Guinea fowls are usually alright roaming around for food though as a flock keeper you should have a regular feed which you give to them.
Guinea fowls can eat dog food especially if it is spilled or if they find dog food scraps.
Most poultry birds love human food and are suckers for cooked meats and other food scraps when poured out to them.
You shouldn’t raise your guinea fowls on dog food simply because it doesn’t contain the nutritional diet they require, there are specially prepared poultry feeds they can be fed.
This article will explain what you should and should not feed your guinea fowls as you raise them.
What Happens When Guinea Fowls Eat Dog Food?
Nothing special happens to the guinea fowls when they eat dog food. Dog food is generally made up of meats depending on which brand you are buying from.
Most brands fill the dog food with meats, calcium, vitamins and minerals which are supposed to help the dog grow nutritionally.
The dog food is not poisonous to the guinea fowls and it can serve as a source of protein for the guinea fowls who sometimes require a high level of protein content.
However as a keeper you should not under any circumstance substitute your guinea fowl food with dog food.
It is best to restrict feeding your guinea fowls dog food to molting season when there might be a protein deficiency and it will help the poultry balance their protein needs.
Related: Here is an article I wrote on can guinea fowls eat rats?
What Are The Benefits of Dog’s Food For a Guinea Fowl?
Guinea fowls require a higher level of protein needs and feeding them dog food occasionally can provide the protein boost they need.
Guinea fowls that are left to wild range usually get their protein from eating bugs, insects, worms, frogs, snakes and other little animals.
Once they are able to roam for food, guinea fowls will do quite well with food. They also feed on vegetation and green leaves.
As the flock keeper you have to ensure that the guinea fowls have enough grit in their feed to enable digestion.
If the guinea fowls are properly fed or allowed to roam for food, there would be no need for a dog feed diet.
How Much Dog Food Can You Give Guinea Fowls?
Apart from providing the guinea fowls with some proteins and minerals, dog food doesn’t necessarily provide the fowls with much in terms of nutrition.
Most poultry keepers usually feed the guinea fowls dog food as treats. Putting guinea fowls on a dog food diet is unnecessary and can result in nutritional deficiencies for the guineas.
Since dog and guinea fowl nutritional requirements differ it is better to stick to a commercial poultry diet even if you can’t find guinea fowl feed around you.
The tidbits can help them recognize you and get more familiar with you.
You can also give them scraps from food remains mixed with the dog good and other stuff to form a special feed however this is not an everyday occurrence.
What Can You Not Feed Guinea Fowl?
Feeding your guinea fowls does not usually pose a challenge as the guineas are hardy birds that can handle themselves even without human help.
Since you have domesticated them however you have to ensure you provide them with a diet that would supplement what they get from ranging.
Guinea fowls, whether as keets or adults should not be fed medicated chicken feed as this becomes problematic for them to digest.
It is better to give them the unmedicated feed and add in some protein.
As hardy as guinea fowls are there are some food items that you should not feed to them and they include:
- Raw Beans or Dried Lentils
- Green tomatoes
- Raw Potatoes
- Alcohol
- Caffeine or chocolate
These food items when eaten by your guinea fowls can be deadly and poisonous to them and cause death within a short period.
Ensure you keep them away from areas where these kind of food abound.
To successfully care for your guinea fowls and keep their nutrition balanced you should read up about guinea fowl care and feeding.
By doing this you ensure that your birds are getting the best feed and will not develop diseases as a result of nutrition deficiency.
Also check out this article on do guinea fowls deter foxes
Do Guinea Fowls Eat Food Scraps?
Guinea fowls love food and are good eaters and will eat pretty much anything you throw at them.
Some flock keepers usually keep food scraps as treats for their fowls and they can also decide to hand feed the birds as this makes them more familiar and friendly towards the humans.
When you have food remains, instead of throwing them in the trash you can pour them out for the fowls. They would lovingly pounce on it and gobble it up.
Food scraps should however never be substituted as real feed for the guineas. If they wild range, you can provide them with chicken feed and they would balance it up with protein from their range.
However if you keep your birds in the coop all day, then you have to feed them more regularly and also ensure they are given the right kind of feed to stay healthy and strong.
It might be sometimes difficult to find specific guinea fowl feed and you can provide them with chicken feed or your own special feed that has worked for them.
Can A Guinea Fowl Eat Bread?
Guinea fowls can eat bread and if you feed them brown bread regularly it is more nutritious for them than the white one.
Giving your birds bread can serve as a treat for them once in a while. Guineas are known to like bread and will eat it up especially when paired with vegetables.
However, like every food that is not essential poultry feed feeding the birds bread every time will lead to nutritional deficiencies in them.
As such feed your guinea fowls only on game bird feed as this is higher in protein for them.
This is the best feed to give the fowls and the bread and other food can come in as treats. Besides when compared to bread, bird feed is pretty much cost effective.
Conclusion
If you plan on raising guinea fowls, then you should know the proper things to feed to ensure rapid growth and development.
Any food that is not guinea fowl feed or game bird feed should not be given to the birds regularly as it cannot make up all the complex food needs they require.
As such visit your supplier today, get the best feed and give your birds their treats occasionally to befriend them.
