GUINEA-FOWLS.
The Guinea-fowl, Gallina, or Pintado (_Numida Meleagris_), is the true
meleagris of the ancients, a term generically applied by Belon,
Aldrovandus, and Gesner to the turkey, and now retained, although the
error is acknowledged, in order to prevent confusion. It is a native of
Africa, where it is extensively distributed. They associate in large
flocks and frequent open glades, the borders of forests, and banks of
rivers, which offer abundant supplies of grain, berries, and insects, in
quest of which they wander during the day, and collect together at
evening, and roost in clusters on the branches of trees or shrubs.
Several other wild species are known, some of which are remarkable for
their beauty; but the common Guinea-fowl is the only one domesticated in
Europe. The Guinea-fowl is about twenty-two inches long, and from
standing high on its legs, and having loose, full plumage, appears to be
larger than it really is, for when plucked it does not weigh more than
an ordinary Dorking. It is very plump and well-proportioned. The
Guinea-fowl is not bred so much as the turkey in England or France, is
very rare in the northern parts of Europe, and in India is bred almost
exclusively by Europeans, although it thrives as well there as in its
native country. It "is turbulent and restless," says Mr. Dickson,
"continually moving from place to place, and domineering over the whole
poultry-yard, boldly attacking even the fiercest turkey cock, and
keeping all in alarm by its petulant pugnacity"; and the males, although
without spurs, can inflict serious injury on other poultry with their
short, hard beaks. The Guinea-fowls make very little use of their wings,
and if forced to take to flight, fly but a short distance, then alight,
and trust to their rapid mode of running, and their dexterity in
threading the mazes of brushwood and dense herbage, for security. They
are shy, wary, and alert.
It is not much kept, its habits being wandering, and requiring an
extensive range, but as it picks up nearly all its food, and is very
prolific, it may be made very profitable in certain localities. The
whole management of both the young and the old may be precisely the same
as that of turkeys, in hatching, feeding, and fattening. This "species,"
says Mr. Dickson, "differs from all other poultry, in its being
difficult to distinguish the cock from the hen, the chief difference
being in the colour of the wattles, which are more of a red hue in the
cock, and more tinged with blue in the hen. The cock has also a more
stately strut."
They mate in pairs, and therefore an equal number of cocks and hens must
be kept, or the eggs will prove unfertile. To obtain stock, some of
their eggs must be procured, and placed under a common hen; for if old
birds are bought, they will wander away for miles in search of their old
home, and never return. They should be fed regularly, and must always
have one meal at night, or they will scarcely ever roost at home. They
will not sleep in the fowl-house, but prefer roosting in the lower
branches of a tree, or on a thick bush, and retire early. They make a
peculiar, harsh, querulous noise, which is oft-repeated, and not
agreeable. The hens are prolific layers, beginning in May, and
continuing during the whole summer. Their eggs are small, but of
excellent flavour, of a pale yellowish red, finely dotted with a darker
tint, and remarkable for the hardness of the shell. The hen usually lays
on a dry bank, in secret places; and a hedgerow a quarter of a mile off
is quite as likely to contain her nest as any situation nearer her home.
She is very shy, and, if the eggs are taken from her nest, will desert
it, and find another; a few should, therefore, always be left, and it
should never be visited when she is in sight. But she often contrives to
elude all watching, and hatch a brood, frequently at a late period,
when the weather is too cold for the chickens. As the Guinea-fowl seldom
shows much disposition to incubate if kept under restraint, and
frequently sits too late in the season to rear a brood in this country,
it is a general practice to place her eggs under a common fowl--Game and
Bantams are the best for the purpose. About twenty of the earliest eggs
should be set in May. The Guinea-hen will hatch another brood when she
feels inclined. They sit for twenty-six to twenty-nine or thirty days.
When she sits in due season she generally rears a large brood, twenty
not being an unusual number.
The chickens are very tender, and should not be hatched too early in
spring, as a cold March wind is generally fatal to them. They must be
treated like those of the turkey, and as carefully. They should be fed
almost immediately, within six hours of being hatched, abundantly, and
often; and they require more animal food than other chickens. Egg boiled
hard, chopped very fine, and mixed with oatmeal, is the best food. They
will die if kept without food for three or four hours; and should have a
constant supply near them until they are allowed to have full liberty
and forage for themselves. They will soon pick up insects, &c., and will
keep themselves in good condition with a little extra food. They are
very strong on their legs, and those hatched under common hens may be
allowed to range with her at the end of six weeks, and be fed on the
same food and at the same times as other chickens.
The Guinea-fowl may be considered as somewhat intermediate between the
pheasant and turkey. After the pheasant season, young birds that have
been hatched the same year are excellent substitutes for that fine game,
and fetch a fair price. They should never be fattened, but have a good
supply of grain and meal for a week or two before being killed. The
flesh of the young bird is very delicate, juicy, and well-flavoured, but
the old birds, even of the second year, are dry, tough, and tasteless.