WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT-GUINEA FOWL
Management of guineafowl on farmland
D N Johnson
Guineafowl are widespread and successful birds, much of their success being due to the way in which they adapt to farmland.
The farming practices of twenty and more years ago supported very large guineafowl populations, probably larger than existed in natural habitats before the advent of the white farmer. However, guineafowl populations have declined drastically in recent years and the decline seems to be continuing.
Almost every possible agency has been considered wholly or partially responsible - heavy rain, drought, cold, disease, predation, shooting, inbreeding, pesticides and deliberate poisoning to name but a few.

Rainfall is probably the most important factor: guineafowl numbers rise during wet periods and decline during dry periods. The other factors also influence guineafowl numbers but are best considered as a secondary consequence of the ever-increasing intensity of land use.Economic pressures demand that farmers make fuller use of their land, which means that less space is left for wildlife.The position, however, is not hopeless. Much can still be done, even with modern farming methods, to improve conditions for guineafowl. The general theme is the provision of those commodities most needed by guineafowl - food and cover. It is the lack of these that expose guineafowl to the hazards, such as bad weather and predation, which superficially seem responsible for the guineafowl decline.

Food
Guineafowl eat a variety of foods but most important are weed seeds and the waste grain, which remains on the ground after the harvesting of crops. Several things can be done to improve this food supply.

1.Ploughing can substantially alter the food supply. If virgin land in to be ploughed, guineafowl will benefit most if the land is ploughed as early as possible. Soil invertebrates will be brought to the surface and any subsequent weedy growth will also be beneficial. Conversely, if the land has already been cultivated a supply of waste grain and weed seeds already on the surface will be buried by ploughing so this should accordingly be delayed as long as possible.

2.Where grain is not the main crop, plant small patches of suitable food plants in unused corners of the farm. A mixture of maize, sorghum, buckwheat, sunflower and groundnuts is suitable. No particular care need be taken of these patches which can be allowed to grow up with weeds.

3.If damaged grain, weed seeds, etc are separated from the main crop by a mechanical harvester, they can be easily collected and used to provide feeding points for guineafowl in the following way. First erect a large stake in some quiet corner; then tie an old fertilizer bag full of the reject grain to the stake, at a height at which the guineafowl would just be able to reach the bottom of the bag; then make a tiny hole in the bottom of the bag, so that a small pile of food trickles out under the bag. Guineafowl will soon find this and learn to peck at the hole to release more grain. This method ensures that pigeons and other animals do not get the grain.

4. Be sparing in the use of insecticides and herbicides, never exceeding the manufacturer’s recommendations. These chemicals always have bad side-effects on wildlife. As well as removing supplies of "wild" food they are directly poisonous to wildlife and their effects can last for years.

Using only "safe" chemicals can minimize adverse side effects. Some chemicals are relatively harmless to wildlife even though deadly to the target pest. The booklet "A guide to the use of pesticides in South Africa" published by the Department of Agriculture, Pte Bag X144, Pretoria, will prove helpful. Appendix D lists the lethal dose of each product. Those with the highest lethal dose (LD50) are least harmful.

The most stringent precautions should be taken to lock up supplies of pesticides. The practice amongst farm labourers of deliberately poisoning wildlife with grain soaked in pesticides is reaching epidemic proportions.

Cover
Cover is essential if guineafowl are to hide from enemies, shelter from adverse weather, or breed and roost. Guineafowl are tree-roosters and almost any tree will do, provided it is big enough to exclude ground predators. Large evergreen trees additionally provide shelter from bad weather.

Guineafowl are, however, much more particular when it comes to ground cover. Bare open ground provides no cover, and although guineafowl may feed there, they cannot breed. Clean burned or intensively mowed grassland is not attractive to guineafowl. Over-grazing is an even worse form of cover removal, since a high concentration of large herbivores compacts the soil, making it difficult for guineafowl to dig for food. Guineafowl also avoid areas where the cover is so thick that they are unable to walk through it. One to two year old grass provides ideal cover. The provision of such cover requires a carefully planned program of rotational burning, mowing or grazing.

The simplest method is to burn, mow or graze half the farm in one year, and the other half during the next. However, better results can be achieved if the farm is divided into blocks and alternate blocks are managed each year so that there is a mosaic of cover all over the farm. The smaller the blocks, the greater the breeding success of the guineafowl. This is because breeding guineafowl are territorial and if a cover block is below a certain size, one pair will defend the whole block and each cover block will produce only one brood of chicks each year. If there is only time or manpower to create a few small blocks, these should be located near the best food supply for optimum results. Small blocks in marginal habitat will be less useful.

The same management regime should be applied to unusable parts of the farm, such as contour strips, rough ground etc.

Care must be exercised when mowing during summer, since this can be very damaging to guineafowl. Not only does it remove cover but it sometimes kills nesting hens. However, these adverse effects can be reduced if suitable measures are adopted.

1.The fitting of a flushing bar to the front of the mowing machine or tractor ensures that a sitting bird is forced to show itself before the vehicle destroys the nest. If it is not too inconvenient, the nest plus a little surrounding cover could be left unmowed. Alternatively, the eggs could be collected and reared in an incubator or by a broody hen. The rearing of wild birds in captivity requires a permit, which would be issued on such occasions.
2.    A margin of long grass around the edge of a mowed field provides some cover. A strip of 3 to 5m wide is a lot better than nothing at all, so such a margin should be left, if at all possible.

Predation
Predators are all too often blamed for guineafowl losses. Whilst wild predators do take a few chicks and eggs, such losses should really be ascribed to poor cover, since losses to predators are minimal when cover is good. The presence of many wild predators is a healthy sign since it can only mean that very large numbers of prey species must also be present.

The only predators to be feared are feral cats and uncontrolled dogs. Unlike wild predators, they do not depend on wild prey so do not themselves, diminish in numbers if their prey is over-exploited. Elimination of such cats and dogs is essential.

Shooting
It is sometimes claimed that shooting is necessary to maintain a healthy population and boost numbers. This is not true, but shooting does not damage a population provided enough birds remain to form a sufficiently large breeding stock in the following season. The principle to adopt, therefore, is not to shoot a proportion of the population each year, but rather to cream off the excess, should there be any. Any given farm has a maximum "carrying capacity" - the number of guineafowl that can permanently survive under the harshest seasonal conditions. As a result of breeding in summer, the population will fall, from one cause or another to the carrying capacity during the following winter. The actual carrying capacity of a particular farm depends upon a number of things such as altitude, climate and in particular, the type of farm management.

It is best to harvest the autumn surplus as soon as possible for several reasons. Firstly, the birds will be in the best condition: later, winter birds are thin and in poor condition. Secondly, the population will decline during winter from natural causes and the harvestable surplus will disappear. Thirdly, some birds will begin breeding in August if conditions are favorable. Shooting will then seriously impair the breeding effort. However shooting is conducted, no flock should ever be reduced to below three birds. Almost certainly, at least one male and one female will be present in such a group, which will form the following season’s breeding nucleus.

Restocking
Where guineafowl populations are depleted or even locally extinct, it is very tempting to try and restore the position by releasing captive birds on the farm. However, such restocking attempts have often proved disappointing, the released birds generally disappearing by either emigrating or dying. The reason is obvious; the original absence or scarcity of guineafowl was a result of the low carrying capacity of the land. Unless steps are taken to restore the habitat before restocking, a freshly released population will quickly decline to the original carrying capacity.

If restocking is attempted, it is imperative that the right strain of guineafowl be used. The "farmyard" guineafowl, frequently kept on farms as a semi-domestic bird, is highly unsuitable for release in the wild. Quite apart from its unusual colours and mixed genetic background it differs in its behavior from wild guineafowl. It rarely flies or disperses, so consequently, neither restocks depopulated lands nor provides a target for hunters. The release of such birds is now prohibited in KwaZulu-Natal.

Even when wild stock is used for captive breeding, restocking attempts normally fail. Released birds seem less able to resist adverse weather than wild birds, and make poor parents if they are able to survive and breed.

KEY POINTS
Food supplies can be greatly improved by correct management.
Rotational mosaic burning provides the best cover.
Insecticides and herbicides can be very dangerous if incorrectly used.
Any shooting should be done as early as possible in the hunting season.
Artificial restocking attempts are usually unsuccessful.