We made the trek to pick up our 3 1/2 dozen Jumbo Pearl Guineas on the 27th of May! We've had them on our farm before and are happy to have added these crazy birds back. I did forget how they sleep "full out" so I had a scare the first morning I checked on them. If I can sneak up on them, I will add a picture of how they sleep. Soon, we will be hearing "buck wheat, buck wheat, buck wheat!!" Their meat is considered a delicacy.
Our goal is to raise a few for gourmet meals, let a few loose to patrol our farm, put a few in tunnels in the garden, and keep a few breeders to lay eggs to hatch in the incubator for keet sales next year. We can also sell the beautiful feathers to local artisans. As with all farm related things, we'll see how it goes!
The guinea fowl we had at Williamsburg's Fat Canary was delicious! We highly recommend the restaurant and their "Free-Range Guinea Fowl, Gnocchi, Root Vegetables, Black Trumpet Mushroom, Scallion."
"Do you have snakes? Guineas hate snakes and will kill any they come across. Do you have ticks? That's their favorite food. They are also known as "the farmers watch dog" because they warn you, your live stock, and each other when anything threatening is in sight." Read more here.
"The Guinea hen, presumably happily married, will begin to lay anytime from the end of March through mid-May, and will continue through the end of August, producing 60 to one hundred eggs. Lewis Wright advises setting the April and May eggs, although the guinea hen will usually not go broody until August." Read more here.
"Guineafowl are equipped with strong claws and scratch in loose soil for food much like domestic chickens, but are much less destructive in the garden as they seldom uproot growing plants." read more here.
