Practical Guide To Support Effective Feeding Of Your Guinea Fowl Flock
Feeding is very crucial to the health and productivity of your poultry flock (irrespective of the bird you are raising). Giving proper nutrition ensure strong growth, high egg production and disease resistance in the flock. For your guinea fowl flock, the following are practical guides that could help you optimize your feeding procedure-
Provide balanced nutrition
Raising a healthy guinea fowl flock starts with ensuring the birds receive well-balanced diet with the right proportion of all essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Guinea fowl demand high content of protein in their feed –20-24% is ideal for keets, while 16-18% is suitable for adult birds. The high protein starter feed for keets supports –
- Proper development
- Rapid growth
- Build strong immunity
Gradually reduce protein as they grow
As the guinea fowl mature, the protein requirement for growth gradually reduces to match their energy needs. At about 12 weeks old, the birds need less of protein but more of energy-based feed (carbohydrate) to sustain their daily activities, egg production (if a guinea hen) and overall health status. Protein requirement at 12 weeks is just about 16 -18%
Provide grits to support digestion
Guinea fowl do not have teeth to crush their feed, therefore, it is necessary to provide some grits in their diet which helps to grind their food in the gizzard to reduce the risk of digestive blockage and improve digestion, Calcium is an example of soluble grit recommended for the flock feed.
Avoid overfeeding
Excess feeding beyond what the birds need for growth is a waste that could also lead to obesity. Obesity that impact on the activeness of the bird causing reduced mobility and egg production. Keep track of what the flock can consume within 30 minutes to 45 minutes and monitor growth rate. Sudden drop in appetite is mostly an indication of stress or sickness among the flock. Therefore, while overfeeding is discouraged, loss of appetite must not be taken for granted but noted as a signal for keen observation of the flock.
Maintain regular feeding schedule
To establish a routine that could also impact positively in training the flock to return to their shelter after wandering around in free-range during the day, feeding the flock at a regular timing is essential. This also reduce stress and ensure that all the birds get their required nutrient. However, it is important to properly space feeders to prevent bullying, overcrowding and uneven feed distribution among the flock.
Prevent feed contamination
Store feed properly to keep it dry, as well as, free from mold, rodent and insect infestation. Contaminated feed (such as damp or moldy feed) can cause digestive issues and disease infections which is dangerous to the vitality of the flock.
Introduce free-range feeding for variety
Guinea fowl are foragers and thrive well where they search for their own food like insect, vegetable, seeds and small animals. Allowing the flock to free-range includes more choice variety to their diet, thereby, improving their diet and reducing relatively cost of feeding the flock.
Provide clean and fresh water always
Guinea fowl need a lot of water which helps them to regulate body temperate, improve digestion process and improve feed in-take, however, it is not just about giving water to the flock, water served to the flock must be clean and fresh. Therefore, it is important to regularly change the flock’s water to prevent contamination. Giving contaminated water to the flock, makes the birds vulnerable to infectious disease(s)
Implication of poor feeding process on your guinea fowl flock
The importance of proper feeding in ensuring a strong, healthy and productive flock cannot be overemphasized. It is necessary to note that proper feeding of the flock is not just about the feed but an encompassing process of what, when, where and how the flock is been fed. The process of proper feeding starts by providing high quality feed with the necessary nutrient(s) at each growth stage of the flock, also, ensure availability of clean and fresh water always.
When the feeding procedure is inadequate, it leads to malnutrition in the flock which impacts negatively on the overall wellbeing of the birds. Malnourished flock may exhibit symptoms like –
- Stunted growth
- Feather problems
- Reduced egg production
- Weakness in the birds
- Weight loss,
- Susceptibility to disease, etc.
Overtime, malnutrition can result in high mortality rate, reduced fertility, Lowe market value of farm produce, etc. To avoid these setbacks associated with malnutrition, the farmer must invest in quality feed and proper feeding schedule.
Conclusion –
Proper feeding is key to raising strong and disease-resistant guinea fowl flock – don’t let malnutrition limit your farm success. Start implementing a proper and balanced feeding process for your flock to optimize the growth and productivity of the birds.
Need more guidance on the feeding of your guinea fuel flock? Drop a comment or reach out to us- we are here to help you.
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Read more –https://poultrygist.com.ng/2025/03/guinea-fowl-farming-challenges-and-solution/
