Weatherizing for your Flock
Guinea fowl flocks are successfully kept in nearly every climate in every part of the world, except Polar. They evolved in the Semiarid regions of Africa, though, so they are best suited for that type of weather. With some planning, protection, and assistance from us, however, they can flourish in most other environments.
Here are some tips for keeping your flock healthy and happy during weather extremes.
Cold-Weather Procedures
Your coop needs to have a balance between being draft-free, and being ventilated. Ventilation is needed to provide fresh air and to maintain a healthy environment without excessive moisture buildup. Ventilation also controls ammonia and dust levels. Remember that the birds are living much closer to the floor – where the ammonia levels are higher. If you can smell even a whiff of ammonia when you enter the coop, it’s a much higher concentration at floor-level, and it’s too high for the health of your flock.
A bird’s respiratory system is affected by high levels of ammonia, carbon dioxide, dust, and moisture. High levels of ammonia can actually burn the respiratory tract, leaving the bird more susceptible to respiratory infections. High levels of dust can make it harder for the lungs to function correctly. When the lungs are damaged, it’s easier for bacteria and viruses to cause respiratory infections.
There are a number of techniques for ensuring adequate ventilation in your coop, including windows that can be shuttered or covered with curtains or flaps during severe weather; roof vents or ridge-cap vents; exhaust fan, and ceiling fans. Ventilation should be near the top of the coops. If your vents are all on the same side of the coop, you’ll avoid drafts.
A coop with a high ceiling will need less wintertime ventilation than a low-ceilinged coop. The ammonia and carbon dioxide will naturally rise toward the top of the coop.
A coop heater will also help keep the air inside the coop healthier, not to mention protecting your birds from possible frostbite and from cold drafts.
How much ventilation you’ll need depends on so many factors – whether your coop is in the sun or shade, how many square feet per bird, what your average temperatures are at each time of year, what type of bedding you’re using, and so on. One online chart suggests an average 10×10 foot coop would do well with approximately 4 square feet of ventilation.
The other side of the cold-weather coop equation is insulation. A good bedding layer goes a long way in helping keep the coop warm. Bales of hay within the coop help the birds retain body heat. Bales of hay around the perimeter of the coop (and especially along the windward side) help insulate the coop as well as block drafts entering through any small holes or crevices in the coop wall.
Adjust window coverings so that wind can’t blow directly into the coop. Even though guineas lack the downy feathers and body fat that other poultry have to help retain body heat, they can withstand a good deal of cold weather provided that: They can cover their feet to prevent frostbite; They don’t get wet; They aren’t exposed to drafts or cold driving winds. If your coop is snug enough to prevent drafts, and there’s a good insulating layer of bedding, they’ll be able to survive most cold weather conditions.
It’s a good idea not to keep water within the coop. If your birds are confined during cold weather, keep the water in their run if possible. If the birds are free-ranging during the day, keep the water outside. Water spilled or dripped can create too much moisture within the coop. Too much moisture can increase the chances of frostbite.
Heating is something that we are frequently asked about. To heat, or not to heat? Some people think that, if the birds become used to supplemental heat, then there is a power outage, they’ll all freeze to death. Others think that guineas are tough birds, they can handle the cold without supplemental heat. There are arguments on both sides.
It is true that people have kept guinea fowl in extreme conditions – even roosting outdoors – in very cold climates. Their birds have survived below freezing temperatures, snow, freezing rain. It is our opinion that a single weather event, or perhaps even several events, won’t take out your birds. Over time, though, exposure to extreme weather conditions does seem to take a toll. Within our Guinea Fowl International group and on our Facebook page, we regularly poll people to find out the ages of their birds. People with the oldest birds are always those who not only coop their birds at night, but provide supplemental heat during extreme cold. And that definition of extreme cold can vary for birds, depending on the year-round climate they’re accustomed to. Just as for people – those of us who live in Texas or Florida will be reaching for a jacket when the temperature dips below 65 degrees, while those further north might think that a 45-degree day is just lovely and wear only a short-sleeved tee shirt.
It seems that our birds can become acclimated to warmer or colder climates, just as we do. But guineas, even those living in normally cold climates, lacking downy feathers and a good amount of body fat, are still going to be more affected by cold weather than other poultry. Those of us who do provide supplemental heat for our birds find that they do seek it out. Guineas may or may not NEED supplemental heat, but it’s clear from their behavior that they prefer it.
The traditional method of providing supplemental heat in a coop was hanging heat lamps. Fear of fire danger has kept many from using these, even when they would have liked to provide supplemental heat. Fortunately, there are now several coop-safe methods of providing supplemental heat, specifically designed for the poultry coop, including heat lamp setups that are bulletproof. Premier 1 Supplies offers rugged, reliable heat lamps as well as infrared coop heaters. Cozy Coop Products makes a radiant-heat coop heater that is very popular.
One more thing to consider is that, during inclement weather, your birds will be spending more time indoors than normal. Think about providing some enrichment activities such as a swing, bales of hay, hanging cabbage or cucumbers. Guineas suffer from “being all cooped up” just as we do.
A word about snow: Guineas do not like it! Guineas find snow to be disorienting. Some people call it being snow-blind. Although they can become used to snow, their first several encounters usually result in their immediately flying up onto rooftops or trees and refusing to come down until it melts. We believe that the white covering over everything confuses their usual sense of what is up and what is down. The most successful strategy seems to be to spread a large area (larger than you’d think) with hay or mulch to form a dark-colored landing pad that the guineas can perceive as “ground,” and then they’ll be more willing to leave the safety of the trees. Be aware of this ahead of time so that you can shovel or cover a large area before letting them out into a snow-covered landscape, and you’ll save yourself worry and very possibly prevent losing some guineas to exposure.
Hot-Weather Procedures
Birds cool themselves in several ways:
They give off heat into the air around them. When it’s hot, they tend to roost farther away from each other, and sometimes hold their wings away from their bodies. Ridding themselves of heat becomes more difficult for them when the air temperature increases and becomes closer to their own body temperature.
They transfer heat onto a cool surface, Examples of this are when they dig dusting holes or lay on the ground in the shade.
Moving air or wind carries heat away from their bodies. Holding their wings out and even slightly ruffling their feathers helps release trapped heat.
They also move heat in their respiratory tract, where heat vaporizes water and is exhaled. Birds will pant when trying to get rid of excess heat in the form of water vapor. This mechanism becomes less effective as humidity increases.
Guineas evolved in the sub-Saharan regions of Africa, so they’re built to be able to withstand a good amount of heat. But for guineas, just as for people – It’s not just the heat, it’s the humidity.
Providing ample fresh, cool water is a must during hot, humid weather. Cool water will increase their water consumption, which will help them stay cool. Try to keep your waterers out of the sun, and refresh them often. During extreme heat, add ice to their water.
Even the activity of eating increases their body heat, so adjust your feeding schedule to feed during the cooler times of the day – in the morning and then again at night. This is just one of the many factors for our recommendation to not leave food out all day. Midday treats of frozen fruits or vegetables might work for you, although guinea fowl are notoriously suspicious of any new food. You can also try refrigerating or freezing their normal feed. Having cold food in the crop helps lower their body temperature.
Provide shade. Be sure there is ventilation in the shaded area; in the heat, guineas will often move to a dark location even if it’s not the coolest location. You don’t want them hanging out in a dark area where their body heat can build up.
Ventilation is the best way to help guineas stay cool during hot and/or humid weather. A box fan in your coop, or exhaust fans installed in your coop will help keep air moving. Wire-covered vents and windows should be cleaned so that air can move freely. If you have the luxury of designing and building your coop from scratch, orient the coop so that the windows face the prevailing winds. For most of the U.S., that means south-facing windows.
Provide cool ground where they can cool off – run a sprinkler or a mister in shady areas to dampen the ground. Guineas will even use a foot-bath to help them cool off. Shallow pans of water will do. Feed stores often give away the shallow plastic tops from tubs of molasses cubes, which work very well for this purpose.
Some believe that wetting down their birds is a good practice, but they need a lot of ventilation in order to dry off. If they’re not able to quickly dry off, the increased humidity will make cooling off more difficult for them. This technique is recommended, though, if you have a bird that is showing obvious signs of heat stress – excessive panting, lethargy, looking stressed.
Feeding cold fruit such as watermelon, or even frozen corn or peas is helpful to the birds, although guineas are notoriously cautious of new foods. It’s a good idea to get them used to eating things like watermelon and canned or frozen corn ahead of time.
Sand bedding is the most-recommended type of litter for the coop, and it’s especially helpful during hot, humid weather. Sand does not retain moisture or decay inside the coop. As a result, there will be fewer flies and less chance for bacterial or mold growth.
