Quick question about guinea fowl and mating

[cupman]

My birds are 15 weeks old and I've read they can lay as young as 16 weeks. I know nothing about their mating habits and was wondering if it was a seasonal thing or if they would do it year-round. My climate is mild, the summers aren't overly hot and the winters aren't overly cold. Is their mating style at all similar to a rooster? I have not seen anything so far that would make me think my guineas are mating. I have 4 total, I don't know how many of the 4 are male or how many are female.. but I do know I have both because I have heard both male and female calls.

Thanks.

 

[PeepsCA]

They are seasonal layers, Spring thru Fall. You may get a few eggs from your Guinea Hens this season since your summers are mild, but they typically start laying the first Spring after they've hatched (and matured). There are of course acceptions to this rule.

 

[cupman]

I'm actually wondering about mating so I can determine fertilization. Will the males mate year round or only when the hens are laying?

 

[PeepsCA]

I never see my flocks breeding during the cold months. Just Spring, Summer and partially into Fall if the Summer hasn't been too sweltering. If the females don't want it... the males aren't gettin' any, lol. Eggs from my flocks are usually fertile right from the start, so I think the breeding kicks in a little earlier in the Spring before the Hens actually start laying. At least with my flocks, everyone's flock varies tho.

You will rarely (if ever) see them breed, it's super quick and can easily be mistaken for just a quick little scuffle. If you blink you miss it (it's probably like that for the Hens too, lol). If you have seen it happen a few times and are familiar with their behavior right before they are going to mate, then you may catch them in the act more often... but you still may only see it going on out of the corner of your eye and by the time you turn your head it's over with already.

Some breeders breed their birds year round, with artificial lighting and heat, so it's my guess that the males are fertile all year round, but for the rest of us the weather/temps/daylight hours are what determines when our flocks decide to breed, lay eggs and raise a clutch.

The only way to really verify fertility, is to crack a few of their eggs open and check for the bulls eye on the yolk, or incubate them for a week to 10 days then candle them to check for development.

 

[NH Guinea Fowl]

I have 2 guinea fowl just over a year old; I'm not positive but I thought they were both male as I have not heard the female call (we used to have more guinea fowl, but through a variety of unfortunate events our flock of 9 has whittled down to two; I used to hear a female call when the group was larger). At any rate, today I witnessed very odd behavior that I had not seen before. One of the birds was chasing the other, and they ran around and around like this for close to an hour. They were running low with their necks kind of stretched out a bit. I'm not sure if the bird in the lead tired out or what, but the 2nd bird the one doing the chasing started pecking at the 1st birds neck and bumping it's chest on it. I'm wondering if I have two male birds and they're performing some sort of mating ritual despite the fact that there is no female to win over, or if perhaps I do have a male and a female and they are in fact mating? Another twist, our birds go into their house at night, I leave the door open and they go in at dusk and then I close them in for the night. Tonight only 1 bird went in (I'm not sure which bird it was but suspect it was the one doing the chasing). I found the other bird but it wasn't sitting on a nest (it was on the hood of my car of all places...).

Any insight on what is going on would be very much appreciated!

Thanks,

NH Guinea Fowl

 

[JLeigh]

NH Guinea Fowl: The only guinea behavior that is for sure is as soon as you say, "Males/females behave this way", they'll prove you wrong. It sounds to me like you have two males, but females can harass others in the flock just as badly.

Guinea mating is generally so quick you can miss it entirely, and dominance behavior between guineas is usually a lot of chasing, I've never seen a female chest bump, but I've seen males do that. I have a male that just chases everybody - including all the females.

The guinea on the car may have been avoiding the other male, or he may have simply decided that the car was a nice warm spot and wanted to roost there, but get him into the coop at night if you haven't done so already. He's fair game for all nocturnal predators out of the coop at night.

If you can, get some females. That may calm them down - - a little - - maybe. . It will certainly make them happier, lol.

The best way to determine females is to separate them - one at a time - out of sight of the others and then listen for the two syllable call. Sexing them visually (by casque or wattles) isn't a reliable method.

Sorry about your flock losses. Most of us have lost a few, and can sympathize. It's a real bummer.

 

[PeaChick C]

Its funny, we have had guineas for years and we have NEVER seen them mating. They are just more discrete or modest than chickens and OF COURSE DUCKS! They sneak off into the brush in pairs and come back later. Same with our peafowl. We see them courting but never mating.

 

[JLeigh]

Its funny, we have had guineas for years and we NEVER seen them mating. They are just more discrete or modest than chickens and OF COURSE DUCKS! They sneak off into the brush in pairs and come back later. Same with our peafowl. We see them courting but never mating.

x2.

A friend of mine had guineas for several months and said she'd never seen them mate. While she was telling me that, I saw a pair of her guineas mate. I've never seen mine do it, and never saw hers mate again, either. I call it a "fly by". I have two males and four females now, and they're in their first spring. I wouldn't have given a dollar that they've mated, but I have 18 out of 25 fertile guinea eggs in the incubator now. They're sneaky little things.

 

[chickenrant]

I have guineas that are about 6 months old and they have become frisky. The males will chase the females and they will do this weird low walk with their necks craned out and will just sit out in an open field alone. There are no eggs, but I'm sure they will be close. Does anyone know how long this little "mating ritual/frenzy" will end???

 

[ludwing]

I have guineas that are about 6 months old and they have become frisky. The males will chase the females and they will do this weird low walk with their necks craned out and will just sit out in an open field alone. There are no eggs, but I'm sure they will be close. Does anyone know how long this little "mating ritual/frenzy" will end???

it is rare to cought up guinesa mating as that they are very privacy. i sometimes seen them mate.( the female does the act,runnign low with the wing bent down while the male follows totake over, very supper fast) but once the pair become quite stable you might never see them doing the deed again youLL ahve to wait for the keets coming to new world