Guinea fowl breeding

1. General situation and prospect of guinea fowl breeding

Guinea fowl, also known as guinea fowl, pearl bird and pearl bird, belongs to the family Pinctada and is native to Guinea on the west coast of the African continent. It was originally a wild bird, with countless tiny white spots on its feathers, just like being covered with white pearls, and its shape is a bit like a very small female peacock. The beak is strong and sharp, the front end of the beak is light yellow, the back is red, and there are red moustaches on the left and right sides under the beak. There is no hair around the eyes, and a circle of white stripes extends to the neck. The neck is slender and covered with a circle of purple-blue needle-like feathers. The tail feathers are long and drooping. Because of its beautiful feathers and elegant posture, it has been kept as a rare ornamental bird in zoos all over the world. After modern domestication and breeding, this kind of chicken has gradually become a new breed of meat and poultry in some countries and regions.

In Europe and America, guinea fowl are raised in France, Italy, Spain and the United States. Among them, France developed earliest and fastest, reaching 1985, and the number of guinea pigs held by France reached 50 million; Guinea fowl accounts for about 30% in Italian poultry meat production, but it still can't meet the demand of domestic market. Especially in recent years, because foreign consumers are increasingly dissatisfied with the meat taste of domestic chickens, there is a trend to seek the substitution of game products in the international market, which makes the pearl chicken breeding industry begin to develop into large-scale industrial production.

Among Asian countries, Japan was the first to develop, and now the number of cultured animals reaches about 2 million, which is far from meeting the domestic market demand, and a large number of animals are imported from abroad every year. Some developing countries, such as Nepal and Thailand, have also started breeding, but the development speed is not fast enough to form commercial mass production.

Guinea fowl was first introduced from the Soviet Union in 1956, and was successfully raised in China, but it was kept as an ornamental bird for 30 years. 1984 began large-scale artificial domestication and breeding. At present, some provinces and cities in the north have established large-scale farms.

Second, the production characteristics of guinea fowl

Guinea fowl, as a meat bird, has four characteristics:

1. Delicious.

According to experts, the total amino acid content of guinea fowl is 26%, which is 5% higher than that of common broilers. Among them, lysine, glutamic acid, valine, methionine, etc. 16 amino acids are 2.2 mg, 4.36 mg, 65,438 mg +0.89 mg and 0.72 mg per kilogram of meat, which are fresh and sweet and have special nourishing effects.

2. Rough feeding resistance.

Leaves, vegetables, rice bran, miscellaneous grains and compound feed can be fed in a certain proportion, and there is no special requirement.

3. Strong adaptability and disease resistance

It can live normally at 12 ~ 40℃, showing strong disease resistance.

fast growth

The weight can reach 1.75 ~ 2kg (2.5kg in some cases) in about 4 months, and it can be sold as a commodity after feeding 12 weeks.

Third, the variety of guinea fowl.

1. Zhuji, Le Jia

It is a species of helmet-topped guinea fowl, which is selected from the guinea fowl farm of French Le Jia company, hence the name. This breed is the first guinea fowl cultivated by high-intensity seed selection in the world. The average weight of 86 days old can reach 1.48kg, and the ratio of meat to feed is 1: 2.7 ~ 3.2.

2. Crown pheasant

This is a common one, named after its blue-purple feathers are regularly covered with pearl-like white spots, and there are keratinized protrusions 2 ~ 2.5 cm high on the top of its head, which look like the tip of the helmet worn by ancient warriors. Just hatched chicks, like young quails, have brown feathers, three longitudinal dark stripes on their backs, shallow abdominal feathers and red beaks and feet. The skin color of adult chicken is similar to that of black-bone chicken (shredded bamboo chicken). When it is raised to 6 ~ 8 weeks old, the brown feathers are gradually replaced by the "pearl" pattern. When I was 8 weeks old, I began to grow a beard and headdress on my head. Average weight of adult cock 1.75 ~ 2kg. Hen 1.35 ~ 1.5 kg.

3. White guinea fowl

The whole body feathers are pure white, and the skin color is lighter than that of the helmet.

4. Light gray guinea fowl

It is a hybrid of helmet-capped guinea fowl and white guinea fowl. Its chest and wing feathers are white, and other feathers are helmet top or light gray.

5. guinea fowl

Also known as the bald guinea fowl, there is no keratinization on the top of the head. Shaped like a vulture.

Four, the basic requirements of the farm

1. Location selection

(1) location: the location of the guinea fowl farm should be suitable, and it is best to choose a place far away from the factories that emit toxic gases (such as chemical plants, cement plants, steel plants, etc.). ), close to the sales market, convenient transportation. But don't be too close to urban areas or residential areas, so as not to disturb illness. The chicken farm should be high and dry, with good ventilation, which is conducive to drainage, and the henhouse should face south. It is best to choose a mountainous area with abundant sunshine and slightly gentle slope, which can not only meet the dominant wind direction in summer, but also prevent the invasion of strong winds in winter and improve the good external environmental conditions for chicken houses. Guinea fowl is native to tropical Africa and likes warm and dry environment. Too cold and humid feeding environment is unfavorable to its growth and development.

(2) Soil quality and water source: Guinea fowl farms should be built on sandy soil. Because sandy loam has loose soil and good permeability, it can ensure the site to be dry. In addition, sandy loam has good drainage and low thermal conductivity, and germs, parasites, mosquitoes and flies are not easy to breed, which meets the hygiene requirements; At the same time, due to the loose soil, harmful gases such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide produced by organic fermentation will not pollute the air. According to the habit that guinea fowl likes sand bath, sand is the most suitable sports ground.

The water source of guinea fowl farm should be sufficient and clean, the water should be sterile, nontoxic, odorless and odorless, and the water quality should be clear.

2. henhouse requirements

(1) Good thermal insulation, warm in winter and cool in summer. The temperature in the room should be kept within a certain range, neither high nor low.

(2) Ventilation and drainage. According to the characteristics of guinea fowl, it needs good drainage and ventilation. Therefore, cement can be used to pave the sloping ground, and the fences around it should be more open.

(3) Adequate lighting. This is one of the key techniques for raising guinea fowl. The ratio of window area to floor area should reach 1: 10 ~ 12 (the height of window sill is 70cm away from the ground, which should not be too high), which is beneficial to sunlight and heat preservation, but the ratio should not be too large, otherwise it is difficult to keep heat preservation.

(4) Set anti-flying fence. Due to the short domestication time, guinea fowl still shows obvious wild habits under domestic conditions. Generally, after a few months, its feathers are long and it has the ability to fly and move. Therefore, barbed wire, nylon net or hemp rope net should be set at the top of the sports ground outside the fence. The mesh size is suitable for Guinea fowl to escape, generally less than 4×4 cm, and the net fence is about 2 meters high. The ground of the column is paved with coarse sand or cinder, and several habitat nets are set in the column.

The construction requirements of pearl chicken coops are not high, and ordinary idle houses of rural families can be used for breeding after proper repair and transformation.

Five, the main equipment and appliances needed for guinea fowl breeding.

1. Incubator

The incubator is a supplementary heat source for chicks to keep warm and plays the role of "hen brooding". The key to keep guinea fowl warm is to keep warm from hatching to thawing. Common simple methods are as follows:

(1) Wooden boxes and cartons for brooding: If the number of brooding is small, a small wooden box can be set in a large wooden box (the same is true for cardboard boxes), and two boxes are filled with cotton wool and sawdust, and chickens are kept inside, mainly by their own temperature. Under normal circumstances, they can reach the temperature required for brooding. But when it is cold and the temperature is not enough, you can use a hot water bottle or install an electric light to heat it. Straw nests can also be used as insulation devices for brooding.

In order to facilitate management and observation, two cartons or wooden cases can be connected together, and an entrance and exit is connected between the two boxes. A box is covered with sacks or cotton wool, and a heat source (electric lamp or hot water bottle) is set inside as a greenhouse. The other box is used as a place for chicks to eat, light and move. The box body is covered with glass for easy observation, and air holes are arranged around the box wall.

(2) electric blanket brooding: electric blanket brooding is suitable for large-scale professional households. The electric blanket is stable in temperature from bottom to top, safe and reliable. When in use, turn on the heating switch first, and then turn the switch to the constant temperature position after reaching the temperature requirement for about half an hour. It is best to use a thermal tent (or plastic shower cover) on the electric blanket to create a microclimate, which is convenient for thermal insulation and saves electricity. The brooding density shall not exceed 20 per square meter.

(3) Oven brooding: Conditional farmers can use idle houses as brooding rooms. The number and layout of stoves are determined according to the size of the brooding room and the number of brooding. Generally, a stove can raise 500 chickens. You can also assemble an umbrella cover made of galvanized sheet on the upper part of the furnace, which has better heat preservation effect. The feeding density of chicks is 0/5 ~ 20 per square meter/kloc-0. In addition, attention should be paid to the air circulation in the brooding room to avoid hypoxia.

2. Water dispenser

(1) tower water dispenser. It consists of a bucket with a pointed tip and a disk with a bottom slightly larger than the bucket. The top and side walls of the drum are airtight, and there are 1 ~ 2 round holes on the base 2.5cm high from the chassis. After the drum is filled with water, when the water level in the tray is lower than the small round hole, air enters the drum from the small round hole, and the water will automatically flow to the chassis. When the water level in the tray is higher than the small round hole, air cannot enter and water cannot flow out. This water dispenser is simple in structure and convenient to clean, and is suitable for raising chickens horizontally.

(2) Self-made drinking machine. You can make your own automatic drinking machine with a glass jar or a large glass bottle and a deep dish. The manufacturing method is: use pliers to clamp off the gap of about 1 cm in the glass can or beer bottle mouth, then find a plate with a depth of about 3 cm and put it together and fix it for later use.

3. Feeder

It can be made of iron plate, wood board and plastic. The feed tank can be set to two specifications. Use a small trough with a height of 4 cm, a width of 7 cm and a length of 80 ~ 100 cm within 3 weeks. After 3 weeks, the feeding trough with height of 6 cm, width 10 cm and length 100 cm was replaced. After 7 ~ 8 weeks of age, the trough can be raised correspondingly with the growth of chicken age, so that the height of trough is roughly close to the height of chicken back. If the flat feeding method is adopted, add a rolling log or bamboo net grid above the feeding trough to prevent chickens from standing in the trough to shit and pollute the feed. The number of feeding tanks should be set according to the number of chickens. The feeding trough length of each chicken at different growth stages is: 2 ~ 4 weeks old, 4 cm; 5 ~ 10 weeks old, 5 ~ 6cm；; 1 1 ~ 12 weeks old 7 ~ 8 cm.

4. Habitat

A wooden frame dedicated to guinea fowl habitat. Commonly used are vertical frames and flat frames. Two sticks were nailed to the mullion and leaned against the wall. The size depends on the area of the pen and the feeding amount. This habitat is simple to make, easy to move and clean; The production of the flat frame is to move and turn the shape of the tall wooden growth stool in the shed. No matter whether it is a vertical frame or a flat frame, the surface should be smooth to avoid hanging chicken feet. Each perch is 5 ~ 8 cm wide, 4 ~ 5 cm thick, and the spacing is more than 30 cm. The perch is 60 ~ 80 cm above the ground. The innermost perch is required to be 30cm away from the wall. It is generally believed that the perch length of each guinea fowl should reach 15 ~ 20cm. Perched on the shelf, guinea fowl can reduce the impact of ground moisture on chicken health, which is beneficial to the development of skeletal muscle and avoid the occurrence of keel bending.

5. Sand pool

Sand pool is the place where guinea fowl takes a bath to remove dirt. Experiments show that under the same feeding and management conditions, the laying rate and egg weight of chickens with free "sand bath" are 3% ~ 5% higher than those without "sand bath" Chickens who often bathe in sand have healthy skin and will not be infected with skin diseases and other diseases. Therefore, where conditions permit, we should fully consider the characteristics of guinea fowl's love of sand bath and set up sand pools. The sand pool for raising chickens can be built in the playground and made of 40 cm high bricks. Generally, every 100 chicken should have a sand pool area of 2 ~ 3 square meters. Every 7 ~ 10 days, the sundries and feces are removed with a sieve, disinfected and recycled, and some new sand is continuously added. You can also mix some plant ash and sulfur powder evenly in the sand, so that you can kill body surface parasites while bathing in the sand.

Seeking adoption is a satisfactory answer.