FYI Important information pertaining to Guinea Fowl
Helmeted
Guinea Fowl
APA Qualifying Meet
Guinea
Fowl Committee Chairmen: Rev.
Roland Romig,
221 North Elmer Avenue, Sayre, PA
18840. 570-888-2237; Don
Perrin, 2825
Dodgeson Road, Alexander, NY 14005 585-547-3588; S.
Robert Powell, R. D. #1, Box 40, Carbondale, PA 18407-9706.
srp18407@yahoo.com
_____________________________________________________________
June 13, 2003
Dear Guinea Fowl
Breeders/Exhibitors:
The
APA qualifying meet for Helmeted Guinea Fowl is set for the Southern Ohio
Poultry Fanciers show at the Lucasville, OH on October 4-5, 2003.
One
of the things that all of us who are interested in Helmeted Guinea Fowl can do
right now (in addition to hatching and raising a lot of Guineas) is to put up
"specials" for the qualifying meet.
It's
always nice, I think, to put up a special "in memory of" someone (if
that someone is dead) or, if the person is still alive, "in honor of"
of that person.
We
really ought to have "specials" at Lucasville for all four age
categories (cock, hen, cockerel, and pullet) for each of the three varieties of
Guineas (Pearl, Lavender, White) at the qualifying meet:
$20
(or more) from __________________(your name)
for Best Pearl Cock
in honor of / in memory of _____________________
$20
(or more) from __________________(your name)
for Best Pearl Hen in honor of
/ in memory of _____________________
20
(or more) from __________________(your name)
for Best Pearl Cockerel
in honor of / in memory of _____________________
$20
(or more) from __________________(your name)
for Best Pearl Pullet
in honor of / in memory of _____________________
And
we should have the same four specials for Lavender
and for White.
Also,
specials for Champion Pearl, Reserve Champion Pearl, Champion Lavender, Reserve
Champion Lavender, Champion White, Reserve Champion White.
And
then specials for Champion Guinea and Reserve Champion Guinea.
So
there are lots of possibilities. And we can't wait until a few weeks before the
show to put up the specials. The
specials have to be put up NOW so that they can be included in the show
catalogue and in the publicity about the show this summer.
To
assist you in putting up specials for the Helmeted Guinea Fowl Qualifying Meet,
a "specials" form is given below. Fill out the form and send it,
together with your check payable to me, to:
S. Robert
Powell
R. D. 1, Box 40
Carbondale, PA
18407-9706
As
you know, for the qualifying meet we need no less 50 Pearl, 50 Lavender, and 50
White Helmeted Guinea Fowl. For each variety, there must be at least five
different exhibitors. In each variety there must be cocks, hens, cockerels, and
pullets.
The
names and addresses of the Guinea Fowl Committee chairmen are given at the top
of this letter. Let one of the committee chairmen know as soon as you can (1) if
you plan to show at this historic qualifying meet for Helmeted Guinea Fowl, and
(2) the variety and number of birds that you plan to show.
We absolutely must be ready for this
qualifying meet, with 150 birds in good-to-excellent show condition.
A
copy of the standard of perfection for Helmeted Guinea Fowl is given below.
We
have four months to get ready for this historic qualifying meet at Lucasville.
We must be ready. I know we can do it.
Sincerely,
S.
Robert Powell
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"Specials" for the APA
Qualifying Meet for Helmeted Guinea Fowl at the Southern Ohio Poultry Show at
Lucasville, OH on October 4-5, 2003
You
need not be limited to the kinds of specials described here. Feel free to make
up your own. All specials must be paid in advance or they will not be printed in
the show catalogue. Mail your specials and check, payable to S. Robert Powell,
to: S. Robert Powell, R. D. 1, Box 40, Carbondale, PA 18407-9706.
_____________________________________________________________
"Specials" from
_______________________________________________
Address:
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
$_______ for Champion
________________________________________
$ ______
for Champion ________________________________________
$_______ for Reserve
Champion _________________________________
$_______ for Best
_____________________________________________
$_______ for
_________________________________________________
in honor of _________________________________________
$ _______ for
_________________________________________________
in memory of________________________________________
$ _______ for
_________________________________________________
$_______ for
__________________________________________________
$ _______ for
_________________________________________________
$_______ for
__________________________________________________
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Standard
of Perfection
Helmeted
Guinea Fowl
(Numida meleagris)
Guinea Fowl, which are native to Africa, were
domesticated there more than 4,000 years ago by the Egyptians. The ancient
Greeks and Romans acquired domesticated Guineas from both the East and West
coasts of Africa and blended the two. They then featured them prominently in
their gardens and aviaries. At the same time, they regarded Guinea Fowl as a
table delicacy.
The Romans spread Guinea Fowl across Europe. With the
fall of the Roman Empire, however, Guinea Fowl appear to have disappeared from
northern and western Europe. In the 15th century, Portuguese traders introduced
wild Guinea Fowl from West Africa into Europe and Guinea Fowl were again
domesticated. They have been a popular domestic fowl ever since.
Guinea Fowl appear in Greek mythology: When Meleager,
who succeeded in killing the Calydonian boar, was killed, his sisters Deianira
(wife of Hercules) and Gorge were put to death and turned into Guinea Fowl by
Artemis. The tears that they shed showered their sable plumage with white spots.
Dionysus pleaded with Artemis to undo her work, and the sisters were returned to
their human form.
Judging
Guinea Fowl
The correct age and gender
classifications for Guinea Fowl in poultry shows are cock, hen, cockerel, and
pullet. Guinea fowl are rarely handled by the judge until the final placings are
decided upon, and then only those birds which he/she expects to place. Those
birds are then examined for any defects or disqualifications not apparent from
the aisle. Judges should keep in mind that a female
Guinea Fowl in heavy production may have faded leg color. Duck foot can occur in
Guinea Fowl and judges are advised to be on the lookout for it and to disqualify
any bird with a duck foot.
To the untrained eye and from the aisle, it is not
always an easy matter to determine the gender of Guinea Fowl. The calls made by
adult birds are very useful in distinguishing the sexes. Guinea Fowl males utter
a one-syllable call, usually repeated several times in succession: chit,
chit, chit; females utter a two-syllable call, usually repeated several
times in succession (“buck-wheat, buck-wheat, buck-wheat, buck-wheat”).
A Guinea Fowl chick is properly referred to as a keet.
Scale
of Points
Section
Type
Color
Total
Symmetry and Carriage
5
-
5
Condition
10
-
10
Weight
5
-
5
Head
4
1
5
Eyes
4
1
5
Helmet and Wattles
7
3
10
Neck
3
2
5
Back
8
4
12
Tail
4
3
7
Wings
6
3
9
Breast
8
3
11
Body and Fluff
6
2
8
Legs and Toes
5
3
8
75
25
100
Standard
Weights
Cock..............4.0
pounds
Hen..........3.5 pounds
Cockerel........3.5
pounds
Pullet........3.0 pounds
Weight is a breed characteristic. Any Guinea Fowl
that deviates more than 20% either up or down from the weights listed above
shall be disqualified from exhibition. For all Guinea Fowl, there is a 1-point
cut for each 1/4 pound underweight. There is no point cut for the first 1/4
pound overweight, but there is a 1-point cut for each 1/4 pound thereafter.
Defects
·
Under-developed
helmet
·
Mismatched
wattles: one tucked (carried flat, laterally, close to the side of the throat)
and one cupped (concave, carried at a 90-degree angle to the side of the head)
on young birds of either sex
·
A white
feather in any section of the plumage of a colored Guinea Fowl
·
A colored
feather in any section of the plumage of a white Guinea Fowl
·
Black
flecking or a yellow cast to the plumage of a white Guinea Fowl is a serious
defect.
Disqualifications
·
One or
more white primaries or secondaries in any colored Guinea Fowl
·
One or
more colored primaries or secondaries in any white Guinea Fowl
·
Mismatched
wattles: one tucked (carried flat, laterally, close to the side of the throat)
and one cupped (concave, carried at a 90-degree angle to the side of the head)
on adult birds of either sex
Shape
Male
HEAD: Short and broad, topped with a
triangular-shaped helmet, which slopes slightly down-ward at the rear.
The area between the nostrils and the front of the helmet is flat. The
face, back of the head, and the upper neck are devoid of feathers. At the back
of the head, however, starting at the base of the helmet, there is a narrow band
of hair-like plumage, pointing upward, that runs down the back of the head and
neck to the hackle feathers. This band of hair-like plumage gets wider as it
approaches and connects to the hackle.
NOSTRILS: Prominent;
a narrow band of thick skin crosses the bridge of the nose between the wattles.
BEAK: Short, stout, and well curved.
EYES: Large, round, very alert; lashes--even,
prominent, well formed
WATTLES: Stiff, wide, smooth, and free from folds or
wrinkles. Both wattles cupped (concave and carried at a 90-degree angle to the
side of the head).
NECK: Lower neck and hackle covered with small, fine,
and narrow feathers. A slight dewlap is acceptable.
BREAST: Well rounded and prominent, carried above
horizontal, and curving in an unbroken line to the hocks.
BACK: Very broad and sloping in a descending curve
from the base of the neck to the tip of the tail. When showing, the carriage of
the Guinea Fowl is upright.
WINGS: Large, wide, and strong, well tucked-in. No
points will be deducted for pinioned wings.
BODY: Fairly long, deep, well rounded, and solid.
TAIL: Relatively short and carried low
THIGHS: Medium in length, lower thigh not visible
from the aisle
SHANKS and TOES: Shanks relatively short and not
feathered; feet with four straight, well spread, and strong toes. Males and
females are both without spurs.
Female
Same as male, except that the female's helmet is
smaller than that of the male, whose helmet is more elongated and broader at the
rear than the female's. The nostrils on the female Guinea Fowl are less
prominent than on the male. Tucked wattles (carried flat, laterally, close to
the side of the throat) or cupped wattles (concave and carried at a 90-degree
angle to the side of the head) are acceptable on the female Guinea Fowl. When
showing, the carriage of the Guinea Fowl is upright, although the female Guinea
Fowl's stance is not as upright as that of the male.
Color
Pearl
Male and Female
Plumage is blue-gray throughout, generously and
regularly marked with pearl-like white spots or wavy bars of white, depending on
the section of the bird in question. The largest and most circular pearls on the
bird appear in the fluff feathers at the rear of the bird. The general
impression is one of a spotted gray bird. Undercolor
is dark slate. Indistinct barring and/or indistinct pearls in the wings is a
defect.
BEAK:
Reddish-horn, darker at the base
EYES:
Dark brown or black
HELMET:
Light brown, nearly black in young birds
WATTLES: Coral red, some white on underside of male
wattles and at the outer top of the female wattles is permissible.
HEAD: A crescent-shaped patch of featherless
bluish-white skin, beginning in front of the eyes and extending back to the band
of hair-like plumage at the back of the neck, covers the side of the face.
Bluish-black skin covers the remainder of the head, neck, and throat, down to
the hackle--except for the horn and the immediate area around its base. The area
from the base of the beak to the base of the helmet is coral red, matching the
color of the wattles.
HACKLE: The hackle and the front of the lower neck
show fine, blue-gray feathers without pearls or bars. When seen in sunlight,
these feathers show some iridescence.
BACK: The
back and shoulders are bluish-gray, with small pearls, which increase in size as
one approaches the tail.
TAIL: The tail and coverts are bluish-gray, showing
well rounded pearls.
BREAST:
The breast and lower body are bluish-gray, with good-sized and well-rounded
pearls throughout.
WINGS:
Primaries: Upper web is light bluish-gray, marked primarily with parallel wavy
bars of white on the inner primaries, and pearls in rows on the outer primaries.
Lower web is marked with pearls at regular intervals.
Secondaries:
Outer edge of upper and lower webs marked with regular pattern of short parallel
white bars; central part of each feather is marked by three to five longitudinal
rows of pearls.
LEGS,
TOES, and NAILS: Dark slate, mottled with dusky orange. Judges should keep in
mind that a female Guinea Fowl in heavy production may have faded leg color.
Lavender
The pattern is identical to that of the Pearl, the
ground color of the plumage is light gray, or lavender. Shanks and toes are
light gray to orange. Indistinct
barring and/or indistinct pearls in the wing feathers is a defect.
White
Plumage is pure white throughout all sections on
ideal specimens, in both male and female. Black hair feathers on the lower neck
and hackle, however, are acceptable, but not preferred. Black flecking or a
yellow cast to the plumage is a serious defect. Shanks and toes are orange;
spotty shanks and toes are a defect. The eyes are light bay to brown.
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