Characteristics of Guinea Fowl Breeding in West Africa: A Review

Abstract

Guinea fowl production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is generally practiced under family and traditional rearing systems mainly for consumption and income generation, but this species plays also a major socio-cultural role in specific ceremonies. Birds are kept in free range or in confinement with outdoor access and fed on grain cereals, vegetables, edible termites and kitchen residues found in nature or occasionally supplied by the farmers. Several Guinea fowl varieties are observed and all are characterized by slow growth, high mortality of young animals and a relatively wild instinct. Although this avian species is resistant to some poultry diseases (Newcastle disease, Marek disease, Gumboro disease, ...), local guinea fowl are very sensitive to other poorly controlled diseases that require further study. These varieties differ greatly by their feather color, their morphological characteristics and growth performance, but further thorough and sustained research is needed to quantify these differences. Several researches established the nutritional requirements of local Guinea fowl but in terms of breeding, little works were done compared to chicken. Some recessive and dominant genes as well as genotypic differences were highlighted between varieties.

Keywords

• Local Guinea fowl
• Variety
• Characteristics
• Genetics
• Breeding
• Benin