Guinea fowl enjoy eating strawberries, as it has similar traits to the wild berries they eat in the wild. Strawberries are special treats you can give your guineas.
However, before breeding any animals, you ought to know what they eat and how to feed them. This is also true for guinea fowl breeders. Don’t try to figure things out along the way.
Guinea keets are very delicate at their early stage. Therefore giving them good treats is essential for them to build up their body.
Here we will discuss what they eat in the wild, what you can feed them, types of treats, and what is poisonous to them.
What kind of food does guinea fowl eat?
Guinea fowl are omnivores, and they eat different types of plant and animal products—for example, bugs, worms, small rodents, etc.
At the same time, they also forage for berries hanging from bushes.
While a guinea fowl would hunt a frog or a snail, they are also on the lookout for seeds and grains in fields.
This is one of the reasons guinea birds flock to farmland. They can graze on a variety of small animals and plant-based meals.
These birds cannot be picky about what they consume in the wild.
They are primarily foragers and will attack anything small enough to fit in their mouths that they find crawling.
If you’re raising guineas, keep in mind that the average wild guinea consumes somewhat bland food the majority of the time.
They can’t exactly find raspberries or blueberries lying around. So giving your birds these types of meals is the ideal healthy treat.
It will be a delicacy as they don’t get them every day.
In order to be able to properly care for your animal in terms of feeding, you must first understand what it eats in the wild.
By observing their nutritional pattern while in the wild, you will be able to determine the appropriate diet for them as a farm animal or pet.
Related: Here is an article I wrote on can guinea fowls be free range?
What do Guineas eat in the wild?
Guinea Fowl originates from Africa, where they can be found in large numbers.
Guineas congregate in large flocks and forage through forest edges, riverbanks, and open glades, all of which provide ample supplies of berries, seeds, insects, and grains.
The wild supplies enough food material to meet the nutrient requirement of guinea fowl.
Adult guineas eat all kinds of insects, slugs, arachnids, worms, small rodents, etc.
Delicious Treats for Guinea Fowl
Guinea fowl and chickens aren’t the same. They are wild animals. They forage all day, leading them to a far distance from their coop, which can pose a challenge to bring them back at night.
This is when nutritious goodies come into play. These snacks can be used to entice them back to their coop at night. You can make use of any of the following treats:
- Rice
You’ve got some old rice at home, and you’re planning to throw it away?
Well, hold off on that. Guineas enjoy eating rice. They will peck at the ground until every grain is gone.
It makes no difference whether the rice is white or brown; they will devour it.
You can pour it into a bowl to eat or spread it on a clean surface for them to gather around and eat.
- Meat
I’m guessing you consider feeding guineas cooked meat odd, but keep in mind that these birds are omnivores, and they are accustomed to going hungry.
When given this treat, they’ll devour it in an instant.
Ensure that you chop the portions small enough for them to ingest. So any beef or chicken meat you have can be given to your guinea fowls.
The birds will benefit from adequate protein and healthy fats.
- Mealworms
If you raise hens, you’re probably aware of their excitement whenever they see mealworms. Birds adore these items.
They’d rather eat them alive than dead, but they’ll consume them regardless.
Mealworm is an excellent treat for your guinea fowl. Additionally, they are an excellent protein source for birds. They are readily available at pet or online stores.
- Cereals
In this case, the cereals we are talking about are millet, sorghum, bailey, etc. There are a lot of breeders that raise their birds on grains.
So are you having difficulty persuading them to return to the coop?
Take a handful of cereal to treat them. It will aid in their behavior development and response to stimuli.
- Watermelon
Watermelon is another tasty treat for guinea fowls. It is very affordable all year round. You can buy a massive one for your birds, depending on how many you have.
- Bread
No household doesn’t throw away bread from time to time. Bread isn’t exactly a lasting food item.
If left open for a long time, it becomes hard. So instead of throwing it into the dustbin, give it to your guineas.
They love it, but take care not to overfeed them. Give it to them once in a while as a treat.
There isn’t much nutrient in bread.
- Vegetables
Vegetables, in general, are an excellent healthful treat for your guinea fowls. They will appreciate any vegetables be it carrot peels or cucumber ends.
- Fruits
As we’ve previously mentioned, watermelon is not the only fruit you can give your guinea fowls.
There are also oranges, apples, berries, and the likes, which you can occasionally treat them with.
What You Should Avoid Giving Guinea Fowl:
Along with a healthy diet and access to pasture, there are some things you should not feed your Guinea fowl.
Guinea fowl won’t exactly eat your plant but rather the insect around or on it.
Therefore, you cannot use pesticides around guinea fowls due to the risk of poisoning them.
They spend most of their time wandering, they will come upon everything. The following are things you should avoid giving your guineas:
- Chocolate or caffeine – avoid both as they are lethal even in a small dose.
- Uncooked beans or dried lentils – Beans have to be heated or roasted before use. They contain a phytohaemagglutinin toxin, which is lethal in surprisingly little amounts to humans, much less guinea fowl.
Prevent them from foraging into bean farmland. Even just about four beans can kill them. Once consumed, there is no way to save the bird.
- Avocado and Rhubarb – persin is a toxin that can be found in avocados, which is toxic to your birds. Not to talk of how expensive it is.
In rhubarb, there is an acid called Oxalic acid. This can make them feel unwell for a long time and cause soft-shelled eggs.
- Green tomatoes or potatoes (cooked or uncooked) – green tomatoes and potatoes are all members of the poisonous nightshade family
- Mushroom, mold, or fungus – Guinea fowl should be kept away from mushrooms, mold, and fungi. Certain species are hazardous, and their spores can sprout in the crop, stomach, or intestines, releasing chemicals that are lethal in minute amounts
- Alcohol or ethanol – Ethanol is highly toxic to Guinea fowl.
Conclusion
You can definitely feed your guinea fowls with strawberries.
They are a special treat that’s similar to berries they eat in the wild.
Aside from strawberries, there are various other edible things you can feed your guineas and what you can’t feed.
We hope this article has been very informative on what to do and what not to do regarding feeding when it comes to your guinea fowls.
