Domestication and History of the Guinea Fowl 

The domesticated Guinea Fowl originated from one of several wild species on what used to be called the Guinea Coast (hence the name) of West Africa. Although some sort of Guinea Fowl are said to have been held in domestication by the ancient Egyptians (about 1475 BC), Greeks (about 400 BC), and Romans (by AD 72), these later died out in Europe.

  The ancestors of the domesticated Guinea Fowl we know today were introduced into Europe during the late fifteenth century, and from there, particularly from Great Britain, the breed was taken by colonists to many other parts of the world including North America. 

The 1912 Standard Cyclopedia of Modern Agriculture noted that the number of Guinea Fowl kept (in Great Britain) was comparatively small due to the demand for their meat being restricted to a few weeks very early in the year “between the game and chicken seasons” and because they had the reputation of being amongst the most ill-tempered of all poultry breeds, making them difficult to keep with other birds. 


 
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