Guinea fowl production trend
The guinea fowl’s scientific name is Numida Meleagris, a reference to the common name Numidian hen, which it was once known by. At present, the guinea fowl in Europe is known by its grey with white pearls appearance, but there are several phenotypes: lilac, violet, white, napoleon, rachel, isabelle, etc. In Africa, there are millions of wild guinea fowls, which are classified into 7 species. Of African origin, the common guinea fowl can be seen in the wild, or growing as a food crop around villages, growing at a much slower rate than the common European guinea fowl.
The guinea fowl is characterised above all by its image as a game bird, both in appearance and taste, which sets it apart from chicken. It is a healthy meat with low fat content. Its performance in standard rearing is very different from that of the chicken: 1.7kg at 11 weeks with a feed conversion ratio of 2.8, but is close to that of the label: 2.100kg at 14weeks with a feed conversion ratio of 3.5.
The history of its production
Known since ancient times throughout the Mediterranean region, guinea fowl were reared in Italyand south-east France (Drôme-Gard) around the 1960s. Its production was seasonal and its selection was complicated by the fact that it laid eggs in collective nests. In 1966, M Petitjean, a researcher at INRAE, developed artificial insemination for guinea fowl. The spread of this technique and the mastery of photo-stimulation programmes in confinement buildings enabled production to be de-seasoned and pedigree selection to be launched.
Today, the market remains mainly French-Italian (80% /20%), with a few small sales to Brazil and the USA. In France, it accounts for just under 3% of broiler poultry. Annual production is 22,000 tonnes. It reached 55,000 tonnes in the years 1990-2000, but has since fallen more rapidly than other French poultry. Nevertheless, guinea fowl is still the 2nd most popular label poultry after chicken.
The well-structured French guinea fowl industry has formed an inter-professional group called CIP (Comité Inter- professionnel de la Pintade). Breeding supplies a market of around 160,000 breeding females a year in France, 40,000 in Italy and 10,000 in the rest of the world (USA-Brazil). Meat production relies on 1,200 breeders. With over 2 million guinea fowl and almost 1 million OAC exported to Italy, and around 5,000 tonnes of guinea fowl meat carcass equivalent exported to Belgium, Germany and the UK, exports are worth €27 million, compared with virtually zero imports. The guinea fowl industry’s trade balance is very positive.
Hatchery and selection
In the 1960s, two French hatchery operator founded their own lines: Galor and Béghin. A third hatchery operator then founded the Lesayec lines, from which the Essor lines originated. In 1980, there were around ten hatcheries. Nowadays, the only commercial product left is the GALOR line distributed by a single breeder: GRIMAUD FRERES SELECTION. There are only 4 hatcheries left in France and 2 in Italy.
From the outset, Galor has relied on the services of SYSAAF (Syndicat des sélectionneurs avicoles et aquacoles français), one of its very first members.
The selection of lines began with the animals present locally on the farms. While homogenising plumage colours, the main aim was to make the strains heavier, while respecting a classic poultry breeding scheme for crossing lines. Using sex-linked plumage colour alleles (isabella in Galor and white in Essor), lines capable of producing autosexable crosses were developed. At the same time, the accentuation of the dark appearance of the legs and skin has enabled all the Galor lines to be signed.
Today, Groupe Grimaud plays a full role in preserving biodiversity, on the one hand by maintaining the selection of a violet guinea fowl, the Perle Noire, specifically for a local market, and on the other hand by preserving several different phenotypes (lilac, isabelle, white, buff). The Essor lines that have been withdrawn from the market since 2022 are still being worked on for genetic security reasons, but are not being marketed.
With regard to the needs of the industry, the aim is above all to preserve the appearance of the game (skin and leg colour), and to preserve the weight and slaughter age in order to keep the organoleptic qualities of the guinea fowl intact.
The challenges of guinea fowl selection
Faced with this apparently static situation, there is a real need for selection. Guinea fowl are reared in the same buildings as chickens, often in rotation, particularly for label production. It competes directly with other poultry on an economic level. If guinea fowl are to remain competitive, production costs must be reduced:
- 1st axis: improve the feed conversion rate, giving the farmer an advantage
- 2nd axis: improve cutting yields, to the slaughterhouse’s advantage
- 3rd axis: maintain the number of guinea fowl produced per breeder, to the advantage of the hatchery.
In this small sector, selection resources are lower than for most other poultry. However, specific tools are used on two sites. The consumption index is measured in index cages, with feed control troughs; cutting yields are measured on collaterals at the abattoir; laying control and pedigree breeding are carried out in individual cages; sperm production is measured using a photometer; thousands of individual data records are made on robust, mobile computers, with programmes designed by SYSAAF.
Groupe Grimaud provides access to cutting-edge technologies, such as scanners to measure different tissues and automatic feeders to measure feed conversion on the ground. However, these technologies have to be adapted to guinea fowl and their cost has to be balanced with the industry’s economy.
The future of guinea fowl production and selection
For breeding, the challenge is to question its method of reproduction and return to the ground in natural breeding. Unsuccessful trials have been carried out in the past and at present a test is being carried out in Togo on the initiative of the CIP to understand how natural reproduction works by comparing our French strain with the local line. The soil fertility of the French strains is close to zero, despite sufficient sperm production.
To maintain genealogical selection in a ground-based production model, guinea fowl are included in the ‘ResiGen’ research project, led by Sysaaf, which will define a panel of parentage assignments that we can then use in our lines by reading individual parental and filial DNA. Beyond this breakthrough, the guinea fowl sector cannot develop genomic selection, which is far too costly at the moment. We are listening to fundamental research and are open to the development of tools to improve productivity: blood colourimetry and feed conversion, sperm proteins and fertility, etc.
Conclusion
Guinea fowl is an example of a small industry with an efficient selection system but limited resources. It must fight to maintain its place in the French poultry industry and preserve the know-how of its breeders, an essential link in the chain. To do this, it needs to overcome its weaknesses: go beyond the Franco-Italian context and improve its penetration rate among consumers (only 20% actually buy it). The guinea fowl industry needs to build on its successes: its organisation into an industry and an inter-profession (CIP); the promotion of guinea fowl in Europe (e.g. Germany); the development of its exports to Africa, where guinea fowl is well known and consumed; the maintenance of the taste quality of guinea fowl, so appreciated by our top chefs; and its research work. There are many challenges to be met, and the world to conquer.
