Guinea fowl: how to distinguish a female from a male, what are the differences and methods for determining sex

Guinea fowls are relatives of chickens and turkeys. They are not yet very common in poultry farms, but the excellent taste of meat and egg production of birds, as well as the breeding of new productive breeds, allow us to talk about the high profitability of their breeding. How to distinguish a female guinea fowl from a male, this question is asked by those who first started a bird in their own household.

Why know the difference

Guinea fowl are calm, shy birds with excellent egg production. An adult lays 120 eggs per year, their weight is up to 50 grams. Feathered meat is tender, dietary, quickly cooked, has excellent taste characteristics.Large feathered, adult females weigh about 2 kilograms, males - up to 1.8 kilograms.

Because these birds are polygamous, the number of males in the population of guinea fowls is much less than females. There are 5-6 females per male. This ratio of birds allows you to get the largest number of fertilized eggs and make the occupation profitable. Fertility exceeds 75%, guinea fowl survive well in incubation hatching.

A large number of males will provoke fights between them, reduce fertility. That is why a poultry farmer who wants to breed guinea fowl should learn to determine their gender.

Choosing chicks, they prefer strong moving babies with sparkling eyes. You can buy adults and wait for oviposition, but it should be borne in mind that these feathered shy ones, if a bird leaves the nest with fear, it is impossible to force it to sit back, so the eggs are taken from under the hen, the chicks are hatched in an incubator.Buying adult stock will cost significantly more for a beginner poultry farmer.

It is possible to distinguish birds by their external features, habits, voice and physiological (genital) differences. Since the day-old chicks are the same in size and color, it is possible to determine the sex of the baby only after examining the cloaca. This must be done carefully so as not to scare or injure the chick. Frightened, the chick pinches the cloaca, then the examination will hurt him.

Differences in physiological structure

Hatched chicks weigh no more than 30 grams and are covered with brown down. They do not have external sexual differences. He althy chicks have clean down, strong paws and shiny, curious eyes.

To correctly form a livestock, you should learn to distinguish a rooster from a chicken when buying. To do this, follow:

• take the chick firmly and carefully and turn it on its back, laying it on the palm of your hand;
• calm the baby by stroking the back, then lightly press the lower abdomen so that the cloaca protrudes;
• carefully examine the cloaca, the discovered tubercle indicates that the chick belongs to the male sex;
• smooth cloaca without tubercle belongs to the female.

To clearly see the differences in the absence of experience, you should compare chicks of different sexes. Manipulations with birds should be done with hands wearing sterile gloves so as not to bring infection into the cloaca. In the absence of knowledge, it is better to entrust this to specialists or a person with extensive experience. It is more convenient to consider chicks when buying together with an assistant.

If the chicks are purchased from a breeder who values his reputation, you don’t have to worry, newcomers will be helped to choose chicks and will be given comprehensive advice on their cultivation, nutrition and maintenance, they will issue documents.

Be especially careful when buying chicks in the market. It is necessary to choose carefully so that there are no more males than females. The older the guinea fowl, the easier it is to determine its sex using this method.

The difference between a female and a male in appearance

Growing up birds are easy to distinguish from each other by differences in appearance. The female guinea fowl is always larger than the male. Guinea fowl at 5 months weighs 1 kilogram, body length - about 45 centimeters, height - up to 50 centimeters. Caesar weighs 0.8-0.85 kilograms, length - up to 40 centimeters. When the number of young animals is mixed, it becomes easy to distinguish between their sexes by size. After 8 months of age, the bird is considered sexually mature, females begin to rush. Grown up birds are distinguished not only by their size.

The head of the guinea fowl is much smaller than that of the caesar, despite the large size of the body. Girls have a shorter neck, while walking they keep their heads straight, males with a longer neck tilt their heads forward.

Gender of guinea fowl can be determined by carefully looking at the shape of the beak. At the Caesar, it is large, wide, with a base covered with bright red skin, strongly protruding nostrils, and large growths around. The cere in males is bright red and protrudes strongly, forming a noticeable bump.

Guinea fowl - the owner of a more elegant "nose". It is smaller, thinner and longer, with less intense coloration (pink, reddish or orange). The nostrils are neat, inconspicuous, the growths around the beak are insignificant, the cere is smaller.

The comb of boys is larger than that of guinea fowls, and is slightly bent towards the back. The guinea fowl has a smaller comb, without bends. Earrings are located under the beak of the guinea fowl. By their location, it is easy to distinguish a male from a female at a mature age. Caesar is the owner of large bright earrings, as if slightly turned outward. They are bright red.The size and color of the earrings is a sign of the status of the male among relatives, the brighter and larger they are, the more attractive the caesar is for females.

The guinea fowl has smaller earrings, they hang parallel to the cheeks, without protruding, they are pink, orange or reddish. With age, the earrings of birds become coarser, lose their color intensity, and it becomes difficult to distinguish birds on this basis. The girl quickly acquires feathers, the female is darker in color than the male.

How to distinguish the gender of birds by behavioral features

Caesars are aggressive birds. If there are 3-4 males in a flock, they will certainly start a fight, so families of 1 male and 5-6 females should be separated and kept in separate enclosures.

Important: guinea fowl get along easily with other birds (chickens, ducks).

Caesaris love to spread their tail, this is how they attract females. This is especially noticeable during the mating season.The head and tail of females are always lowered, they do not show aggression, they are peaceful and shy. The female looks calm, the males with their heads held high and protruding forward are always ready to argue for her or their place in the pack.

Differences in sounds produced

Gender differences of guinea fowls are noticeable in the voice of birds. Guinea fowls are noisy birds, they like to "talk" among themselves. Their voice is loud, the male makes lingering sounds with periodic crackling. Females have a more melodious voice, they make the sound "u-a" on a high note without crackling.

It is not difficult to breed guinea fowls, they easily get along in the house, large in size. Maintenance does not require significant costs, while the cost of meat is high, due to the rarity of birds in farmsteads. Cafes and restaurants acquire an exotic bird, providing profitability to the business. All investments quickly pay off, farms acquire new regular customers, and delicious nutritious dishes appear on the tables.

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