Guinea Fowl Farming: A Rising Trend in Kenya

Guinea fowl farming is steadily gaining popularity in Kenya as an alternative poultry venture. Though still in its infancy, commercial rearing of guinea fowls is attracting interest from farmers seeking nutritious meat, quality eggs, and even ornamental birds.

Guinea fowls

Guinea fowls are primarily raised for their meat and eggs. Their meat is lean, tender, and flavorful, comparable to other game birds, and is rich in essential fatty acids. Additionally, some farmers keep guinea fowls for their unique appearance and ornamental value. A mature common guinea fowl typically weighs around 2 kg, with males being slightly smaller than females.

Varieties of Guinea Fowl

There are several types of guinea fowls:

• Numida meleagris (Common or Red-Wattled Guinea Fowl): This domestic strain is widely distributed around the world.

• Numida ptilorhyncha: Found mainly in Madagascar and Reunion, it exists both in the wild and domesticated forms.

Advantages of Guinea Fowls Over Other Poultry

Guinea fowls offer several benefits that make them attractive to farmers:

• Hardy and adaptable to diverse climatic conditions.

• Excellent foragers capable of consuming non-conventional feeds.

• Resistant to many common poultry diseases and tolerant to mycotoxins and aflatoxins.

• Require simple, low-cost housing.

• Produce eggs with hard shells, minimizing breakage and extending shelf life.

Rearing Systems

Guinea fowls can be reared in various systems depending on scale and management:

1. Free-range: The most common method; birds are allowed to roam freely, with water provided.

2. Semi-intensive: Chicks start in a starter house for three weeks, then move to a rearing house with perches before final transfer to an aviary.

3. Intensive: High-performance systems with low-light or dark housing reduce flightiness and support larger flocks.

Feeding Guinea Fowls

Proper nutrition is essential for growth and production:

• Starter diet (24% protein): Fed for the first 4 weeks.

• Grower diet (20% protein): Fed until 8 weeks of age.

• Finisher diet (16% protein): Fed until market age (14–16 weeks), by which point birds reach approximately 2 kg.

On average, a guinea fowl consumes about 43 kg of feed in its lifetime—12 kg during growth and 31 kg during the laying period. Their nutritional requirements are similar to chickens, though slightly higher in lysine and methionine.

Egg Production

Under good management, guinea hens are productive layers:

• Free-range hens may lay 100+ eggs annually; caged hens can produce 170–180 eggs over 40 weeks.

• Hens lay eggs for 2–3 years, starting as early as 16–17 weeks.

• Egg-laying peaks during the rainy season, with typical clutches of 12–15 eggs.

• Eggs weigh around 40 g, and their hard shells make fertility testing and artificial incubation challenging.

Hatching and Incubation

• Hatching eggs should be collected at least four times daily and stored at 15.5–18.5°C with 70–80% humidity. Extended storage beyond seven days can reduce hatchability.

• Guinea fowl eggs incubate for 26–28 days, either naturally or in incubators. For small flocks, chicken hens may hatch guinea eggs successfully due to their adaptability.

Disease Management

Guinea fowls are generally more resilient than chickens. They are particularly tolerant to Newcastle Disease (NCD) and other common poultry ailments, reducing the need for intensive veterinary care.

Marketing Guinea Fowls

Guinea fowls can be sold live or dressed, particularly to hotels and restaurants. Birds are market-ready at 16–18 weeks, weighing 1.25–1.47 kg live and 1.02–1.25 kg dressed. They typically fetch Kshs 1,000–1,500 per bird, depending on weight. Before scaling up, farmers should assess local demand to ensure profitability.

Guinea fowl farming in Kenya represents a promising niche for poultry enthusiasts and commercial farmers alike. Its combination of low maintenance, disease resistance, and high-quality meat and eggs makes it an attractive venture for both small-scale and large-scale operations.