Her Spots’ What are guinea fowl?

How The Guinea Fowl Got Her Spots by Barbara Knutson