What do ginny hens eat?

Question

a baby is in our back yard and i was just curious what they eat

Answer 1

Guinea Hens mostly eat bugs and seeds. They will also eat commercial gamebird feed.

Answer 2

I have a Guinea fowl living with my chooks and it's so silly it's so cute lol If that makes sense

Keeps the roosters inline too and stops them from crowing. Everytime it crows it gives them a peck ^^

They eat whatever my chickens eat and forage around for whatever else he wants to eat. The babies have a higher chance of dying though so if possible keep it dry as it is native to africa. But once they're about 3-4mths (when they they their big feathers) they're more hardy and can fend for themselves better.

They're also supposed to keep ticks away as well from the flock and great alarms as they make a big racket when there's strangers or predators.

Answer 3

First of all, are you sure it's a Guinea Fowl? The keets

generally look something like this:

http://www.ruralramblings.com/blog/uploa...

Do you live near someone who raises them (or in Africa)? If not it may be some other type of chick. Wild turkey chicks look very similar:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/60/197692...

Regardless, they'll all eat essentially the same things. Check with your local pet/feed store for some type of grain/seed mix. You can also offer it mixed vegetables and really anything else you'd feed an average chicken. Also provide water if there isn't already some source in your yard.

Note that if you feed the chick it will most likely take up permanent residence in your backyard. There are positives and negatives to this. They are hardy birds and good at surviving on their own, eating primarily insects and grass seeds. If you have a garden they're great at keeping the insect population in check and particular good at keeping down ticks. However they're diet needs to be supplemented during the winter when their natural food is less plentiful. They prefer to range over about 3-5 acres so consider the space available to them. Also, they can be extremely loud, especially if confronted by a new person or animal. This is usually considered a nuisance if you live in a populated area so you may want to speak with your neighbors.    

Some potentially helpful sites:

http://www.gfba.org/

http://www.guineafowl.com/fritsfarm/guin...

Good Luck!