06/15/2026
On 6/5, we received a text from New Albany Animal Shelter, asking us if we could take in an orphaned guinea fowl, who was found abandoned and struggling in an alley, in downtown New Albany. No one knows how or why. After brief research, confirming a guinea fowl could reside safely with Tribe chickens and turkeys, we agreed.
Guinea fowls are robust, ground-dwelling birds, originally from Africa, and closely related to pheasants and turkeys. They are foragers, who consume large amounts of ticks, beetles and ants. They have adorable faces, speckled feathers, highly social, chatter to communicate and will provide a loud warning call when they see a predator. Unfortunately, similar to chickens and turkeys, humans are their largest predator, killing adult guinea fowl and stealing eggs for food consumption. We are so thankful the shelter called us!
This little guinea is young, fully feathered but doesn’t have a bare head, bony k**b aka helmet or a s*xed call yet, so we are guessing age to be 8-12 weeks. It will be another 4-6 weeks before we can definitively determine s*x. For now, we have named her Ginny, the guinea, realizing she may end up being a he and we’ll change to Gimmy, the guinea.
Currently, she is convalescing in a large wire crate, in our master bathroom, where she is draft free, dry, warm and we can monitor her closely, as she gains weight and strength. She has been quiet, sleeping and resting a lot, drinking and devouring high-or crumbles. Last night, she began chattering for the first time and explored the bathroom, while we cleaned her crate. These are all good signs, she is recovering. If all goes according to plan, we’ll soon move Ginny to our indoor nursery and med bay so she can exercise and explore more, before introducing her to Tribe chickens and turkeys, outdoors.
Please help us welcome Ginny/Gimmy, the guinea, to their new home! We are grateful she/he has found safety and sanctuary, with their tribe.🩷☮️🌱
