The guinea fowl or helmeted guinea fowl ( Numida meleagris) is a large 53 to 58 cm (21 to 23 in) bird with a round body and small head. They weigh approximately 1.3 kg (2.9 lbs). The  body plumage is gray-black speckled with white. Like other guinea fowls, this species has a featherless head, which in this species is decorated with a dull yellow or reddish-colored bony bump, and bare skin with red, blue, or black hues. The wings are short and rounded and the tail is also short. Various subspecies are proposed, the differences in appearance being mainly a great variation in the shape, size and color of the helmet and facial wattles:

This is a gregarious species, forming flocks outside the breeding season typically of around 25 birds which also roost communally. Guinea fowl are particularly adept at consuming huge quantities of  ticks  , which could otherwise spread  Lyme disease  . ^[8]  These birds are terrestrial and prone to run rather than fly when alarmed. Like most fowl, they have a short explosive flight and rely on gliding to cover long distances. The helmeted guinea fowl can travel 10 km and more in one day. Their bodies are suited for racing and are remarkably successful in maintaining dynamic stability over rough terrain at speed. ^[9] They make loud, harsh calls when disturbed.

Their diet consists of a variety of animal and plant foods. During the non-breeding season,  N. meleagris  consumes maize, tubers and seeds, particularly of agricultural weeds, as well as various agricultural crop spills. ^{[10]  [11]}  During the breeding season, over 80% of their diet can be invertebrates, especially arthropods such as beetles. ^[12]  Guinea fowls have strong claws and scratch in loose soil for food much like domesticated chickens, although they rarely uproot growing plants. As with all Numididae, they have no dewclaws. They can live up to 12 years in the wild.

Males often display aggression towards each other and engage in aggressive fights, which can leave other males bloodied and otherwise injured. They attempt to make themselves appear more fearsome by raising their wings upward from their sides and bristling with feathers along the length of their bodies, and may also run at their opponent with a gaping beak. The nest is a well-hidden scratch, usually unlined, and a clutch is normally about 6-12 eggs, which the female incubates for 26-28 days. Nests containing higher numbers of eggs are generally believed to be the result of more than one hen using the nest; the eggs are large and an incubating bird could not realistically cover much more than a normal clutch.

Domesticated birds, at least, are known to produce very thick-shelled eggs which are broken into fragments when the young birds (known as keets among bird keepers) hatch, rather than leaving two large sections and small chips where the keet removed the end of the egg. Domestic guinea fowls  are not the best mothers and often abandon their nests. Keets are cryptically colored and rapid wing growth allows them to flutter to low-lying branches just a week after hatching.

Helmeted guinea fowls are seasonal breeders. Summer is the peak reproductive season where testicles can weigh up to 1.6 g, while no reproductive activity takes place during winter. The  serum  testosterone level  is up to 5.37 ng/ml during the breeding season. ^[13]

Guinea fowl habitat:

They breed in warm, fairly dry, open habitats with   scattered  shrubs  and  trees such as savannah  or farmland.

Farming of the guinea hen:

Helmeted guineafowl are often domesticated and it is this  species  that is sold in Western supermarkets. Feral populations descended from domesticated herds are now widely distributed and are found in the  West Indies  , North America, Australia and Europe. ^[1]

Feeding of the guinea hen:

The Angola chicken is an omnivorous animal that feeds on all kinds of organic foods, from plants to animals. The most normal thing on the farm is to feed them seeds, fruits and various small animals, such as certain types of worms, larvae or worms that are usually found in special areas. In this regard, we report below the links to some video-in-depth analysis widespread on the web:

#fowl #breeding