Make more money raising guinea fowls

November 27, 2013 by Arinze Onebunne

Arinze Onebunne

Entrepreneurs are reaping from little known animals with promising future, such as the raising of guinea fowls, geese, rabbits, grasscutters, quails, ducks, snails, etc. This is because the business is easy to start and it requires a small capital. Our nationwide seminars are initiated to drive investments in agriculture, skills and develop a robust economic base that can withstand the shock that will come after oil.

For people who want to start their own businesses, I will advise them to try raising guinea fowls for a steady income. Given the state of the economy, guinea fowl farming is one of the most lucrative ventures for small scale farmers. Guinea fowl is a valuable genetic resource for evolving a low input-grain saving poultry alternative for production in the developing world. Today’s farmers should embrace creative subsistence farming to meet the food needs of the family and even to augment income.

At Jovana Farms, we are looking inwards and focusing on the neglected, but vital sources of animal protein for household diet and employment generation. Therefore, our nationwide agro-seminars are intended to provide useful information on the various aspects of animal production, create awareness and thus motivate Nigerian farmers, investors, job seekers, retirees, students to get involved in animal farming for profits.

Many people have never seen a guinea fowl, not talk of hearing of the fowl. Guinea fowls are galliformes, a group encompassing all chicken-like birds. Native to Africa, they are known for travelling in large, gregarious flocks. There are seven species of guinea fowl, of which the helmeted pearl is by far the most common. Others are the white and the lavender, etc.

Guinea fowls are raised mainly for their tasty meat and eggs. The meat has a taste similar to other game birds and has many nutritional qualities that make it a worthwhile addition to the diet. The meat is lean, dry and rich in essential fatty acids. The meat has a high yield of 80 per cent after processing with excellent meat to bone ratio. Many people don’t know that it is more profitable to raise guinea fowl than chicken.

The business

Chicken and turkey farmers keep guinea fowls to ward off poultry-eating predators. Ranchers turn them loose to discourage rattlers and copperheads. Rural dwellers like the way they gobble down diseases-carrying ticks. Orchardists use them to drive off marauding birds. Farmers put them to work patrolling for row crop pests. Guinea fowls perform these functions without damaging crops because they much prefer insects, weeds and seeds.

Guinea fowl farming can start with a unit normally called a foundation stock, which is sold for N25,000 depending on the specie. A unit comprises two males and eight females. It may interest you to know that you could get fast-growing species of guinea fowls and other animals, including large quantities of geese and quail eggs from our farm.

Rearing systems

Three methods of rearing guinea fowls are free-range, semi free-range and intensive systems. When kept intensively, low light intensity should be used to reduce possible flightiness.

Guinea fowls are difficult to confine in open yards unless their wings are pinioned or one wing is clipped. In their wild state, guinea fowls mate in pairs. This tendency prevails also among domesticated guineas if males and females in the flock are equal in number. They are hardy birds; therefore, they do not suffer from many diseases as compared to chickens.

Feeding

Those who believe in the virtue of hard work are advised to try raising guinea fowls. A good commercial chicken or turkey mash will give satisfactory results, with birds either on free range or in confinement. In the wild arena, the guinea fowl eats a variety of foods but most important are weed seeds and waste grains, which fall to the ground after the harvesting of crops. Some common guinea fowl diets include: fruits, berries, seeds, grass, insects, worms, molluscs and frogs. They have gained popularity for use in reducing insects’ population in gardens, snail farms and around the home.

Reproduction

The guinea fowl can begin to lay eggs as young as 16 -17 weeks old and can lay up to 120 eggs or more in a year. In tropical Africa, laying only occurs during the rainy season and a few weeks that follow. A clutch size of 12-15 eggs is common. A guinea fowl’s egg is smaller than that of hens, and on the average, weighs 40g and has very hard shells, which are difficult to test for fertility by candling. Incubation period is 26-28 days.

•Arinze Onebunne is the CEO of Jovana Farms

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