Sexing

[PoultryLady2023]

I need help sexing my guinea fowl by their combs and wattles. It's hard sexing them by their sound cause when they aren't in the coop they are at my neighbors house. So I was hoping someone could help me sex them from their wattles and helmet.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

1 and 3 are males. 2 is female.

 

[PoultryLady2023]

1 and 3 are males. 2 is female.

Okay thank you.

 

[PoultryLady2023]

1 and 3 are males. 2 is female.

So I should definitely have some fertile eggs this spring

 

[R2elk]

I need help sexing my guinea fowl by their combs and wattles. It's hard sexing them by their sound cause when they aren't in the coop they are at my neighbors house. So I was hoping someone could help me sex them from their wattles and helmet.

Guinea fowl cannot be sexed from photos. They can be sexed from their calls and from behaviors during breeding season. I have seen guinea males with wattles as small as what a person would consider to be the wattles of a hen. I have seen posted images of wattles on hens that people would think were the wattles of a male.

The helmets and wattles can also vary due to which variety they are.

 

[SamLockwood]

Guinea fowl cannot be sexed from photos. They can be sexed from their calls and from behaviors during breeding season. I have seen guinea males with wattles as small as what a person would consider to be the wattles of a hen. I have seen posted images of wattles on hens that people would think were the wattles of a male.

The helmets and wattles can also vary due to which variety they are.

I second this. Helmets and wattles are poor indicators for sex, especially in younger birds.

According to a lot of articles, this fellow's wattles say he's a girl:


I also have two guinea hens that have the large, cupped wattles that are supposed to mean they're males. Maybe they didn't get the memo.

Some say head shape is an indicator, and in my flock the males to tend to have blockier heads than the females but that is still not the most reliable indicator.

As physical indicators go the most reliable one is the ridge of flesh over the beak (the one that connects the wattles): on the males it builds up into a wad that looks sort of like somebody stuck a tiny bit of used chewing gum on their snouts. That tends to be noticeably larger on the cocks than the hens, but they've got to be closer to a year old for it to get noticeable.

Behavior is the best indicator overall: this time of year they'll be getting ready to pair off, and the girls won't shut up: they'll do their two-tone "guh-wahk guh-wahk guh-wahk" call all day, and I've got a couple that continue into the night.

The boys will start their charging behavior: wings slightly out, head down which is both courtship and challenge depending on the target.

When they forage, the boys tend to either sit down or "stand tall" (swiveling their torso fully upright and stretching their necks out) to keep watch while the females forage.

I find that if your flock is used to you the males are going to be the friendlier ones while the females tend to be more standoffish. The hens will get downright hostile when they're brooding or laying eggs.