Guinea fowl eat a variety of things, and like a variety of things, watermelon happens to be one of these things. So yes, guinea fowls like watermelon.
Guinea fowls are omnivorous; they can eat grass, lizards, corn, chicken scratch, grasshoppers, bugs, rice… et cetera. However, it has been discovered that guinea fowls have a preference for fresh green things.
They do not like fruits so much, but when it comes to watermelons, they seem to like them.
The question becomes, if Guinea fowls like watermelon, is it good for them, what other things do they like eating, what treats can you give your Guinea fowls? These and other questions are going to be attended to in this article.
Is Watermelon Good for Guinea Fowls?
Watermelons are nutritionally packed; they have a variety of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that are beneficial to the well-being and growth of your Guinea fowls.
However, this doesn’t mean you’re going to feed your Guinea fowls watermelon all the time.
Yes, watermelons a good for Guinea fowls and guinea fowls like watermelon, but please don’t take it too far.
What is a guinea fowl’s favorite food?
Guinea fowls like a variety of grains, they like wheat, and they like Millet, sorghum. They do not particularly like corn kernels.
If the purpose of training Guinea fowls for you is to control pests, then we advise that you don’t feed them too many grains, this way there would be hungry and consume more pests than they would have if they were full.
Related: Here is an article I wrote on do guinea fowls need heat lamps?
The Do’s and Don’ts of Feeding Guinea Fowls
When it comes to feeding guinea fowls, there are things we consider do’s and Don’ts. They are:
Do’s
- You can feed your guineas a variety of seeds and grains, and they love these.
- Guineas can also eat chicken feed. We have discovered that they prefer the feeds in grain form than as pellets.
- Guineas love shell grit.
- Guineas like to roam and pick bugs; this is part of the reason they are such good natural pest control. If you have bugs readily available, you can feed them to your guineas.
- Guineas can eat weed and grass, and they already do this when foraging.
- You can feed your guineas fruits and vegetables, and they can eat zucchinis, Watermelons, tomatoes.
Don’ts
We have heard of a lot of people feeding guinea fowls a number of things that they typically shouldn’t.
Though guineas are omnivorous, it does not mean you should feed them everything you can lay your hands on.
The following are things you should not feed your guineas.
- Chocolate: this does not go down well with guineas; we advise that you do not feed them chocolate.
- Avocado: though guineas can eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, you should not feed them avocadoes.
- You might peel potatoes and not want the peels to waste. No matter how tempted you are, do not feed the potato peels to your guineas.
- Do not feed things that are too sweet, fatty, salty, or oily to your guinea fowls. This could make them sick, and you sure do not want that.
What Treats Can I Give my Guinea Fowls?
There are treats that you can give guinea fowls that they would absolutely love; they would go crazy when they come in contact with these treats.
- Millet: This is an all-time favorite of guineas; they love Millet. They love this treat so much you can use it to train them. Beyond Millet being a delicious treat you can give to your guineas, it is very healthy and nutritious to them.
- Grapes: who doesn’t love grapes? They are delicious and packed with healthy juice. Guinea fowls are no exception to the allure of grapes. Whenever you give guinea fowls grapes, you would notice their excitement. This is a great treat for your guinea fowls, though it might be expensive.
- Bread made from multigrain or wheat: just as guinea fowls love grains, bread made from grains is a great treat for them; make sure the bread is not packed with too much sugar.
Guineas can help you consume the leftover of your bread before it goes bad, they get to enjoy it, and you get not to waste food.
Also check out this article I wrote on can guinea fowls be tamed?
Do guinea fowl eat fruit?
A lot of people ask if guineas eat fruits. They do! Guinea fowls love certain fruits, even vegetables.
You must have seen chickens going crazy over a slice of watermelon or some other fruit. This will happen if you give guineas the same fruits.
Do Guinea Fowl Eat Cereal?
This is a vital question when you are raising guineas; they do love cereal and would eat a lot of cereal.
You do need to make sure that they eat other things for a balanced diet. Like most animals, guineas need to feed well; they need to eat a variety of things that would provide the nutrients they need.
While you feed them cereals, be sure to give them healthy ones not packed with sugar.
What Healthy Snacks can I Give my Guinea Fowls?
Many people ask this question; it’s a vital question because if you know the snacks that you can give your Guinea fowls, it will go a long way to help you train them, condition them, and keep them healthy.
In this section of this article, we will explore the snacks that you can give your guinea fowls that they would love.
These snacks provide a variety of nutrients for them; the snacks can help you keep your guineas healthy. They range from fruits, vegetables, grains, and meats. They are:
- Bird Feed: guinea fowls are poultry birds, too; as such, they love most of the things that other birds love and eat. Birdfeed can help you in several ways when you have guinea fowls, and it can help you lure them back to the Coop. You do not need to break the bank to get the most expensive bird feed; basic bird feed will do.
- Rice: We all know that birds love rice; Guinea fowls are no different; they love rice in whatever form or color. If you want to please your Guinea fowls, just spread rice on the floor; they are sure to pick and consume every grain of rice you pour for them.
- Mealworms: We already know that guinea fowls are omnivores. They love eating worms, especially mealworms; they prefer to eat these while the worms are alive. These worms are a source of nutrients for them, specifically protein; they also provide entertainment for the guineas. You can buy mealworms and use them to entertain and feed your guineas.
- Watermelon: Guinea fowls love watermelon; it is fun to watch them eat this beautiful fruit. Takes them a while to eat watermelon, so it gives you an opportunity to watch them eat slowly; it is really a funny sight to behold. Watermelons are not expensive, so you can afford to buy them and give your guinea fowls a treat.
- Meat: one of the healthy snacks you can give to your guineas is cooked meat; it could be chicken or beef. Whatever the source of the meat, your guineas are sure to enjoy them and be nourished by them. Just be sure to cut them into small pieces so that your guineas can easily consume them.
- Vegetables: guineas enjoy vegetables, and they are a source of vitamins for Guineas. With guineas around, you do not need to waste your leftover veggie salad.
Conclusion
We now know that guinea fowls like watermelon and a lot of other things. Try any of our suggestions or a combination of them.
