Why don't guinea fowl lay eggs. Features of breeding guinea fowl on a home farm

If it occurred to you to have guinea fowls in your yard, then you can forget about boredom for a long time, this is at least. These birds are distinguished by their shyness and rather noisy behavior, so you won’t need to start a guard dog - they do an excellent job with this role, moreover, they even succeed in it. In fact, there is nothing special and complicated in keeping these birds; in this regard, they are not much different from ordinary chickens. In the summer, they actively walk on the street, the main thing for this is to make at least a small canopy for them. The perch can be made in the same place, on the street, because in the summer all life passes there.

It is best to put a common feeder in such a way that each bird can easily approach it and eat calmly, in other words, it should be of the maximum size and comfortable shape. The same requirements are put forward for the drinker, the water in which should be regularly changed at least twice a day.

Guinea fowls are also distinguished by their very friendly and peaceful disposition and feel great in the company of chickens. They fly well, so in order to avoid any trouble with this, it is best to cut their wings by an average of 5 cm every season.

egg production

Traditionally, if you do not violate the rules for keeping guinea fowls, their puberty begins as early as eight months of age. From that time on, they are already freely rushing. If they are grown not in the household, but in a professional one, then they begin to give eggs after six months.

Usually, their puberty can begin both in winter and in autumn, but they fully rush only from spring and not earlier. In addition, this period is still highly dependent on the temperature outside, how long the daylight hours are and the availability of all the necessary vitamins in the body. Therefore, if it somehow shifts, then this directly indicates that one of the above indicators did not reach the required norm or significantly exceeded it, which is also wrong.

On average, the standard egg production of guinea fowls can vary from 70 to 180 eggs per year. This number partly depends on the area where the birds are raised, in which case there is no exact number. For example, in Hungary it does not exceed 170 pieces per year, and in France, England and Canada it can reach 190. History also knows records - 300 pieces or more. This suggests that the potential of guinea fowl is quite high and depends solely on the correctness of their maintenance and feeding.

In principle, guinea fowls are considered a late maturing type of bird, because their maturation period of 8 months is considered quite late. They are also distinguished by a change in the laying pace, which can fluctuate in 2-3 months with periods of attenuation. For the first time, laying hens can produce up to 6 eggs in a row, after which the cycle grows noticeably and decreases at the end of the breeding period, and so on constantly. If the birds grow in a rather mild and relatively warm climate, then they rush already in early March and almost until November. The peak for this falls on May-July.

It is worth noting that the productivity of guinea fowl differs markedly depending on their color. For example, gray individuals give no more than 90 eggs per year, blue - 100, white 110. It is these differences that prevail in terms of productivity more than breed ones, as usual.

What is the difference between guinea fowl eggs and chicken eggs?

As you know, guinea fowl eggs are superior to chicken eggs in many ways. First of all, they differ in that they have properties to persist much longer. This guarantees the complete absence of problems regarding the collection of the required number of eggs for further incubation.

In shape, they are slightly narrowed on the sides like a triangle. Average weight one egg 40 grams. They also differ in a rather hard shell and unusual colors, which can be almost brown, and sometimes speckled.

The collection is best done in the morning and only after that the birds are released for walking. It is advisable to lay the eggs with the blunt end up, so they last longer. It is very important to clean them from contamination, because such eggs will not be suitable for further incubation. For storage, it is important to use a cool room with a temperature of no more than 6 ° C.

How many eggs do guinea fowls give, and what does this number depend on?

Like all laying birds, these can produce varying numbers of eggs even at established annual rates. It depends on many indicators, which necessarily include the correct feeding, care and maintenance.

Those individuals that were previously selected specifically for oviposition must be properly prepared. To do this, it is important to give them food that contains the required amount of vitamins and components. Birds should always be fed twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. If a guinea fowl is well fed and fully exercised, he can easily produce 120 eggs and this is an average number.

It is very important to understand that when they begin to incubate eggs, productivity often decreases, because at this time they are physically unable to rush, as they are busy hatching small cesareans. By the way, at this time they need special care and supervision, because they can hatch chicks in such a place that then it will simply be impossible to find or even get them. That is why it is important for them to prepare the place in advance and let them get used to it, so that later they themselves come there.

Features of breeding guinea fowl at home

Considering the fact that guinea fowls are initially considered very freedom-loving birds, they quickly and easily adapt to household conditions and allow themselves to be kept even indoors, no matter how many there are. But for their normal well-being and healthy development, it is desirable to create for them free access to the street. The main thing is to remember this interesting point- at night you should always send them to sleep indoors, because if they do this on the street, then over time they will very quickly turn into wild ones.

That is why, creating for guinea fowls their favorite free living environment, it is necessary to teach them to come to the feeder at a certain time and not let them go for a walk in the morning until the moment when they lay their eggs.

Based on their vast experience of many farmers regarding the maintenance of guinea fowl, it turned out that these birds are completely unpretentious and do not require any special conditions and premises for life. They also easily and painlessly survive the cold, moreover, they quickly get used to it. By the way, they can be easily kept in the same room with chickens, because, as already mentioned, they will always find mutual language without conflict.

In summer, they require the creation of large paddocks, which are best fenced off with a high mesh of ordinary wire, at least two meters in height, in order to protect themselves from the loss of birds that can easily fly over. Of course, it is very important that the place where they will walk has natural vegetation, in particular, a lot of bushes, so that the guinea fowls feel in their natural environment.

Just in the middle of a standard paddock, you can build a small house, it will be especially relevant in the summer. Birds will always be able to spend the night there closer to night if they do not want to return to the poultry house. Usually they can rarely fly over barriers, especially in large numbers, but there are still isolated cases, so this must be monitored with special care.

Guinea fowl in behavior is very similar to a chicken, for example, she also likes to dig in the ground. That is why it is very important to have sand in their walking area, as well as ash baths.

Proper maintenance and care

In nature, as you know, guinea fowls prefer to live only in pairs. If you breed them in a household, then there is no special need for this, it is enough just to have at least one male for 4 females and this will be quite enough. If you keep them that way, then they can even sit in turn on one nest, no matter how many there are, which will greatly simplify the collection of eggs.

Traditionally, female guinea fowls begin to rush already at the end of February, but fully mate only in March. The fact is that in males, puberty occurs a little later, not earlier than the beginning of spring, and best of all, when the air temperature warms up to at least 17 ° C.

Power features:

You can feed guinea fowl in much the same way as chickens. In this they have no special differences. They are great at eating grain, regular chicken feed and a lot of greens. That's just the greens should be in abundance, its amount should reach 50% of the total daily diet. Also, guinea fowl eat zucchini, pumpkin, cucumbers, apples and boiled potatoes well. In fact, everything that grows in the garden, they willingly eat.

By the way, as already known, they are very fond of pastures, but not everyone can afford to equip enough space for this, so some simply release birds into the garden. In this case, you should not worry about the beds, because the guinea fowl is distinguished by its upbringing and will never rake anything, but on the contrary, it usually walks between the rows and calmly looks for different bugs and worms, and sometimes eats out all the weed, which should be noted as huge advantage of such a walk.

How to properly keep guinea fowl in winter?

For this time of the year, it is very important to create the most dry and warm living conditions for the birds. The poultry house should not fall below 18°C. Best of all, when it is heated, then there will never be problems with temperature changes. It is also very important that the flooring is warm as well. To do this, you can use ordinary sawdust or straw.

It is important to do routine room cleaning at least once a month and change bedding regularly accordingly. In order for the birds to develop normally, they simply need fresh air in winter. In this case, you can use ventilation or at least some kind of ventilation of the room.

There are also certain requirements for lighting - it should be quite long, at least 15 hours a day. It is better to build a perch at least 50 cm above the floor. Guinea fowls can be let out for walks if the temperature outside is not less than -10 ° C.

In winter, in the same way and at any time, you need to fully feed the birds twice a day. These should be standard feeds, and there will also be no extra mix of sour milk and various food waste in the morning. With waste, it is advisable not to throw everything together, but to alternate them by day. Well, for the evening, whole foods or compound feeds are perfect. It is very important, in addition to the main feeders, to put additional containers for chalk and gravel, where also add sand. Guinea fowl are very fond of digging in such places. By the way, if you do everything as described in the maintenance and feeding, then they will freely rush for a whole year.

Igor Nikolaev

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In nature, there are more than 20 species of guinea fowl. Some birds have been domesticated by man. Their breeders used to create breeds for agricultural purposes. Specialists worked mainly with gray-mottled rock. From it came the French, Zagorsk white-breasted poultry. White Siberian and Volga guinea fowls appeared from hybrids that were bred in Hungary.

Now in the courtyards you can see a bird with plumage similar to a vulture or guinea fowl. Breeders improve their adaptive features to a cold climate, work to increase the productivity of individuals. How many eggs can a guinea fowl lay? Why is their egg production not constant?

The guinea fowl makes its first clutch when it develops puberty. In a wild bird, it occurs at 8-10 months. The same development is observed in domesticated birds of the vulture and forelock breed. In females that mature in frequent backyard conditions, the reproductive organs develop faster, at 7-8 months. From this moment, the first laying should be expected. The eggs will be small, up to 28 g. good care and feeding they will increase in size. From an adult guinea fowl, you can get a product of 50 g.

Egg production begins to develop in the warm season. In the central regions of Russia, it falls in March. The duration of egg production is 8-9 months. This is considered a good result. AT winter time the bird does not lay eggs. The reproductive functions of her body are being restored.

In some farms, conditions for birds are created that are identical to the warm season: they withstand a temperature in the chicken coop of 25 C, humidity 60%, daylight hours at 4 pm Under artificially created conditions, it was possible to prolong egg production in winter, but the laying did not differ in large volume. If females rush in winter, then there is a risk that egg production will stop in the spring. This issue is often discussed on the forums. The body of the bird must be rehabilitated after the productive period.

In the egg production of guinea fowl, cyclicity is observed. The laying hen lays eggs for the first 3 months, followed by a pause of 2 weeks. During a pause, the volume of clutch is sharply reduced, the reproductive organs restore their function. Further productivity increases again. Normally, 1 guinea fowl can bring 2 eggs in 3 days.

Nutrition is of great importance for laying hens. It must be balanced and complete. The main part of the diet is cereal mixtures. Females benefit from corn, barley, soybeans. Part of the mixture is given in crushed form. Mixers are made from grain with the addition of green grass and potatoes. As a liquid, reverse, yogurt is used. Mixers stimulate egg production.

Be sure to maintain cleanliness in the aviary and in the chicken coop. The air should be fresh and moderately humid. The premises are ventilated. Ventilation systems are installed in large poultry houses: bird droppings emit a large number of carbon dioxide, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. Guinea fowls have good innate immunity, but in case of non-compliance hygiene requirements they can get sick.

If the guinea fowl have stopped rushing, it is necessary to analyze the following indicators:

puberty;
masonry cycle;
season and climatic conditions region, its geographical location;
daylight hours;
temperature in the enclosure or in the room;
laying hen nutrition;
crowding in the room;
sanitary standards.

They do not make nests for birds, they themselves find a secluded place for masonry. The task of the housekeepers is not to frighten off the layers so that they do not change their place. It is recommended to leave a dummy egg after the nest is freed from masonry.

Unfortunately, not all courtyards can boast of high-quality and voluminous masonry for guinea fowl. The question of egg production is one of the central ones in numerous forums of courtyards. Experts recommend taking a closer look at the birds and their conditions of keeping in order to establish the reasons for the lack of masonry. They may lie on the surface. When purchasing livestock, males were purchased, not females. It is necessary to determine the sex of birds:

females are larger than males;
their plumage is restrained, dim;
the beak of males is massive with a large outgrowth at the base;
grew on the head of females less; earrings are weakly expressed.

If there are a large number of females in the herd, then further analysis is carried out, it is possible that the females have not reached sexual maturity. If the individuals are already more than 8 months old, then it is necessary to stimulate puberty. To do this, resort to the following activities:

It is worth paying attention to the fact that meat breeds of guinea fowls ripen later, at 8-9 months. Their laying is smaller than that of birds of egg productivity. For 3 days laying hens bring 1 egg.

It is necessary to normalize the nutrition of livestock. Foods such as potatoes, carrots, green grass stimulate egg production. In the morning it is recommended to give a mash with whole grains, vegetables, grass and gravel. Crushed dry mixes are used for evening feeding. The diet may consist of the following ingredients:

for mixers: 30 g of grain, 50 g of potatoes, 30 g of grass, 60 g of meat and bone meal, 50 g of yogurt;
in the evening they give 120 g of crushed grain mixture and 60 g of meat and bone meal;
gravel per 1 head is 60 g; it is added to the mixer or poured into a separate container.

Potatoes are washed from dirt, all offshoots are cut off. They are poisonous to birds. The peel is left. It contains a lot of trace elements. Pay attention to the fact that the tubers are not damaged, rotten, do not have a green color. Potatoes are boiled and mashed. Serve separately or in the form of mash.

With intense crowding, birds may develop poorly. For individuals that are kept in a chicken coop, the following standards are maintained: no more than 3 heads can be located per 1 m 2. During the construction of an aviary, from 50 cm 2 to 2 m 2 is allocated for 1 individual. Birds must be active. Exercise helps to increase egg production, stimulates laying.

If all rules and regulations are followed, all physiological features taken into account, but for some reason the females do not rush, then they resort to feeding the livestock with vitamin complexes. Guinea fowl are fed once a week. Choose any cocktails: Rex Vital, Undevit, Vittri. Stimulates appetite, bowel and reproductive organs green onion. It is given no more than 20 g per head: added to the mash.

Before complaining about laying hens that they do not develop egg production, it is necessary to explore all corners of the chicken coop or aviary. The bird hides its clutch. Such an instinct is inherent in her nature. She must save the nest from destruction. Sometimes individuals cover the nest with earth.

For guinea fowl, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for existence. Particularly sensitive to stressful situations females. They experience stress if they are transferred to a new enclosure, when they are fed new food, if they are in drinkers cold water. Females are adversely affected by short daylight hours and lack of exercise. In order for their egg production to develop at the right time, it is necessary to protect them from situations that cause stress.

When they start laying eggs is a question for a novice farmer, as experienced specialists have checked everything from their own experience.

Wild nature did not allow individuals to mature prematurely, and the first clutch began at 8 months.

Farmers say that the duration of this procedure should not be accelerated, and the influence of enzymes in feed added for rapid maturation reduces the quality of the taste of eggs.

Although the last word always remains with the consumer.

Guinea fowl, when they begin to rush, by this fact they speak of their maturation for breeding offspring. Good home care, feed given out according to the regime favorably affects the growth and development of birds.

The feather of wild guinea fowls is dark in color, and in humans they gradually began to lighten, and now a color with shades has been highlighted:

gray
white
blue

They still remain strong birds, with hardy legs, sometimes wanting to run.

The egg production of one female reaches up to 15 pieces in the first month, since laying occurs in a day. Then the process will increase with the onset of warm summer days, and eggs will start appearing in the nest daily. Basically, an adult guinea fowl rushes for 8 to 9 months.

The number of productivity decreases with each year of habitation, the most egg-laying individuals were found without excess fat, kept in a poultry house with a good microclimate, warm and dry. The decrease in the number of products is replaced by an increase in size, and if in the first year the egg weighs within 40 grams. by the second it becomes up to 46 gr.

Males mature later, the farmer needs to take this into account when he is just picking up a couple for a subsequent divorce, that the first eggs are suitable only for food, but not for laying in a laying hen's nest. In the broodstock, it is better to take older caesar females.

Natural processes can be accelerated only artificially, by adding various substances, and assurances in the markets of merchants about the industrial breeding of special breeds are a common bluff. The birds of this species are very thermophilic, and the factors affecting their egg production:

duration of illumination of the place of detention
space heating
feed ration
proper organization of content

With the onset of cold weather, they stop rushing, so a zealous owner takes care of a warm house in advance, calculates the duration of daylight hours, extending it with artificial lighting.

How long does productivity last?

Their benefits for the human body of cerca eggs have long been known to nutritionists, so they have received demand from the population.

The older the exotic chicken, the fewer eggs it has, so farmers, even with good care, try to change queens on time, every 3 years they are kept in the herd.

It is important to understand that the behavior of these birds is different from domestic chickens, they do not have the habit of rushing in one place, so the product can be found anywhere in the aviary, and even in the bushes when walking. The owner will not release the bird for a walk until the laying procedure has been completed.

If the right conditions are created, the individual gets used to the regime and lays an egg before lunchtime and calmly goes for a walk. Product collection should be carried out as follows:

in the first part of the day
stack vertically in sections
take only clean eggs
store in cool rooms

The farmer brings conditions closer to natural conditions, but improving the condition of barns and feed only increases productivity. Egg production of one female was recorded up to 300 eggs per year, in exceptional cases even more. This fact indicates that the potential of the breed can be developed to great efficiency.

How best to formulate a diet

The nutrition of guinea fowl differs little from ordinary ones - it is important that the feed contains a list of what is necessary for the body and the formation of a healthy egg minerals. The most useful compound feeds have been developed that affect the level of productivity and increase egg production. The cellular way of keeping allows you to give out food in the morning and in the evening, they love green grass, searching for bugs in it.

The menu diet differs from summer to winter, the owner monitors the strengthening of immunity with three meals a day:

cereals - oats, barley, wheat
fish meal
vegetable sedum
clover hay
Christmas tree needles
fish oil
salt

For the herd to survive well winter period, increase the vitamin composition and the amount of grain in the feed.

In the spring, natural feeding will begin:

nettle
first
birch leaves
swan and

The chicken coop should be provided with comfortable drinking bowls with clean, fresh water. It should be understood that wildlife hardens any living creature, home care relaxes, immunity is less resistant to disease. Therefore, the cleanliness of the enclosures, the freshness nutrients must be observed without fail so as not to create conditions for the development of pathogenic bacteria in the poultry house, their defeat of the entire livestock and as a result of death.

For this:

prepare special rooms, equip feeders
maintain temperature control
barn ventilate and humidify
perches
conduct electricity for lighting
provide fortified food
cover the floors with shavings, straw

In such a chicken coop, birds freely winter without disease and death.

Is everything good in guinea fowl eggs

African chicken eggs are speckled on a rough, slightly elongated surface, their large specimens are smaller than chicken ones, but they retain their fresh properties longer.

This happens thanks to an unusually strong shell, from which:

You can store products in + 10 degrees. six months
protects against the penetration of infections a strong shell and a small
surface porosity

Positive properties:

a large percentage of vitamins
no allergens
excellent raw taste, including the yolk
the carotenoids that make up the composition create resistance to infection

The uniqueness of the shell should be emphasized. Even doctors recommend using it in some cases in a crushed form.

In addition to the high content of organic calcium in the composition, the content of:

gland
molybdenum
phosphorus
zinc
silicon

Nutritionists advise eating 2 eggs per day if you have:

anemia
lack of vitamins in the body
stress
gastric diseases
increased weight
pathology in the nervous system
during pregnancy and after
metabolic disorders
symptoms of weakness
postoperative period

Guinea fowl eggs are useful for inclusion in the diet of children. It should be noted that overeating is harmful even to the most delicious and healthy product.

Especially you need to beware of consumption:

patients of polyclinics with sick kidneys and liver
babies and adults after vaccination, weakened immunity during this period
may cause an allergic reaction

Like any product, it may not be tolerated by certain people, for whom eggs are generally contraindicated for a number of isolated signs.

Cosmetologists have found their positive qualities in the properties of the egg substance, they prepare masks that:

relieve the skin of unpleasant shine
add elasticity to the body
strengthen hair

So far, it is rare to find guinea fowl eggs on free sale, but farmers do sell, and many consumers are willing to spend money on tasty and healthy food.

About the dietary properties of guinea fowl eggs - on the video:

The birthplace of this interesting bird tamed by man is Western and Central South Africa. There, in turn, she migrated from Africa, through Ancient Rome and Greece. For many years, guinea fowls were grown exclusively for decorative purposes, now you can get high-quality egg products from them. How to select the hatching egg of this representative of the chicken family correctly, what is the mode of incubation, at what time do the birds start laying eggs and how many pieces can they give, we will talk in our article.

Breeding poultry in our country often becomes a small business of their own - farmers understand that it is profitable to do this. To get healthy young animals and be able to sell them, as well as delicious eggs, breeding birds as a business will require the owner to create the proper conditions.

Growing royal chicken, as it is also called, should be carried out in a special warm and clean room. They coexist perfectly with each other and other types of poultry. Which is another argument to organize bird breeding as a business.

Store hatching eggs long time. The weight of each copy is normally 40 - 42 grams. Guinea fowl eggs are somewhat triangular in shape. The eggshell has a light brown or reddish surface, on which small blotches are visualized. Eggshells are usually very hard.

For laying in the apparatus, it is recommended to select eggs that have a clean surface. They are advised to be stored in a dark and cool room, folding with a blunt end upwards. Preliminary for hatching eggs, it is important to conduct candling. Check the weight, inspect the shell for damage. Each egg should have one yolk. The optimal surface thickness is from 0.55. Fertilization rates are typically around 81% and hatchability from such carefully selected eggs can be expected to be 75%. This information is important for farmers who plan to start poultry farming as a small business.

Egg incubation mode

When you have selected products that are normal in all respects, studied them under an ovoscope, it is necessary to irradiate the eggs with ultraviolet light. This procedure is mandatory for your business, as it is an excellent stimulation of the development of the embryo and can increase the hatchability of babies by 7%.

To conduct competent incubation, you will need a specially equipped cabinet, in which the temperature regime for a dry thermometer is 37.5, and for a wet one - somewhere around 29 degrees.

When the eggs are fully prepared, they are placed in a well-ventilated chamber. Humidity in it should be about 80%, temperature - at the level of 12 degrees. The stay of the eggs there will not exceed a week.

For your business to be profitable, it is important to follow all stages of incubation. Eggs are disinfected with formaldehyde vapors. The first two weeks, the humidity in the incubator should be 60%, the temperature should be 37.8. In the next 14 - 24 days, the humidity should be reduced to 47%, and the temperature - to 37.5. Remember to do your own regular egg turns about 3 times a day. In some models of devices, this function is done automatically, since it is embedded in the program.

In order to establish a normal business, be prepared to spend some money on the purchase of a high-quality modern incubator.

When the incubation begins to end, inspect the specimens. Unfertilized eggs and eggs with dead embryos will have to be removed. Normal ones are placed in a cabinet where incubation is carried out for 27 - 28 days, the humidity index is maintained at 58%, the temperature is set to 37 degrees.

As a small business, they are born in several stages. Chicks squeak and peck at the surface of the shell. Then they begin to hatch, which usually drags on for a day.

When the guinea fowl are carried

The period from which birds usually rush is highly dependent on the breed and the conditions created for its breeding and maintenance. Experts say that such birds will rush at the age of 8 months, sometimes earlier.

When breeding laying hens own business, realistically reduce the time before birds start laying and increase the number of egg products received from them. For this, birds must be kept in special sheds or comfortable cages, and compound feed should be present in their daily diet instead of the usual food. Then the birds rush already 6 months after the offspring is born. If, when breeding guinea fowls, floor keeping in a barn is used, then they will begin to rush by the middle of the autumn period or in winter. Sometimes such birds rush starting next year. How long the egg-laying will last will directly depend on the amount of light in each day, whether there are any failures of the optimal temperature regime premises, nutritional diet of birds.

Why do guinea fowl eggs compare favorably with the products of other poultry? They have excellent palatability. Attracts what they are capable of for a long time stored before placing in the incubator. But one should not think that such products have no more advantages, there are many more.

How many eggs does a guinea fowl give

Breeding birds of this breed has become profitable business already for many farmers in our country. Why are they concerned about the question of how many these birds are rushing, how much product can be obtained from them? because this information allows, when breeding and growing these layers, to calculate the amount of expected profit from its sale.

There is nothing complicated in the answer to this important question. As mentioned earlier, much is determined by the creation of optimal conditions for keeping poultry. If adults live in a warm, cozy poultry house, receive high-quality feed with a full range of nutrients every day, are transferred to two meals a day, and have the opportunity to free-range during the daytime, then their productivity is quite high.

Each satisfied with life a bird can bring its owner about 120 pieces of product per year. But keep in mind that if the female starts to sit on the nest, her productivity will decrease. The fact is that birds of this species, while hatching future offspring, completely cease to produce egg products.

Video “Royal chicken on a farm”

From this video you will learn why it is profitable to breed this poultry and what are the features of keeping it in a private farm.

Today, many farmers are raising birds such as guinea fowl. In appearance, they are nothing like any other bird. This feathered representative can grow both at home and in wild nature.

Guinea fowls have a dark color, strong legs, and it is thanks to them that they can easily run a distance of 20 kg. One female can lay about 15 eggs.

When guinea fowls begin to lay eggs, this is a special period in the life of birds. In the wild, the bird hatches chicks for 25 days. The male at the same time sits with a crotch.

Guinea fowls that live with people are lighter in color compared to their wild relatives, but domestic laying hens produce more eggs. Their weight also increases due to special feed. All this is due to the fact that at home bird care is good. Birds are very calm and hardy.

Many novice farmers wonder when guinea fowls start laying eggs. However, there is no clear timing. In the wild, the first eggs of a bird begin to be produced at about the age of 8 months, however, if birds are used in production, then most often they are laid for the first time at 6 months. This is due to the fact that in large enterprises their puberty is accelerated by special additives. If there is no special food, then maturation will come a little later.

Females rush when they reach puberty, which occurs in them at about 32-40 weeks. In the male, this age is slightly longer, that is, when females of the same age reach sexual maturity, the males will still be too young to fertilize the hens.

The number of eggs in the laying period

At what age do guinea fowls give eggs is understandable, but how much is a question. They rush for about 2-3 months, and then stop for a while. During the first cycle, hens can carry 2-6 eggs in a row, after which the number can increase several times more.

If the birds live in a warm climate, then they can rush in February, but the greatest activity is observed from May to July. If the birds are kept in conditions where light and climate can be controlled, then the laying period can be 9 months.

How guinea fowl rush depends on several factors. Necessary to find out genetic basis birds and home conditions. Also, the number of eggs is affected by weather, nutrition and vitamins. Under good house conditions, laying hens can lay between 70 and 180 eggs per year. Also, the amount depends on the age of the chicken: the older it is, the fewer eggs.

Terms of egg laying of guinea fowl

How long do guinea fowls rush? The answer is simple: every year egg production will decrease by 5-20%, but there are exceptions: some birds can lay much longer than expected. The size of the eggs depends only on the size of the bird itself.

If the guinea fowls start laying ahead of time, then a large number of eggs can be expected from them per day.

How many eggs a guinea fowl carries in one cycle is known: about 15 pieces. There are also breeds that give 1-2 eggs every day. A good amount is obtained per month. Some wonder how often birds give eggs. If the guinea fowl is properly maintained, it can give eggs both every day and several times a day. The older the bird, the more eggs it has. At 10-12 months they can weigh 40 g, and at 22-24 months they can reach 46 g.

How many eggs a chicken will lay in its life depends primarily on home conditions.

How to speed up the egg production process and what affects it

From what age young female guinea fowls are known to lay, but how to increase the number of eggs. In order to do this, you need to keep their birds in the right home conditions. If you follow them, then there will be no such questions as to why the birds stopped rushing or because of which they begin to give eggs later than the allotted time.

Feed for birds should contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals. When choosing food, you should also pay attention to how old the guinea fowl is. Great for birds, special compound feed is suitable. If the bird does not sit in a cage, but is on a walk, then it is worth giving it food 2 times a day. Chickens are very fond of greens and a variety of insects that allow their body to function normally.

There should always be clean and fresh water in the chicken coop. Birds can stay all day fresh air, but when they return to the barn, they must have something to eat and drink.

It is important to know that these birds do not lay their eggs in nests, they can stack them in one place or lose them somewhere in the grass while walking. Clever farmers try not to let the guinea fowl out of the enclosure before lunch, so that later they do not collect eggs throughout the household yard. At right conditions keeping chickens before lunch should lay eggs, and then birds can be freely released for walking.

In order for the guinea fowl to actively lay eggs, she needs a warm room with good lighting. For 1 sq. m should account for no more than 5 birds. In this situation, birds actively begin to lay eggs.

If suddenly the chickens stopped giving eggs for no reason, then the problem may be in poor lighting. It plays a very important role, and if you just fix it, everything will return to normal.

From 3 weeks of age, daylight hours should be reduced every week by one hour. At 5 months, lighting should be at least 8 hours.

Guinea fowl stop laying around from October-November.

When the light day reaches the mark of 8 hours, the chicken begins to actively molt. A few months later, the process resumes. In order for birds to rush in winter, they need additional lighting and heating: the light must be on from 7 am to 10 pm.

How to care for birds

Guinea fowls have very good immunity, but in winter they need proper care, so you need to provide them with the following conditions:

A special room with feeders should be prepared.
Need to support correct temperature For this, the room must have heating.
The room must be ventilated and humidified.
Perches should be located at a height of 60 cm.
There must be lighting.
It is important to give food that contains all the necessary vitamins. The diet should include fish oil, dairy products, grains and a variety of feed.
On the floor you need to lay shavings or straw.

If you follow all these rules, the birds will easily survive the winter. With this content, the eggs will be all year round. You need to walk chickens in winter, but not in severe frosts.

How guinea fowl breed

Guinea fowls are very interesting birds, and they do not always want to breed. In this case, incubation is used.

In order for breeding to give a result, you need to provide the conditions for this. Guinea fowl can incubate offspring in different places, it can be both a hole and a nest. For breeding, birds lay up to 8 eggs, so if you keep guinea fowls at home, you should make special nests for them. You need to constantly monitor the bird so as not to miss the moment of birth of offspring.
If you find a place where a chicken laid eggs, you can put up to 20 more pieces there. It is necessary to inspect the nest only in the evening, so that the bird does not leave the nest. Guinea fowls incubate offspring for about 26-28 days, but this period may be longer or shorter. Guinea fowls have very complex nature and weak parental instinct, so it is difficult to accurately determine the boundaries of incubation time.
If you constantly watch these birds, you will notice that many of them do not even sit out. Often they do not care for babies, although there are cases when females simply do not leave their cubs.
There are four females per male. With the advent of spring, the male begins to actively fertilize his females. It is in the spring that approximately 80% of the eggs can be used for incubators.
Eggs for the incubator can be stored for a long time. The weight of one egg for breeding offspring should be at least 40 g. Guinea fowl eggs are slightly different from chicken eggs in that they are triangular in shape, and their shell is light brown in color.
Before laying eggs in an incubator, you must first select the highest quality ones. For such an apparatus, only those that have a clean shell should be used. It is necessary to lay them with a blunt end up. Also, before laying, check whether all the eggs are fertilized, inspect them for damage and check the weight. An egg should have only one yolk.
After the eggs are selected, they must be irradiated with ultraviolet light: this allows you to speed up the development of the embryo. In order to properly breed offspring, it is necessary to make a special box or cabinet for incubation. The temperature in it should leave 37.5 ° C, and humidity - 29%.
After the eggs have been prepared, they must be placed in a ventilation chamber, the humidity in which will be 80%, and the temperature will be within 12 ° C. They should be stored in this chamber for at least one week.

All stages of incubation are very important for the development of offspring, you can not do without any of them. To disinfect eggs, you need to use formaldehyde. After laying eggs for 2 weeks, it is important to maintain a temperature of 37.8 ° C and a humidity of 60%. On the following days, the temperature should be two degrees lower, and the humidity should be 47%. You should also turn the eggs 3 times a day.

Thus, when guinea fowls begin to rush, it is important not to guard, and also to provide the birds with proper care. The more comfortable and safe the bird feels, the better for its egg production and, as a result, the farming business improves.